It's funny that nobody mentioned pac hts. If you're looking for a multi-room place, it's REALLY expensive. But for some reason there are plenty of cheap studios. I know lots of young people here who don't pay more than folks in the mission / hayes valley and have much nicer places. I live here b/c I need to run on trails every day and the presidio is close by. Parking is mellow enough. I'm never more than 5 blocks from my house and seldom closer than 2. There is just enough of a social life to keep you going and you're not far from anywhere. I also surf when the waves are good and it's near OB (waves were rocking today.) My car has never been robbed and I hardly ever see crazies. I grew up in DC and NYC and I thought we were the market leaders for crack heads! Man, they are a different breed out here.
I can't imagine being w/o a car. Once every two weeks we have a 7:30am meeting in SV (angels, VC's, lawyers) which means a 6:15 wake up. Usually we don't finish coding until 4am. I could not deal with that on public transpo.
Also my co-founder lives in the Presidio in an ex-military barack. His rent is as cheap as it gets but he is a bit removed from the city.
Muni also has a fleet of - not buses - but light rail trains. These trains, designed by Ferrari, travel on the surface away from the city center, and then go underground to become subways down town traveling very quickly without traffic interference. From my location (Cole Valley - just above the Upper Haight) a bus ride takes about 45 minutes to get to SOMA, and the light-rail about 25 minutes.
So, if you can find a place on any Muni line, you will dramatically improve your transit times PLUS you won't have to deal with the crazies - they mainly ride by bus for some reason. The way you can differentiate a Muni light-rail from a bus line is the light-rail lines are designated with a letter, and the buses with a number. Avoid buses - life is too short - go light-rail.
And as ced pointed out, Cycling! For me, its under 20 minutes to ride to SOMA - cycling is one of the fastest ways to get around town, and the cyclists have become a political force here and have been granted a bike lane network in the city. But being right on a Muni light-rail line is perfect for those occasional rainy days.
ssh... don't mention cole valley. I like the doctor's wives with the dogs and $900 strollers... and running into Craig every day at Reverie. Let all the nerd wannabees keep driving up rents in the mission, aka "la marina nueva."
A vespa or scooter is a pretty good way of getting around too. I had one when I lived there, and it was much more convenient than the car - easy parking (although sometimes the dickhead meter maids would give me tickets for parking the thing on wide sidewalks between trees...hrumph). If it's rainy, you can dress up a bit more than is comfortable on a bicycle. The drawback is that you're still pretty much stuck in the city, as you don't want to/can't take scooters on freeways.
gibsonf1 is completely right about the MUNI light rail - it is faster and the clientele are less crazy than the bus. I should add that into my post.
The only thing I would add about the light-rail is that it can get so crowded close to downtown during rush-hour that you can't get on...so take that into consideration if you're going to live in the lower haight or duboce triangle or something.
So, the decisions for this YC funding cycle will be out in a few weeks. This means that a bunch of Hacker News readers will be moving to the Bay Area soon.
Since I already live here, I'm putting together a brief guide to bootstrapping in SF. It's not as hard as you'd think, but this is a very different kind of city and there are some things to consider before you arrive. Hopefully this will help!
Nice article. I'd also recommend checking out a couple of other neighborhoods:
Glen Park is near a bart station and has a small but reasonably entertaining center with restaurants, a small (high end) grocery store, and a couple of coffee shops/bars. You're also a very short hop from the mission (fairly cheap cab ride, 5 mins in the car). The nice thing is that it is extremely easy to get downtown on Bart (10-15min), but you're also in the southern half of the city near the freeway - so if you need to get to silicon valley, you don't have to battle city traffic.
Another cheaper option along the same lines is to live near Balboa Park - there's a bart station, a few good muni corridor lines. Transportation-wise, it's similar to Glen Park - quick strike to the peninsula, quick bart ride to downtown/berkeley. On the down side, this section is on the outer edge of San Francisco's rougher neighborhoods. But rents here will be lower.
Glad you pointed this out. I suppose these neighborhoods slipped my mind because they're far from where I live, but they do have some good features. Especially for those who work in the valley.
Wear a helmet!!! I got NAILED by a commuter on a cellphone running a stop sign. I was 4 blocks from my house getting my moring cup of coffee. I ALWAYS wear a helmet but didn't that day b/c it was such a short ride. I was lucky to only be limping for 6 weeks.
Contrary to common sense, stick to the major roads. The traffic flows better and you don't have to gamble w/ stop signs.
Also the bad neighborhoods always seem to be in the valleys, which, unless you're Lance, is where you'll be riding. So follow the crackheads for the least hilly route.
I don't care if I get hit a few times. Driving is maddening in this city. I only use my car to meet w/ folks in the valley and to surf or get out of town.
You should check out MeetUp.com. I'm considering starting up a OpenCoffee meetup in SF. The only one I know of in the Bay is in Palo Alto. What do you all think?
The peninsula is much nicer than the city, I think. I lived in the city for a little while after moving here, but after my car got broken into TWICE in one month, (even my sunglasses were stolen), and a couple of way too expensive parking tickets and even getting towed on one occassion, I decided to go migrate south. Very glad I did; it's much cleaner, there are more trees, less crime, and notably fewer crazies. It's easier to hear yourself think, too. Rent is not really any less than you pay in the city, but you seem to get more -- as in square feet -- breathing room, etc.
There's really nothing like a stereotypical "the burbs" on the peninsula -- or anywhere in the Bay area for that matter. Concepts like "the burbs" are perpetuated by the perception of a need to commute via personally-owned vehicle or transport, as there are no other options -- and that just doesn't happen here. It's perfectly reasonable and viable to live without a vehicle in this place. Besides, Caltrain is fun.
If you think about it, the only people that benefit from people en masse becoming infatuated with a certain neighborhood (or likewise shunning certain neighborhoods) are Realtors, who make $ based on turnover of property in certain areas, and Realtors are all pure Evil. I actually gave up driving my car after I moved down here; only 5 months thus far, and I estimate I've saved a lot -- far more than I would have spent otherwise -- in transportation costs, time, and even energy.
I guess I just don't understand your point. I've never met a genuinely creative person who ever gets bored. I guess I don't really think of "getting bored" being resultant from a function of place.
Yeah when I lived in the city I had two screamers follow me home from work.
There's nothing like having crazy people yell at you while you walk home, unless it's being panhandled 20 times during a 15 minute walk. Or maybe all the "urban camping" that goes on. Nothing like the smell down by the bus station early in the morning... :)
I was up at the top of nob hill. Great view, great city -- didn't mean to put it down. City living is just something you kinda need to get used to :)
I got a great workout everyday walking back and forth to work! At least, until I wussed out and started riding the cable cars. I'd go back anytime. Great location.
There are tons of things to do. I think its the best of both worlds since you're between the City, the Valley (San Jose, Palo Alto, etc.), and the water (Half Moon Bay). But then again, my opinion may differ because I grew up in the Bay.
thank you. I will be making the move in a year and I must have my car with me (I'm a car nut) - although I don't think it will pass CA emissions easily..
I can't imagine being w/o a car. Once every two weeks we have a 7:30am meeting in SV (angels, VC's, lawyers) which means a 6:15 wake up. Usually we don't finish coding until 4am. I could not deal with that on public transpo.
Also my co-founder lives in the Presidio in an ex-military barack. His rent is as cheap as it gets but he is a bit removed from the city.
Hope this helps, good luck!