98

lol

98

I want constant visual stimulation, whether it be city or mountains. Unfortunately the "affordable" parts of the Bay Area don't really offer much of either. I'm currently in a newer development in Santa Clara and everything is just too new and stuccoed for my tastes. YMMV

McBadger

just walked in the sunshine to get a latte up here in the city. Ah bliss.

I always thought Boulder, CO was a pretty nice place.

Wind-n-Water

"Old Mountain View" near 237 & El Camino, ~1 mi from downtown Castro St

98

that's where I moved from.

wnut

los gatos mountains and los altos mountains are actually more affordable then one would think, although it's a bit out there.

i actually enjoy the balance between 'stucco' as you call it and a 3 minute drive or 15 minute bike ride to open space (fremont older, etc.)

Miwa

You'd be commuting with the traffic, since the east bay is cheaper to live in, and the jobs are in the south bay and on the peninsula.

I used to have to drive from work (101 and mathilda) to my practice studio in Fremont a couple of times a week, and the traffic on 237 and 880 were not good.

Miwa

And have finally moved back up here.

Wish I was still renting that place on Iris, was only $1850 a month. The rent went way up for whoever moved in after me.

I noticed elsewhere that you had moved on to the p-care.

Oh how I wish there were RS4 Avants in the US. I may be sorely tempted by a supercharged B7 S4 Avant in a few years.

April

for 2 years. Any place within 3 or 4 blocks of Murphy is a good bet. However, there is the commuter train that goes through from around 6 to midnight, so if you can't adapt to it, then look further afield. Things go rapidly downhill between Central Expressway and 101 - as well as out towards the bay beyond 101.

But we loved being able to stumble home from Scruffy Murphy's and Tao Tao's after Kingman's killer Mai Tais;-) The weekend farmer's market isn't huge, but decent enough.

There are apartment complexes as you get closer to highway 85, near Mountain View. It can vary tremendously from street to street and complex to complex.

I would suggest renting a hotel room/suite before moving out here while you cruise the area and see what you like. Craigslist is a good way to find the cottages and smaller places - if that is your preference. A couple of friends have found small unique places through a manager by the name of Randy Lee. Phone 650 964 8462 Cell 650 823 9311.

Wind-n-Water

When I first moved to the area last July, I stayed for a month at <a href="http://www.homesteadhotels.com/minisite/?hotelID=75">Homestead Studio Suites in Mountain View</a> (part of Ext Stay America chain, chose this one for its central location) while searching thru local Craigslist listings.

This helped in 3 ways:
- greatly relieves the "gotta sign a lease" time pressure (had I made a dedicated house hunting trip out here earlier)
- allowed me to focus on tying up loose ends on relocation origin
- allowed me to do housing search while I'm physically living here

I also negotiated the hotel as part of temporary housing for the reloc.

I put my house hold goods in <a href="http://www.publicstorage.com/CheckOut/UnitDetails.aspx?psid=31528">Public Storage on 1040 Terra Bella Ave in Mt View</a>, as they're one of the few places that's 18 wheeler accessible. And I felt comfortable w/ their location, safety &amp; ease of hwy access.

When it came time to move into my rental, I found a locally recommended <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/jerry-wood-moving-san-jose">Jerry Wood moving</a> and was very satisfied.

Good luck and I'll chime back if I think of more things.