I don't know how far fetched this is, but: I'm interning in San Francisco this summer and I'm having a really hard time finding a place and the pressure is building up because i'm running out of time. I've searched countless craigslist posts and such and it seems people are turned off by the fact that I'm coming from so far away. Anyone with suggestions or anyone know someone in San Fran that might need a roomate?

5/15/2006 12:02:36 PM

yeah good luck with that

it's like moving to NYC and trying to find a place in manhattan for cheap

5/15/2006 12:20:26 PM

You could try craigslist.

5/15/2006 12:52:40 PM

uh

Quote :

"I've searched countless craigslist posts"

but in all seriousness, try lying about where you're moving from (if you have a southern accent, just say youre from the desert or Arizona)

people in California usually don't believe you when you tell them youre moving from across the country. l

nobody believed me until i actually lasted out here longer than 2 months

5/15/2006 12:59:35 PM

hahahhahaa

funny how the people's republic of california, the bastion of liberalism, is so intolerant.

5/15/2006 1:02:53 PM

well california is pretty crowded to begin with

it's not like enticing even MORE people to come live here will benefit anyone in the long run

5/15/2006 1:05:04 PM

^^i dont see it as intolerance. i'd be apprehensive to rent to someone who is on the other side of the country when you can easily just rent to someone after meeting them in person.

5/15/2006 1:11:33 PM

yeah it sucks quite a bit, craigslist has been checked and rechecked every 10 minutes for like the past month. No call backs and some people just say no or rent to someone else after talking to me. It may have to do with my ethnicity too, which is sad and if you met me I'm nothing like i would seem.

5/15/2006 1:20:37 PM

you could always say youre 'open-minded' and try and score a place in Castro

5/15/2006 1:32:37 PM

what is your ethincity?

5/15/2006 1:34:13 PM

I'm Egyptian (and in a perfect world it shouldn't matter) and i've tried to live in as diverse a places as possible. From Lesbian mothers with two kids, to potheads, to grown men, and i've even tried all girls just in case. Sheesh, i might end up living in a hotel for a few weeks till I can find a place manually when i'm there.

5/15/2006 3:02:44 PM

um did you try talking to anyone who's in charge of your internship?

5/15/2006 3:05:24 PM

Yes and they're providing me with word of mouth housing situation that may open up. I just sent three new emails to some promising places. I hope it worksout. I'm super excited about San Francisco (seeing that i've been no where west of Charlotte.)

5/15/2006 3:38:40 PM

Quote :

"hahahhahaa funny how the people's republic of california, the bastion of liberalism, is so intolerant."

do you think this guy masturbates to this kinda stuff?

5/15/2006 3:38:44 PM

is your job in SF proper or what?

you can always try finding a place not in the city and taking the BART to get to work

besides 'the city' is really, really expensive, so why aren't you looking at more affordable alternatives to begin with?

5/15/2006 3:43:54 PM

Quote :

"funny how the people's republic of california, the bastion of liberalism, is so intolerant."

smug alert

5/15/2006 3:49:31 PM

^^ i've looked at places a bit further out, and i've heard SF transportation was good but I havn't really focused on that type of search yet. The internship is on a pier. so right by the Bay Bridge. I don't really know how long it takes to travel from place to place. Maybe Berkley could be an option or Oakland or even South of San Fran.I just don't want transportation to be an issue. Especially being so new to the city.

5/15/2006 4:13:01 PM

actually the funny thing is california has more people leaving than coming in.

5/15/2006 4:36:43 PM

Quote :

"It may have to do with my ethnicity"

You can't legally discriminate based on ethnicity... so they would have to give you another reason why they didn't rent to you.

5/15/2006 4:47:49 PM

Quote :

"As of 2005, California has an estimated population of 36,132,147, which is an increase of 290,109, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 2,260,494, or 6.7%, since the year 2000, making California the 13th fastest-growing state (after Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Utah, Idaho, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington State). This includes a natural increase since the last census of 1,557,112 people (that is 2,781,539 births minus 1,224,427 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 751,419 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 1,415,879 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 664,460 people."

um, that sounds like population growth to me

5/15/2006 5:05:06 PM

Quote :

"I've searched countless craigslist posts"

I lose.

You could live in Berkeley or Oakland, definitely. I don't know what the prices are like there, but Berkeley is a total college town. You may have an easier time finding a place to rent there. Traffic is an issue, as with any big city, but I never had a problem any of the times I was there.

[Edited on May 15, 2006 at 7:33 PM. Reason : .]

5/15/2006 7:28:43 PM

Were you planning on bringing your car with you or what? You should realize that this isn't Raleigh or Charlotte. SF is a BIG city, that's crowded, hectic, and extremely expensive. Mass transit in SF isn't just a nice thought, it's kind of a necessity. Good luck finding a place to park your car if you bring it, and if you find a safe place, good luck affording it. My suggestion would be to take the BART, like everyone else does. I mean I don't know your situation, it just seems like you haven't really grasped how big of city SF is...

5/15/2006 7:51:50 PM

Quote :

"funny how the people's republic of california, the bastion of liberalism, is so intolerant."

thats a bit of a stretch...there are more than a couple states that are more "the bastion of liberalism" than cali

5/15/2006 8:20:38 PM

Id live in Berkeley. Crime is alittle higher and there are lots of bums but its a nice place.

5/15/2006 8:20:52 PM

Check out Orinda or even Walnut Creek. It'd be a 20 minute commte on the BART but I KNOW there are places available there... tons of young professionals that work in SF>

^ my Dad works overlooking Berkeley marina.. it's not so bad.

[Edited on May 15, 2006 at 8:29 PM. Reason : x]

5/15/2006 8:29:23 PM

yeah Walnut Creek is nice if you can afford it

Oakland really isn't that bad either

5/15/2006 8:33:48 PM

^^ Oh i love Berkeley its just got has more bums than someone from Raleigh would be used to.

and I grew up in Martinez and its a nice place to live and the Bart trip is about the same as Walnut Creek.

5/15/2006 8:37:20 PM

^^ Yea that's where my parents live. Parts are very expensive but I saw tons of roommate wanted signs at almost every store.. YOu can get a 2 BR for 1400 and 700/month isn't too bad at all..

^ yea I don't know ALL that much about the area since my parents have only been there for less then a year and I've only visited twice. I'll be out for 2 weeks in July so I guess I'll know it a lot better then..

[Edited on May 15, 2006 at 8:38 PM. Reason : x]

5/15/2006 8:37:31 PM

I really haven't spent too much time in the Bay Area, so other people might be able to give you a lot more useful information than I can. I just think of SF as being the NYC of the West Coast- it's a pretty cool place to be, but it aint Raleigh.

5/15/2006 8:51:48 PM

YAY! i found a place. Russian Hill is the name of the area and from the look of the map maybe like 10 minutes via bus to get to my job? I got it for 675 a month which is close to the cheap side of the area.

but now that all that is taken care of, what should i do during free time?

5/15/2006 9:30:20 PM

in russian hill rents you

5/15/2006 9:32:59 PM

Nice. Russian Hill is awesome from what I've heard. IIRC someone on TWW lives there. Not sure if they post still though..

5/15/2006 9:37:35 PM

Since you have all this free time now, you should be planning a trip to San Diego

5/15/2006 10:08:52 PM

yeah i want to go to San Diego and LA? or is LA even worth it?
are there better ways of traveling within California other than a plain when its that far away. Damn I don't know what to do, I'm nervous and excited.

BTW this post was good luck, I complained and got a place in one day

^^ it's supposedly one of (if not ) the highest hill? I heard you can see the golden gate bridge from the roof and its semi far away.

5/15/2006 10:16:52 PM

Flying is usually the cheapest way, it's like 500 miles from SD to SF

LA is kinda crazy but it's definately worth checking out. You kinda have to spend a weekend there to get the general feel of it, most people either love it or hate it.

of course Im completely biased when I say San Diego is my favorite city in California, but I can almost guarantee you that the weather will be nicer and the beaches will be better than anywhere else in the state.

5/15/2006 10:25:50 PM

Quote :

"I just think of SF as being the NYC of the West Coast- it's a pretty cool place to be, but it aint Raleigh."

San Francisco made me realize that I had never been to a real city in my life. If you don't like cities, you will HATE San Francisco. Get ready to pay for parking everywhere you go, although most days you can park in Golden Gate Park for free.
Go to Golden Gate Park, Haight Ashbury, Chinatown, Little Italy. I would avoid Fisherman's Wharf. It's way touristy, and felt more like Myrtle Beach than California to me. I went twice and decided I never needed to go back. But the rest of the city is great.
I've never been to LA, but San Diego is really nice. I have an uncle who lives there and I've visited twice. Traffic is nuts, nobody follows the speed limit, and it's bumper-to-bumper the whole time. There's tons of stuff to do there. I hit up the museums, the zoo, of course, and spent some time in La Jolla.
I lived in Monterey for almost two years, which is south of San Francisco. Some people don't like it because it's really small, but the bars there are awesome, and the aquarium is something I definitely miss. I also miss waking up and hearing the sea lions in the bay.
California is one of those places you either love or hate. I knew a lot of people who thought that the people there were rude beyond belief. But I never had a problem with anyone, and when my mom visited she was amazed by how polite people were.

5/15/2006 11:41:39 PM

I was going to possibly have an internship in San Fran this summer, and I was definitely looking at housing in Berkeley, etc, and using the BART. (I fucked up, and the position got filled under my nose) But, I still want to travel there sometime soon. Or, maybe try and get an internship there next summer. I've heard it's an absolutely gorgeous city.

And, I have family in San Diego I've never visited (they've come to NC, but only my older brother has gone to SD before), so I'd like to fly down there during my stay, if possible. Enjoy SF. I may be asking you all about it next spring!

5/15/2006 11:49:32 PM

^^
traffic in San Diego is nuts?

i mean, i've only lived here since September, but it's nothing like LA, DC, Atlanta, or any other major city. Holiday traffic can be a bitch, but for the 7th biggest city in the country, the traffic here is a fucking joke. Maybe my frame of refference is a little skewed since I grew up in DC, but San Diego doesn't feel nearly as 'big' as other cities because things are pretty laid back here.

Anyway, Mailsi, enjoy the whole SF experience. Like other people have said, it's real city life. Make sure to check out the different neighborhoods, eat in a lot of different restaraunts, takes lots of pictures, and soak up the diversity of one of the most unique cities in the world. I hate to admit it, but SF blows San Diego away when it comes to culture.

5/16/2006 1:10:45 AM

Greatest city in the world. I'm so completely jealous.

5/16/2006 1:51:34 AM

Malsi:

I would suggest living in the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, etc) or the "urbs" around SF like Daly City. They are generally much better suited to college kids than the city itself, which is gentrified out the wazoo for practically anyplace you'd want to live (that includes Castro, for the tongue-in-cheek poster above).

I have known college kids to live in west SF (like near the Great Highway/47thish) with four or five roommates in a dump (but it's THE CITY!), probably at $2000/month or more divided amongst them.

Get ready to do some commutin' -- unless you can foot $2500/month in rent for a nice place for a few months (more power to ya!).

Quote :

"I don't really know how long it takes to travel from place to place. Maybe Berkley could be an option or Oakland or even South of San Fran.I just don't want transportation to be an issue. Especially being so new to the city."

SF is pretty transportation-friendly, I think. For one thing, the city is generally just not that big. Even if there's a nasty backup on 80, it's going to be a maximum of a few miles. They do a phenomenal job of keeping traffic moving given its volume, especially over the Bay Bridge. I've sat through rush hour a few times and it didn't hold a candle to I-40.

Plus there's BART and Muni if you don't mind the train/buses/etc. Driving around the city is OK and not too bad -- it's not NYC by any stretch -- but parking is a total nightmare on most days, unless you're good.

Seriously, your best bet is to ask your employer for help. They can probably give you some handy advice. Since it's just a summer internship and not a life thing, you can get by.

(FYI I live in San Jose, so take my advice with a grain of salt -- I'm just a dumb suburbanite to the city folk)

[Edited on May 16, 2006 at 2:21 AM. Reason : foo]

5/16/2006 2:20:46 AM

Quote :

"I've heard it's an absolutely gorgeous city."

SF is the ugliest, prettiest city there is. I didn't like it at first -- being used to the post-Giuliani Manhattan. The city is just very, very dirty. The homeless population is unparalleled in my experience of big cities.

But it's also topologically and architectually amazing. Practically everyone has a view. All the cliches about cultural diversity hold -- although I think it's more cultural density than diversity; California in general is an order of magnitude more diverse than NC.

The restaurants and bars are great. It's pretty driver-friendly (and yes, parking is possible).

If you can swing some time in SF, definitely do it. It's quite a unique place.

5/16/2006 2:27:45 AM

Quote :

"SF is a BIG city"

its actually like half the size of durham

5/16/2006 2:34:58 AM

its actually the second most densely populated city in America, after NYC

[Edited on May 16, 2006 at 2:55 AM. Reason : asdf]

5/16/2006 2:48:37 AM

actually, double wrong. it doubt its even top 10. Union city nj is the most densly populated in the u.s. it more than doubles the density of nyc.

5/16/2006 2:56:04 AM

i should have specified major city

5/16/2006 3:00:31 AM

Quote :

"I lived in Monterey for almost two years, which is south of San Francisco. Some people don't like it because it's really small, but the bars there are awesome, and the aquarium is something I definitely miss. "

loved the bars and the aquarium there and there is something to be said for a town that elected Clint Eastwood as their mayor

5/16/2006 6:46:28 AM

SF is dirty?? WTF are you smoking?

5/16/2006 8:44:03 AM

wiki tells me that San Fran has the second highest pop density behind NYC.

also, San Fran is only part of the bay area (and a rather small section area wise) and the rest of it just kind of blends together so saying durham is has a larger population than San Fran is kind of stupid.

5/16/2006 10:21:52 AM

check out the rock for certain

5/16/2006 10:39:28 AM

^^nobody said durham had a larger pop. i said size. and there are several smaller cities with densities way above that of san frans. again....union city nj is the most dense city in the us. wiki entries are made by individuals just like you.

5/16/2006 10:44:36 AM