I got the job! Bay area here we come :)

[rockzilla]

Thanks again to everyone who offered advice on my interview attire- apparently they liked the suit (and me!) and have offered me the position

Now for the big Q: live in the city and commute, or find a place in the PA/MV area?

Looking forward to those bay area GTGs!

 

[Gypsy]

Which bay area, rockzilla? SF Bay Area, or another?

Congrats on your job!

 

[movie zombie]

Mountain View is really nice....its where i moved when i came to the bay area in 1989. i'm not that fond of going south into Sunnyvale or further south....just a personal preference. Palo Alto is pricey. the further up the pennisula you go, the more expensive it is. the flats down by 101 and the bay are less expensive than the hills.

much depends on what you want for your weekends: big city life or suburban ambience? each of the towns is actually small....its just that they run into each other.

i imagine you'll be renting: if you don't have kids why not try out the city? lots of things to do. you can always move down the penninsula.

or split the difference and look at San Mateo and/or Burlingame.

each town actually has its own "feel". Redwood City has come a long ways.

congrats on the new job and welcome!

MoZo

ps or you could go really rural and start looking to live in the Santa Cruz Mountains........

 

[mrscushion]

Woohoo! Congrats on the job!

So many great choices on where to live... I the Bay Area, DH is from there. I'd probably live in San Francisco for starts and then start exploring the surrounding areas. Keep us posted on what you decide!

 

[JewelFreak]

Super on the job!! That's a coup & a half these days.

We lived in SF for 9 yrs. Looked in outlying towns at houses to rent, but decided to live in the city & I'm glad we did. It's a world-class city & if you live in the burbs you just don't get to know it well. There is so much to do & see & experience (not to mention fabulous restaurants -- the little hole-in-the-wall places only residents seem to find. So I agree, if you don't have kids, the city is a top option.

--- Laurie

 

[Tuckins1]

Congrats on the new job!

 

[purselover]

Congrats

 

[yennyfire]

Congrats on the new job! Yay!

 

[zoebartlett]

Congratulations Rockzilla! You have quite the move ahead of you now, right? Best of luck!

 

[vintagelover229]

YAY! Congratulations rockzilla!

 

[lulu66]

i have no bay area advice but just wanted to send you a big CONGRATULATIONS!! good luck w/your move & new job!

 

[rockzilla]

Thanks everyone! I think we will try to live in the city if we can swing it $-wise. It will also depend where my husband ends up job-wise as well. I am super excited

 

[tigian]

Congratulations!!!! Keep us posted on the move.

 

[swingirl]

I am late to answer but my vote is to live in PA where you won't have to spend your life on 101. You'll be a good 50+ minutes away if traffic cooperates. But SF is very exciting.

Congratulations on the job!!! We'll be seeing you at the next GTG!!

 

[slg47]

congratulations and welcome to the Bay Area! Personally I think it depends on whether or not a commute would bother you, what type of living situation you are looking for, etc. I think you will find that there is a lot to do out here including a lot of great restaurants

 

[TravelingGal]

Ooh, congrats RZ!! I'm thrilled you got the job, and I agree that your interview outfit was fabarama!

 

[Mara]

I'm not a fan of the city or of commuting... so I would live near my job, esp if I was moving here for one. The commute can really suck depending on where you live/work. Even going 10 miles, depending on where those 10m are, can be like 40min.

I love PA, I would totally live there if I was renting. Super cute downtown area with a TON of everything. Menlo Park is a little more quiet than PA but still very close (and more expensive) but more suburby. MV is cute too with a great downtown, but if I had to choose and pricing was similar I'd live in PA or MP. Plus then you are closer to SF for visits, the drive would be like 30-40 min depending on when you go. Oh also Stanford Mall is in PA.

Congrats..!! Hope you negotiated a great salary, you'll need it here. People often have shell-shock once they move here and realize 'crap I didn't ask for enough'.

 

[Clairitek]

I'm not a fan of the city or of commuting... so I would live near my job, esp if I was moving here for one. The commute can really suck depending on where you live/work. Even going 10 miles, depending on where those 10m are, can be like 40min.

I love PA, I would totally live there if I was renting. Super cute downtown area with a TON of everything. Menlo Park is a little more quiet than PA but still very close (and more expensive) but more suburby. MV is cute too with a great downtown, but if I had to choose and pricing was similar I'd live in PA or MP. Plus then you are closer to SF for visits, the drive would be like 30-40 min depending on when you go. Oh also Stanford Mall is in PA.

Congrats..!! Hope you negotiated a great salary, you'll need it here. People often have shell-shock once they move here and realize 'crap I didn't ask for enough'.

I concur with Mara's statement above! I hope you had better luck than I did when I got my job out here! I moved from the East Coast and even though I've been paying my rent since October I'm still shocked to write that check every month.

I also agree with the traffic and commute thing. I live 17 miles from my work. Sometimes it takes me an hour to get there, sometimes only 25 minutes. I would NEVER want to live in the city and drive out of it, even though its sort of a reverse commute. If you can commute on BART, a totally different thing.

I live in the East Bay! Looking forward to seeing you at a GTG around here. Congrats on the new job!

 

[anchor31]

Congrats!

 

[packrat]

Congratulations on your new job!

 

[bee*]

Congratulations!

 

[rockzilla]

Thanks everyone, for the advice! The commute does worry me too, but the company also has an SF office where you can work 2 days a week, meaning the commute to mountain view would only be on Mon, Tues, and Thurs. What I am thinking is living in an area close to the caltrain, since they provide a shuttle from the mountain view caltrain to the office.

Any advice on neighborhoods easily accessible to Caltrain?

 

[VRBeauty]

Congratulations, RZ! Best wishes to your hubby as he looks for positions in the Bay Area!

 

[movie zombie]

Caltrain funding is, well, in trouble.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/bay-area/2010/12/caltrain-supporters-aim-more-stable-funding

i have a friend that does the reverse: lives in MV and commutes to a law office in SF. the firm also gives some financial help with public transit and i believe there is some kind of federal reimbursement for that program.

living in the city near caltrains? i believe a lot of condo development has happened down around the station.....don't dismiss taking a bus to the station rather than living near it.

i think living in the city at first until you get to know the area and which town you might prefer is a good idea. i cannot begin to list the weekend things you can do.

me: i'd like to live out in the avenues or perhaps the Goat Hill area. but there are a lot of areas to explore.

will you have an opportunity to come out and search for a place to live? there are a lot of really nice areas but the cost can be prohibitive.

oh, and Bart is good reliable transport but doesn't go as far as MV. you could however take it to the end of the line and switch to caltrain there.

MoZo

 

[Mara]

you can check out 511.org (i think that is the url) which you can map out your commute to and fro on public transportation (bus, train, light rail)... it's helpful to get an idea of how long things will take if you plan public transport.

my hub works about 40 min (driving no traffic) from where we live and he takes the train 3x a week, it makes a big diff for his mental state as the commute itself is the same time but sitting in traffic, but it's such a pain to coordinate the times--and if he has to leave early one day to come home for something it takes him forever to re-map everything or figure out bus routes etc.

wondering which company you are working for based on your note about them having a SF and MV office. i know a few like that.

oh and MV commute can really suck from many areas of the bay so def look into that when you are thinking about where to live. i have a friend who lives in Marin and takes him 3 hours a day to drive to and from PA.

claire... YES i hear that from so so many transplants, my husband is one of them as he came from the east coast 10 years ago and is still in sticker shock. most people think 'gee this is a great raise i got!' and then come here and well you know.

 

[calibali]

Just wanted to add another town to consider. I've lived in MV, Atherton and downtown SF (financial district) and I found Atherton to be the most enjoyable (MV was the worst). Beautiful area, not too bad of commute to get downtown, and just a nice feel to the neighborhood. It's right next to PA and MP and is a great option if you want your house in a slightly quieter locale.

Congrats on the new job and good luck with your house hunting!

 

[zhuzhu]

Congratulations!

 

[lliang_chi]

Congrats on the job! Best of luck moving.

 

[Skippy123]

awesome, congrats!!! I love SF; it is soooo beautiful!

 

[CaliSun]

Congrats!!!

We relocated across country to the East Bay and have never regretted it. This is SO exciting!
One thing I can suggest is if you rent, sign a short (maybe 6 month?) lease in middle of everything, so you'll have a great vantage point to get to know your new area. This may help you decide where you want to live long term, so you don't feel stuck.

I agree with other Cali locals - -the commute can be a horror. If you can find ways to minimize your drive time, that's a big bonus. So, you're on the right path checking out areas to live near public transpo.

When you do get out here - - - we need to get a Bay Area GTG going!