Author Topic: The Bay Area (Read 855 times)

pdowd · « **on:** February 04, 2012, 04:35:01 PM »

So, I've been toying with the idea of riding my bike across country this summer and possibly trying to live in the Bay Area for a little while, except I don't know shit about living there. Where's a good/cheap place to live. By good I mean not completely terrible (my neighborhood now isn't great, but it's adequate) and bikeable to cool things (not biking through the worst part of town where they throw bottles in front of your tires than rob you).

Any suggestions?

Also, who wants to help me out on my tour?

bitethecurb · « **Reply #1 on:** February 04, 2012, 04:37:23 PM »

What do you mean by "cheap"? Also, how important would living close to San Francisco be?

petsounds01 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2012, 04:55:05 PM »

Nothing is cheap out there. I'm actually saving up now to move out that way. I don't think I'd take less than 20 grand with me. Tiny studio apartments are over a grand a month.

Though, you could probably get a crap job and find a bunch of roommates and get a place that probably wouldn't be the best outside of the city, but that wouldn't be easy if you just show up on a bike with no plans.

There are a lot of jobs out there that I am qualified for (particularly library jobs), but most places won't call you back if you are out-of-state and most places require a California driver's license. It's like, without a job you can't afford a place to enable you to live near enough to qualify to get a job, so it's a catch-22.

Though, if you just want a McJob and have little requirements for living arrangements, you could probably pull it off, but like I said nothing is cheap at all out there.

Adam_Prozac27 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2012, 06:00:57 PM »

i paid $850 a month for a one bedroom (i think)

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/CA-Oakland-Claremont-Park-Apartments.html

Johney · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2012, 06:25:21 PM »

If you're going to the bay area keep a look out for this dude. He's bad news.

(click to show/hide)

Doorbell · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2012, 07:57:03 PM »

Quote from: pdowd on February 04, 2012, 04:35:01 PM

(not biking through the worst part of town where they throw bottles in front of your tires than rob you).

Oh shit! People do this? God damn people suck.

llivermore · « **Reply #6 on:** February 04, 2012, 08:06:34 PM »

Quote from: Doorbell on February 04, 2012, 07:57:03 PM

Oh shit! People do this? God damn people suck.

I saw a college kid knocked off his bike and robbed at gunpoint just a couple blocks from where I used to live in downtown Berkeley. Which is actually a semi-decent neighborhood, at least compared with Oakland or South Berkeley. Rents around there will set you back 3 or 4 times what you'd pay in Buffalo.

Doorbell · « **Reply #7 on:** February 04, 2012, 08:20:35 PM »

Quote from: llivermore on February 04, 2012, 08:06:34 PM

I saw a college kid knocked off his bike and robbed at gunpoint just a couple blocks from where I used to live in downtown Berkeley. Which is actually a semi-decent neighborhood, at least compared with Oakland or South Berkeley.

Quote from: Doorbell on February 04, 2012, 07:57:03 PM

God damn people suck.

enjoi · « **Reply #8 on:** February 04, 2012, 11:40:56 PM »

Quote from: llivermore on February 04, 2012, 08:06:34 PM

I saw a college kid knocked off his bike and robbed at gunpoint just a couple blocks from where I used to live in downtown Berkeley. Which is actually a semi-decent neighborhood, at least compared with Oakland or South Berkeley. Rents around there will set you back 3 or 4 times what you'd pay in Buffalo.

llivermore · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2012, 12:27:08 AM »

Not that I'm all that familiar with rents in Buffalo, but based on what I've heard. In that part of Berkeley, you'd typically pay $1000 to $1300 for a studio, maybe $1300 to $1800 for a one-bedroom.

llivermore · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2012, 12:30:20 AM »

Unless you're lucky enough to be under rent control, in which case you might only be paying a few hundred.

But that only applies to people who've been living there since the Pleistocene Age (aka my generation). New tenants get their rents re-set at market rates.

DaveNinja · « **Reply #11 on:** February 05, 2012, 01:38:35 AM »

just stop in sacramento. its close enough to the bay area without being all "hey im cool, i live in the bay area"

llivermore · « **Reply #12 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:42:51 AM »

Quote from: DaveNinja on February 05, 2012, 01:38:35 AM

just stop in sacramento. its close enough to the bay area without being all "hey im cool, i live in the bay area"

Yeah, kind of like Albany. Hey, it's almost the same as New York City! Well, same state, anyway.

Freddie Fireworks · « **Reply #13 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:54:40 AM »

I lived in a nice part of SF and my rent was $700/month.

You can get mugged on a bike anywhere. Even Chicago!

Sacramento is dogshit.

pdowd · « **Reply #14 on:** February 05, 2012, 04:41:58 AM »

God damn. Buffalo ruined me. Rents sound too high. I'll venture out there. I have a friend in SF, maybe I'll just take it as it comes.

DaveNinja · « **Reply #15 on:** February 05, 2012, 11:36:21 AM »

live with other people; it will be much cheaper than like 700 bucks

gnostic ghost · « **Reply #16 on:** February 05, 2012, 11:49:17 AM »

Rent is crazy in the bay area, and I don't think it has ever been worse. $700/month in San Francisco in 2012 is not possible unless you have some amazing connections, roommates, live in a questionable area, or some combination of those. Just look at craigslist to get an idea of what's happening here right now.

But the "bay area" is huge and so you can find ways to make it work. You can live out in Pittsburg/Antioch/Vallejo (north east bay) for pretty cheap. Those are higher crime areas too. Still at least double midwest rent, but cheap for the area. The BART goes out to Pittsburg now, so you can get to the city relatively easily (though not cheaply, unfortunately. It'll be at least $12 roundtrip.) And those are not really bikeable to cool things.

If you want fun and adventure with a bike I'd suggest Berkeley, Oakland, or SF. Roommates make for good stories later, right?

pdowd · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2012, 01:33:54 PM »

I don't mind roommates, so maybe I can find something for around 300 or 400, I'd be happy. Thanks guys.

llivermore · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2012, 01:56:51 PM »

Quote from: pdowd on February 05, 2012, 01:33:54 PM

I don't mind roommates, so maybe I can find something for around 300 or 400, I'd be happy. Thanks guys.

That would be a pretty good find if it's in a half-decent area. But if you get something that cheap, most likely you'll be dodging bullets in East Oakland.

Freddie Fireworks · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:11:24 PM »

Quote from: llivermore on February 05, 2012, 01:56:51 PM

That would be a pretty good find if it's in a half-decent area. But if you get something that cheap, most likely you'll be dodging bullets in East Oakland.

The old man's right on this one.

That said, don't let rent discourage ya. If you're eating shit on rent, enjoy your time there and leave after a year. Happy hunting!

Nicole · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:14:02 PM »

Quote from: pdowd on February 05, 2012, 01:33:54 PM

I don't mind roommates, so maybe I can find something for around 300 or 400, I'd be happy. Thanks guys.

The post above you just said 700 would be with roommates.

pdowd · « **Reply #21 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:35:14 PM »

My bubble of Great Lakes failure makes the rest of the world scary.

Hopefully I'll have enough money to live there for a little while and enjoy it. Even if for only a few months.

llivermore · « **Reply #22 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:42:31 PM »

Quote from: Freddie Fireworks on February 05, 2012, 02:11:24 PM

The old man's right on this one.

That said, don't let rent discourage ya. If you're eating shit on rent, enjoy your time there and leave after a year. Happy hunting!

Yeah, if you think you'd like living there, give it a try. What the fuck, you're young, you can always move somewhere else if you don't like it.

Just choose your area carefully. Don't consign yourself to some shithole part of the Bay Area just to save a few bucks.

petsounds01 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 05, 2012, 04:13:33 PM »

Quote from: pdowd on February 05, 2012, 02:35:14 PM

My bubble of Great Lakes failure makes the rest of the world scary.

Hopefully I'll have enough money to live there for a little while and enjoy it. Even if for only a few months.

Moving is probably always scary, in a sense, unless you have some type of sweet job and financial security lined up. That is my main issue with moving from here to there. Indiana sucks, and I have no kids or family, but it is cheap and comfortable. I live comfortably here, but if I was getting the same pay there, I would barely be able to afford rent. My rent would, literally, double for a place half the size. I want to take at least a year's worth of rent money with me, and if I couldn't find a decent job in that time, then I certainly shouldn't be living there.

petsounds01 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 05, 2012, 04:34:29 PM »

I don't know the area very well, but I think this means you can live in the Iron Triangle for $750 a month.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/2836311216.html

I actually stayed in the Richmond Annex this summer and it was very nice. North Richmond, eh, not so much.

This one is only $10,000 a month furnished (not kidding):