Probably a chore for many people, but it’s been a while since we moved and so it’s proving to be entertaining. We’ve lived in the same 1 bedroom apartment in San Mateo for nearly four years and so it’s time for a change. We both work in The City and as such the commute is getting tiresome not to mention expensive.

So we have a short list of things we’re looking for in a new place, namely shorter commute, shops within walking distance, bookstores, places for lunch, safety, diversity, and not so pricey that we’re strapped in terms of saving and unable to care for a presently non-existent kid. Not being too picky, but at the same time it has to be an improvement over where we’re living right now.

We poked around the East Bay which has mass transit options via BART, a ferry, and the infamous Bay Bridge. Seems traffic is usually an issue for the latter. It’s interesting how just by driving around one makes assumptions about the neighborhoods and whether you would fit in. Most of Oakland proper, even around Lake Merrit seems to urban for us, while Rockridge was definitely too upscale.

The happy medium seems to be in Piedmont, Berkely proper, Alameda and there was an interesting stretch in what I guess is called Temescal. I’m still partial to Alameda since it has two streets of shopping, green spaces, and many victorian homes. There are a few “big box” stores (Trader Joe’s, Safeway) but not so many that the area loses its character. The first apartment we looked at was dandy with hardwood floors, a big kitchen and a garden, but it was a 1 bedroom. The second Alameda place was basically a studio cabin with a fresh coat of paint on it. I think what some landlords label a bedroom should be more apty advertised as a walk-in closet. Needless to say we walked out pretty quickly.

It should be an interesting next two months as we look at other apartments. We’re not ruling out San Francisco proper either. I think we’ll check out some places in the Richmond, Sunset, and Potrero Hill next.

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