Well, it’s final. I’m soon going to be living in beautiful metropolitan Oakland. It’s a really nice one bedroom, the rent is payable, and the area seems pretty neat- it’s in the hills behind the Grand Lake theater. Now I just need to sell my stuff and find a job.
I’m excited. I’ve lived in Santa Cruz way too long, and it’s time to get on with my life. I never figured that Oakland would be my big step up, but it actually seems like a pretty happening place to be right now, and there certainly does seem to be some sort of economy and the promise of jobs.
It’s been sounding for a while as though Santa Cruz has not been meeting your needs. It’s beautiful of course, and living near the ocean can be very inspiring, but you’ve clearly had your share of problems there. IIRC you’ve been looking to burst out into a bigger city for a while.
I am very fond of Oakland. It gets bad publicity due to the crime rate in its poorer neighborhoods, but there’s a lot to recommend it. The area you’re moving to has lots of neat shops and resaturants, and is quite safe to walk around in even late at night (for someone with street-awareness).
There’s a lot of cultural stuff going on in Oakland, as I’m sure you’re aware, plus of course all the creative life of Berkeley and SF. A lot of the good stuff, such as Lake Merritt, Oakland Museum, the theaters, etc, are walking distance or a bike ride from you. You’ve chosen a great neighborhood.
Plus, when you need a Bollywood fix, you can hop on BART down to Fremont and the Naz 8 Cinemas.
Welcome to the (Inner) Bay Area! I hope you find a rewarding job soon, and that you and your SO thrive in Oakland.
[BTW, did you by any chance put an entry into the Santa Cruz Film Festival taking place in May? I may be going to some of the showings]
I grew up in Oakland! It really isn’t that bad actually. There are lots of things to do there (can’t help there, lots has changed since I lived there!).
It might also be a good idea to try the Pizza Hut on Shattuck. It’s one of my fav pizza joints ever =)
But I don’t want to hijack this thread, having established a Pit thread of my own for bitching about it, so let me say that it’s certainly nice to have another Doper in the immediate area. Maybe I’ll see you around.
even sven, would you mind telling me what your rent will be? I recently sold my house in San Jose, so I’m looking for a new place. Do you have covered parking?
Others familiar with the Oakland market, do you have an idea what rents are like for 1 BR apartments?
I’d like to find a decent place in the Bay Area for in the $900 neighborhood or less.
We on the outside who must travel to this armpit mecca on business refer to it as
“Chokeland”…you’ll soon agree…
Stay in Santa Cruz, the air is alot sweeter.
Our rent is $1,000 and it includes secure covered parking. I’ve seen a lot cheaper rents around, but neighborhood is probably an issue. We are subletting a rent controlled apartment, so our rent is lower than market for the area.
Welcome to Oakland even sven you picked a great neighborhood. There aare litterally tons of things to do within walking distance of the Grand Lake (oh and that’s a great movie theatre too) the last of it’s type damn near. I can’t comment on the job availabilty, but I’m sure you’ll find something. How long before you move in?
What area do you live in?