Our lab is moving there this summer, from St. Louis, so i will be moving there as well, and i was just curious if any of you are from San Fran?
I’m not from San Francisco, but I did live in the Bay area for about 10 years. I’d go back in a heartbeat, but I don’t think we could afford it.
We’re getting a hefty raise to cover Cost of living, but i won’t know till i visit if it is enough (it seems, we almost double our salary, but you never know).
If i am working at UCSF, so any of you suggest living in town, or in Oakland or another nearby city? i plan on using public transportation.
We lived in Oakland, near Lake Merritt and really liked it. We had a large 2-bedroom apartment for much less than we would have paid in the city. We were going to graduate school at UC Berkeley, but couldn’t find anything to rent there. Oakland is very variable–sometimes almost from block to block. I often walked to the BART station during the day alone, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it at night.
The East Bay is a lot quieter and I liked being closer to the various parks and preserves. We could drive for 10 minutes from our Oakland apartment and go hiking in a redwood forest.
We live in Oakland and love it. The city’s fun to visit (and I worked there for a while), but across the bay is a whole lot cheaper, and the commute isn’t bad if you coordinate BART accordingly. Good luck with the move. 
I haven’t been to a Bay Area Doper event yet, but they do happen with some regularity.
Be sure and wear some flowers in your hair!
Yeah, i downloaded that mp3 when it looked like we night be going, and incorporate that joke with some of my friends who have actually heard of music from before their birth.
Hey! I have actually worked at UCSF! I worked at the Laurel Heights campus, which is the administrative center - there aren’t any actual classes there.
The Bay Area is very expensive, and San Francsico is the most expensive place in it. (Generalization…I know it’s probably more expensive to live in Blackhawk or whatever.) UCSF has an excellent vanpool system for commuters all over the Bay Area. Only downside: it leaves REALLY early. When I worked there, I needed to be at the vanpool stop at 6:30.
Upside to moving to the Bay Area: the BADs! The best, sexiest, contingent of Dopers of all! (Yeah, and there’s museums and nice scenery, too.)
Jet Black <---- Another East Bay resident checking in. Oakland…Mills College area.
I like it here. I agree with others, working in San Fran is one thing, living there is another. But, I know many who do live in the heart of SF, and swear by it. It all depends on your tastes.
I, for one, like Oakland for the resonable calm…although, boredom makes the teenagers act stupid…since Oakland is mostly residential, unlike San Fran, which is chalk full of clubs, services and events. But then, east bay also has Berkeley, which is a world all to itself. I’d like to live in B-Town.
Jet Black
I came to SF from St. Louis, so I can tell you to be prepared to lose your mind when you see how much more expensive every…single…solitary…thing is compared to St. Louis. Especially gas. And although I’ve had rent control in place since 92, I know the rent is obscene now.
I live in the shadow of the UCSF buildings in the Inner Sunset in SF. My neighborhood is mostly residential, with enough businesses that you can walk to such that you’d never need a car if you work nearby. It is very quiet, but if you need to get to where the action is, it’s within walking distance.
yeah, i am probably gonna ditch my car, but i wanted to actually see where i’d live before i actually give it to my sister. we have heard that supposedly rent is not as astronomical as it was now that the dot coms are busted, but when i go out there to look around (on UCSF’s dime, supposedly) i will see if i do any double takes…
Wow, new B.A.D.'s coming out of the woodwork.
Oakland resident here too. Fruitvale area. Used to live in the Castro in SF for a year. Soon to be leaving the state, however. But hope to be returning as well.
No, no one is from San Francisco. People just move here from other places.
As to rents, yes, they’re finally coming down. It’s possible to find a place for under $2K a month, now, if you look hard. Hope you don’t have pets or smoke.
Check out craigslist.org to get a feel for the city. It is one of the best sites out there, and can give you a window onto housing prices and much more.
And yes everything is bloody expensive here.
Twiddle
P.S. One important thing to remember if you are moving here. No one who actually lives in San Francisco ever ever calls it “Frisco”.
Sacramento checking in…
Many people live along the ever popular I-80 corridor and commute in.
I understand many people take Amtrak from as far away as Sacramento. It’s one of the busiest rail corridors in the nation. From there, you can probably hook up easily with BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), then transfer to MUNI (San Francisco’s city mass transit system). I’ve never done it, so I don’t know how convenient it is.
Also, I second what Twiddle said. Nobody calls it “Frisco” around here. It is simply referred to as “The City” [eg, “I’m going into The City this weekend”].
Also, I strongly recommend learning to like the Raiders.
BTW… don’t forget to come out and enjoy California’s beautiful state capital.
I would like to heartily second that. craigslist.org is a kickass resource. I found the only job I have ever loved through craigslist. Found lots of leads on housing too.
I envy you… I wanna go back and do it all again!
Welcome! I live and work in the beautiful city of San Francisco. While it is expensive, I wouldn’t live anywhere else. I definitely wouldn’t own a car in the city, though. If you can find a place in the city that’s within your budget, you’ll have a blast. Otherwise, look for a place that’s convenient to BART. You will still have to use Muni (San Francisco’s internal system of buses and trolleys) to get to UCSF.
And there are definitely native San Franciscans. I don’t count, since I’m originally from Palo Alto, but I have several friends who were born and raised here.
We just moved to Montclair (in Oakland). We love it! We can see the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate, Alcatraz and Angel Island from our porch. We’re only about a 1.5 miles from a big redwood reserve. It’s just beautiful here, and so quiet. It’s a one bedroom for $1450, but you can find bigger for cheaper out there. Especially if you don’t have pets. A manager of a complex on the beach in Alameda told us the market was so soft, we could actually just “make an offer.” Or maybe she just liked us. We used http://www.eHousing.com, and it was way better than going from the paper. In fact we might still have some of the three month membership left, if you want to e-mail me and perpetrate some fraud. (Stick it to the man! Whatever.)
Unless you’re determined to live in SF, I’d keep the car. In SF it’s really more of a liability, but here, they come in handy…or maybe I’m just too lazy to wait for the occasional shuttle.
Good luck! (and Happy hunting–I hate it when the apartment sounds perfect (and maybe it is) but it’s in the middle of a gang war zone with a view of the dumpster, abutting the freeway.)
uhhh…
I was going to let it ride until that Raiders remark…
I live IN SF (San Fran - NOT ‘The City’ - long story)
UCSF has many facilities - do you know where you’ll be assigned?
also see http://www.sfgate.com - it has ready links to the morning paper (such as it is (local joke)) the Chronicle.
Keep the car, if possible - the (last remaining, protected) redwoods are just south of Eureka (US 101 north).
Also must-sees: Monterey/Carmel
forget the flowers - cell phones are now more common (sighhh…)
oh, yeah - welcome!
dave