Considering a move to SF

[BeaucoupFish]

I spent the afternoon driving around SoMa, S Beach etc, with a handful of addresses to check areas on. It's been a long time since I have been in the city by day. I would say about 25% of where I went had a construction site hammering away.

Some comments.

South Beach: Very nice, a bit trendy, expensive. Even here, construction and roads closed! This might be a bit too trendy, inflated prices might make this a poor investment decision longer term, but who can tell? Still very nice. View of the bridge is not as exciting as a city view, though.

SoMa: Variable. Some pretty scummy areas, not somewhere you'd want to be outside in during the day (the clubby areas in the Tenderloin). But just a few blocks away, and things get very civilised and trendy again as you get nearer S Beach.

Potrero Hill: I think I might have missed this area. Either that, or I passed straight through without noticing anything.

In between, Mission Bay(?) is the biggest construction site of them all. It's pretty awful, actually. Not that I expected much to be there.

Then I accidentally drove all the way up Embarcadero and pretended to be a tourist at Fisherman's Wharf. Actually it was quite fun, and it allowed me to take a look up at Telegraph Hill and the Coit Tower - very picturesque looking upwards, but I don't think I want to live in an older place any more (e.g. my house is a 1950's ranch, in good shape but old fashioned in appearance and systems).

In the end, I gave up looking at areas and had dinner with a good friend who's in the Castro at the moment. Now, if I was a bit younger and renting, this was a pretty fun area. I don't know if the Mission district is similar, but if so I would recommend others to check out living around there. Chasing girls in the Castro might be harder - or perhaps easier (less competition!)?! He had great views south/west of Twin Peaks and the other hilly area (is this Diamond / Bernal Heights?).

The journey home I was tired but very excited (trying to find parking at my friends place had dampened my mood temporarily!), but now I need to take some steps to find out if this is really practical, and start looking at actual properties.

Thanks for previous comments and suggestions.

[Snipe]

I'm obv. late to the party, but hey, I'm bored at work in China Basin right now so guess I'll contribute.

As an SF native who grew up in The Mission, obviously I'm a bit biased (though Cbloom's comments are pretty much dead on). Food's great. Bars are great. Parking...not so much (as with everywhere other than Sunset / Richmond side of the City).

I've recently moved to the West Portal area, which has quite a bit to offer but is often overlooked. Even more often overlooked, and not too far away is the St. Francis Wood area. If you choose to take another trip out this way, I HIGHLY recommend you take a drive down Monterey Blvd. From 280 it looks pretty standard, but as you drive up a mile or so, you start getting into some incredible homes in neighborhoods that you never knew existed in SF.

For you, however, I’d recommend Pac Heights. It’s definitely the most baller place in the city (except for perhaps the Transbay Terminal Tower – tallest residential building west of the Mississippi). It’s central to everything, safe, clean, and for those reasons, where all my suburban raised coworkers want to live.

As for China Basin / South Beach / Mission Bay – I personally REALLY like this area and while the construction may *seem* like a pain, it’s really not bad at all and will pay off in droves in years to come.

Potrero Hill is also getting closer to realizing it’s potential of being ‘the next big thing’ with the recently completed construction of The Potrero AND BUILT IN WHOLE FOODS!!! These condos are expensive now, but will undoubtedly be a solid investment on the strength of Whole Foods alone.

[fartman77]

I live in the Tenderloin with crack whores and bums. Stop by if you want to get mugged, or for authentic pho and vietnamese sandwiches.

[pokergrader]

I just moved to north beach a month ago. Lets party SF 2+2ers.

PS: North beach is [censored] awesome.

[stan394]

i rented in the south beach area from 2002 to 2007. moved down to Mountain View this summer and missed the city every single day.

[stan394]

[ QUOTE ]
I've lived in SF for about 8 years now. When I first moved here, I rented in the Richmond district. Kind of a bustly neighborhood, lots to do on Clement St, weather was meh, no views really, unless you live in the outer Richmond, near the beach. Golden Gate Park is near and nice, though. Driving to/from the city, is a bit of a chore, since you'll almost always have to drive through the Sunset on 19th Ave.

Next, I lived in Noe Valley, which I really enjoyed. Sunnier than the Richmond, lots to do on 24th St, not as bustly, but watch out for the strollers and the dog poo. The Mission is very accessible and a just a short walk down the hill. If you live further up on one of the hills, you might catch a view of the city. Getting in/out of SF is a lot easier, since I-280 (and LC's, I might add) is mere minutes away.

Then came time to buy a place, and I settled in Ingleside, near City College. Ocean Ave is busy, but there's not many stores/restaurants to speak of (try Viking Subs, if you're ever around). This is the foggiest place I've lived in the city thus far, though I don't mind it in the least, since it keeps the temperature nice and cool. If I could afford it, I would try to buy in Noe Valley. Maybe some day.

[/ QUOTE ]

not to nitpick, but from the richmond district going into downtown, shouldn't you take Bush (which has synchronized green lights) rather than 19th?

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

http://homes.realtor.com/search/listingd...th=3&typ=43

55 million? wtf.