Having a Car Necessary in SF?
Hi Blind, Moving to the Bay Area at the end of the summer for new FAANG job (the fruit one) and thinking about moving to SF (since I’m originally from NYC and need the city life) Problem is I have a car that’s going to get shipped and I’m not sure how easy parking in SF is. Thinking about moving to Hayes Valley/Castro/SOMA area. I’m considering selling my car and just getting by with public transport and shuttle to work. Wanted to get some input from people on how doable they think this is. TC: 200K Edit: Considering we’re working remotely 2 days of the week, commuting from SF->South Bay 3 days a week isn’t terrible. That’s been considered on my end already #returntooffice #FAANG #BayArea #Housing
Parking in those neighborhoods is going to be either miserable, or several hundred dollars a month for a private spot. Public transit isn't as good as NYC but between that, the shuttle, and the occasional Uber/Zipcar you can get around fine.
1000% don’t fuck around with SOMA. You don’t NEED a car, it if you want to take advantage of Tahoe, Marin hiking, or anything in the South Bay regularly then having a car is a very nice luxury. I have lived in SF for 10 years now and didn’t have a car for 9 so it is not hard. Nice to be able to go do a bit more outside the city but you definitely don’t need one immediately
I heard homelessness around SOMA is rough. That’d be the main reason to avoid?
There isn’t really anything redeeming about SOMA as a neighborhood. Everything you like/liked about NYC isn’t there as it is all warehouses and sparce. I recommend looking north of CA on Polk, Hayes Valley, or North Beach
Most companies give you Uber/Lyft credits. With that credit, company shuttles and CalTrain passes, a car really isn’t needed unless you plan to travel out of the Bay Area frequently.
I presume you will take fruit company bus. If you need a car every now and then take a Lyft. But choose your neighborhood wisely.
Any input on neighborhoods you recommend? Open to suggestions. I’m a single dude, mid-20s and still like going out on weekends. Among other things obviously lol
I recommend: Castro, Cole Valley, NOPA, Hayes, Lower Haight. If you're into the tech bro / finance bro life, you'll probably enjoy the Marina.
You don’t need a car. I would suggest a bike or public transit. When you need to rent a zipcar/turo wherever you really need one. Suggest not living in Soma. Better options are Nob Hill, Marina, Cole valley, Mission (around Valencia), maybe Sunset near the Light Rail (check Muni map) or Dogpatch (if you need to catch Caltrain).
Thanks for the additional input on neighborhoods!
Fruit will get spoiled by commuting so far. Sfo to Cupertino
You don’t need a car but I am surprised you had one in nyc. San Francisco is definitely better than nyc in terms of parking. Just keep in mind that you will just rent a car for weekend getaways or road trips, but if you live in the city proper there isn’t a real need for one.
I’m originally from NYC but my last job was in a remote area that required I get a car. Moved back to NYC at the beginning of COVID and my car has been parked since (on the outskirts of Queens where parking isn’t so bad) Thank you for the input!
OP can i DM you? i’m also mid-20s looking to live in sf and commute to south bay 🤡
I have a car and an electric bike in San Francisco and I use my electric bike 99% of the times
Essential to have a car, but only if it is a Tesla
Why Tesla?
Those special lanes to skip traffic