Peter,
Thanks for your advice. I have thought about the Rockridge area and will give it a look. I guess that I dread the commute as much as anything. I do a lot of my marathon training on pavement anyway, so trails aren't a necessity. BTW, I'm in Montara now adn it is just beautiful. However, wasn't that thrilled with the horse trails I ran on overlooking the ocean. Still checking craigslist....
Thanks to all,
For now, I am going to live in Belmont. Fairly close to work, cheap rent next to good trails. Look forward to seeing you all out there.
Flagpole Willy wrote:
Do they still not allow people to run at The Dish? I was back there in 1999 or 2000 and you weren't allowed. Used to run there all the time in the late 80s-early 90s. Oh well.
Holy crap, I agree with Flagpole.
Yep, you can run at the dish. It got paved, unfortunately (that happened while you were there in 2k, hence the brief closure for that and restoration), but plenty of people run and walk on it.
All these people knocking Palo Alto -- you must not have spent any signficant time there. If you are so inclined, you can really do anything in under an hour. Yes, people are wealthy and upper-middleclass. But a majority of them are still riding the dotcom boom, and are mostly unassuming tech types.
Yes, there are soccer moms, Luxury SUVs, and other Suburban staples.. but it's also safe, nice, quiet, clean, and situated close enough to absolutely anything you could want. City life? Caltrain to San Jose or San Francisco. Trails? Plenty of fantastic ones in under a 20 minute drive, as well as a handful of local gems. Can't knock the weather (the San Francisco cold and fog can be oppressive) as it'll never go under 40 during the day for more than 6 days a year.
The restaurants are good, the nightlife is poor (you just go to the city if you want that), and you've got a ton of major college sporting events to spectate at courtesy of Stanford just down the street.
I've known 10 people who have lived in the city and worked in Palo Alto, and eventually moved to Palo Alto. I've known 6 who live in Palo Alto, commute to the city, and sure as hell aren't leaving.
Solano Avenue has lots of shops and restaurants, and you aren't far from the "gourmet ghetto" of Shattuck Avenue closer to downtown Berkeley. A good amount of trails up in Tilden, and other spots in the area have some great running potential as well. If you have a family, Albany has good public schools, and getting into the city (SF) from the area is easy on BART or a bus.
palo alto sucks ass in comparison to other places in the bay area... i went to stanford, does that qualify for spending enough time there... i am actually one of a rare breed that went to both berkeley and stanford (I have only met a handful of others)
first it is not as easy as you claim to get from palo alto to sf for night life... cal train drops you off at 3rd and king streets - not exactly the most fun part of town for a friday and saturday night... and hardly anyone lives within walking distance to cal train. so going out typically involves a drive to cal train, a ride on cal train, then a taxi to where your final destination is - all in all a long trip
palo alto and the penisula remind me a lot of los angeles and the way they are set up as sprawling burbs... car is a must to do anything... if that is your cup of tea, good for you
thetruthness wrote:
Flagpole Willy wrote:Do they still not allow people to run at The Dish? I was back there in 1999 or 2000 and you weren't allowed. Used to run there all the time in the late 80s-early 90s. Oh well.
Holy crap, I agree with Flagpole.
Yep, you can run at the dish. It got paved, unfortunately (that happened while you were there in 2k, hence the brief closure for that and restoration), but plenty of people run and walk on it.
All these people knocking Palo Alto -- you must not have spent any signficant time there. If you are so inclined, you can really do anything in under an hour. Yes, people are wealthy and upper-middleclass. But a majority of them are still riding the dotcom boom, and are mostly unassuming tech types.
Yes, there are soccer moms, Luxury SUVs, and other Suburban staples.. but it's also safe, nice, quiet, clean, and situated close enough to absolutely anything you could want. City life? Caltrain to San Jose or San Francisco. Trails? Plenty of fantastic ones in under a 20 minute drive, as well as a handful of local gems. Can't knock the weather (the San Francisco cold and fog can be oppressive) as it'll never go under 40 during the day for more than 6 days a year.
The restaurants are good, the nightlife is poor (you just go to the city if you want that), and you've got a ton of major college sporting events to spectate at courtesy of Stanford just down the street.
I've known 10 people who have lived in the city and worked in Palo Alto, and eventually moved to Palo Alto. I've known 6 who live in Palo Alto, commute to the city, and sure as hell aren't leaving.
Man oh man, agreeing with me is FUN brother! I loved my time in Palo Alto. My wife was a graduate student at Stanford at the time while I was working and then a graduate student at San Jose State (Stanford was TOO expensive for me, and I didn't have the qualifications my wife did to get a free ride AND a $15,000 a year stipend). Running at the Dish and all the other GREAT places within a short car ride. Man it was great. Can't beat the weather either. Not sure why anEconomist is so against it, especially if he was a student there...maybe that's why. Some people don't enjoy their college experience. It is hard work after all. I LOVED college and even my post-graduate work, so I enjoyed my time there on Stanford's campus in the graduate student housing my wife and I live in. Step out the door, and just a mile to the DISH for a nice run. AWESOME! Doln't want to move back because it's too expensive, but it was great while I was there, and I definitely want to go back to visit.
Are there any good places to run at night on the west side of the bay? By good, I mean well lighted and decent surface and fairly safe.
Probably along the Marina to Fort Point from Fisherman's Wharf or North Beach. Runnable at night.