It really depends on how much money you have. The Burlingame, San Carlos, San Mateo corridor is nice; consider renting (in this market, at least). Access to the stores you're talking about but about 15-20 mins from The City and with enough culture to tide you over. Within reach of 280, which is a better way to go south than 101.
A few other FYI tips, just for fun:
- people up here don't use 'the' in front of freeway names the way you do in LA. It's not "the 101", it's just "101". No harm in using "the" but you'll tag yourself as an ex-LA guy immediately.
- it's pronounced "sanno-ZAY", despite the proper spanish pronunciation.
- you say "Santa Cruz" the way you say "Santa Claus". Emphasis on the Santa.
- "Concord" rhymes with "conquered", rather than "con-CHORD".
- If you don't want to sound like a newb, don't call San Francisco "Frisco" or "San Fran". Locals routinely call it "The City", or sometimes "SF". No one will think you're talking about San Jose or Oakland.
It's more outdoorsy up here (despite LA's surfing/skating reputation). Marin and the East Bay (hey, that's Pig Latin for "beast"!) have huge regional parks. Mountain biking was invented here (in Marin, north of the GG bridge). So was cafe culture (in SF).
Go to Pier 39 once. Locals don't go there. (Hell, I've never been to Alcatraz, and I've lived in NorCal my whole life.) Cool, insider neighborhoods in The City are Potrero Hill, Noe Valley, Cole Valley, among others. SOMA is still dicey, however hip its reputation.
Go to alcatraz, dude. I've lived in SF my whole life, and I didn't get around to it until I was over 30. My third grade class went, but I was in detention that day, heh heh.
I'm just moving here, too. I actually spent the last week walking around looking for a place to live. Potrero, Noe, and Cole are all way gentrified, good places to pick up some $5 mineral water from a corner grocer.
The thing about those areas is that the feel changes from block to block. Soma felt a little sparse/rough to me, but there were definitely good pockets. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to get into a place in the Mission, just southwest of 19th and Valencia.
Also: avoid citiapartments if at all possible. They're trying to run up prices for rathole apartments, and they are complete assholes about the whole process. I made the mistake of looking at several of their places on the first day I was out, and they were trying to tell me things like "out-of-state renters usually get passed over on the better deals and have to pay a premium" and "you have to jump on one of the first places you see, because everything gets snapped up in the first few hours of being open for showing".
Sure they are. If you're relatively young (mid-20s) then you might not mind living someplace cooler. Problem is that crime tends to go along with coolness; after a while, you actually appreciated mild gentrification. Believe me, Potrero Hill ain't the 'burbs. A little mineral water isn't the worst thing in the world. At least it's not the ghetto anymore.
A few other FYI tips, just for fun:
- people up here don't use 'the' in front of freeway names the way you do in LA. It's not "the 101", it's just "101". No harm in using "the" but you'll tag yourself as an ex-LA guy immediately.
- it's pronounced "sanno-ZAY", despite the proper spanish pronunciation.
- you say "Santa Cruz" the way you say "Santa Claus". Emphasis on the Santa.
- "Concord" rhymes with "conquered", rather than "con-CHORD".
- If you don't want to sound like a newb, don't call San Francisco "Frisco" or "San Fran". Locals routinely call it "The City", or sometimes "SF". No one will think you're talking about San Jose or Oakland.
It's more outdoorsy up here (despite LA's surfing/skating reputation). Marin and the East Bay (hey, that's Pig Latin for "beast"!) have huge regional parks. Mountain biking was invented here (in Marin, north of the GG bridge). So was cafe culture (in SF).
Go to Pier 39 once. Locals don't go there. (Hell, I've never been to Alcatraz, and I've lived in NorCal my whole life.) Cool, insider neighborhoods in The City are Potrero Hill, Noe Valley, Cole Valley, among others. SOMA is still dicey, however hip its reputation.