AmyG
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Post by AmyG on Jul 2, 2024 10:35:35 GMT -6
I'm originally from Berkeley and I would say that pretty much any area is safe, especially in the area surrounding UCB. There is a lot of theft type crime in Berkeley, but that is true regardless of what neighborhood you live in (and I'm saying this from my Vermont perspective - where folks lock their cars to prevent neighbors from leaving zucchinis in them). The hills (to the north of UCB) have fewer public transportation options than the flats, but are also generally closer to UCB (and more expensive). Also, it could be worthwhile to look outside of Berkeley (Berkeley is $$$), because BART can make for a short commute. He has used Bart when he went there last year to see the machine he was using remotely. He likes Bart. He said the number of unhoused people was sad and wild and too many people blame the theft crimes on them. He's been in college towns for like 5 years now and knows the students like to steal too. The closer ones up on the hill north of berkeley are like 4k so yeah that's a big no. He will have his car there he traded in old lease for new lease lower mo payment and in theory he had parking on campus included. |
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Post by angelashly on Jul 2, 2024 11:03:25 GMT -6
There is no one in the new program or at the university that can help with these questions? I don’t know academia and fellowships at all but it seems like the programs and universities would have something to assist with all of this. Even if it’s just a contact in the housing department or something. Housing dept mostly sends him to the online housing places to look at. He's got a short list of area to look at they are mostly across the bay or whatever. And so many places have bunk beds which he's like I haven't done that since preteens with my brother and hated that then. Lol Well but if they are in his budget he may have to until he can add money to it. But I’m not talking housing. Ask the department he is working with for a mentor that can help him. There are more students in there than just him |
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Jul 2, 2024 12:31:29 GMT -6
I'm originally from Berkeley and I would say that pretty much any area is safe, especially in the area surrounding UCB. There is a lot of theft type crime in Berkeley, but that is true regardless of what neighborhood you live in (and I'm saying this from my Vermont perspective - where folks lock their cars to prevent neighbors from leaving zucchinis in them). The hills (to the north of UCB) have fewer public transportation options than the flats, but are also generally closer to UCB (and more expensive). Also, it could be worthwhile to look outside of Berkeley (Berkeley is $$$), because BART can make for a short commute. Yes, theft is rampant in the Bay Area, especially with current economic conditions. I recently had a friend have her locked car stolen from her driveway at 5 am. When it was recovered and they swiped it, it had traces of fentanyl and was declared totaled due to that. Always lock bikes, doors, leave nothing not even change or a sweatshirt visible in a car. Street smarts are important. BART has a lot of crime but it’s getting better. Biggest thing is to not have ear pods in so loud you can’t hear or be buried in your phone. Emeryville might be a good option as there is more available housing there from what I understand. But no two ways about it, rent in the SF Bay Area is exorbitant. |
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Jul 2, 2024 12:37:08 GMT -6
There is no one in the new program or at the university that can help with these questions? I don’t know academia and fellowships at all but it seems like the programs and universities would have something to assist with all of this. Even if it’s just a contact in the housing department or something. Housing dept mostly sends him to the online housing places to look at. He's got a short list of area to look at they are mostly across the bay or whatever. And so many places have bunk beds which he's like I haven't done that since preteens with my brother and hated that then. Lol Where across the bay? If you give city names we can try to help more. I think we have the whole bay covered here more or less. |
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Post by GhoatMonket on Jul 2, 2024 12:44:54 GMT -6
Housing dept mostly sends him to the online housing places to look at. He's got a short list of area to look at they are mostly across the bay or whatever. And so many places have bunk beds which he's like I haven't done that since preteens with my brother and hated that then. Lol Well but if they are in his budget he may have to until he can add money to it. But I’m not talking housing. Ask the department he is working with for a mentor that can help him. There are more students in there than just him He's also not the first person to have to go there and figure this out. The other students are going to be far more helpful than women with families who went to college 20 years ago. |
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jr
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Post by jr on Jul 2, 2024 17:21:13 GMT -6
I agree on finding a local - or local Reddit page - as “safe” areas are likely to vary block by block. I would do anything possible to avoid crossing a bridge (unless he wants to live in SF for lifestyle reasons - then stay close to a BART station - but anticipate very high rental costs). Having a car in Berkeley sounds stressful, but that’s probably a decision to wait on until after he figures out housing. If I, as an adult with children, were moving to that area, I’d focus my search on Albany. But for a younger person, probably Berkeley, parts of Oakland, maybe Emeryville (lots of high rise apartments), maybe El Cerrito…
There is tons of good food in Berkeley, it’s one of the big things it’s know for. Eat everywhere. Yelp is a good place to start for restaurant research. Shop at the farmers markets. People really like Berkeley Bowl, which I think is a food co-op - which often run cheaper on some items, more expensive on others, but great quality.
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AmyG
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Post by AmyG on Jul 2, 2024 17:28:03 GMT -6
Housing dept mostly sends him to the online housing places to look at. He's got a short list of area to look at they are mostly across the bay or whatever. And so many places have bunk beds which he's like I haven't done that since preteens with my brother and hated that then. Lol Where across the bay? If you give city names we can try to help more. I think we have the whole bay covered here more or less. He originally said across the bay but then told me Oakland, San lendro, and alepo |
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AmyG
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Post by AmyG on Jul 2, 2024 17:30:27 GMT -6
I agree on finding a local - or local Reddit page - as “safe” areas are likely to vary block by block. I would do anything possible to avoid crossing a bridge (unless he wants to live in SF for lifestyle reasons - then stay close to a BART station - but anticipate very high rental costs). Having a car in Berkeley sounds stressful, but that’s probably a decision to wait on until after he figures out housing. If I, as an adult with children, were moving to that area, I’d focus my search on Albany. But for a younger person, probably Berkeley, parts of Oakland, maybe Emeryville (lots of high rise apartments), maybe El Cerrito… There is tons of good food in Berkeley, it’s one of the big things it’s know for. Eat everywhere. Yelp is a good place to start for restaurant research. Shop at the farmers markets. People really like Berkeley Bowl, which I think is a food co-op - which often run cheaper on some items, more expensive on others, but great quality. Thanks He's got a car already figured out so he will have to figure out parking somewhere. He does supposedly already have parking on campus. He's also dealing with needing furnished apt or we gotta figure something out. College close by tends to have furnishings of some sort already |
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jr
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Post by jr on Jul 2, 2024 17:48:46 GMT -6
I agree on finding a local - or local Reddit page - as “safe” areas are likely to vary block by block. I would do anything possible to avoid crossing a bridge (unless he wants to live in SF for lifestyle reasons - then stay close to a BART station - but anticipate very high rental costs). Having a car in Berkeley sounds stressful, but that’s probably a decision to wait on until after he figures out housing. If I, as an adult with children, were moving to that area, I’d focus my search on Albany. But for a younger person, probably Berkeley, parts of Oakland, maybe Emeryville (lots of high rise apartments), maybe El Cerrito… There is tons of good food in Berkeley, it’s one of the big things it’s know for. Eat everywhere. Yelp is a good place to start for restaurant research. Shop at the farmers markets. People really like Berkeley Bowl, which I think is a food co-op - which often run cheaper on some items, more expensive on others, but great quality. Thanks He's got a car already figured out so he will have to figure out parking somewhere. He does supposedly already have parking on campus. He's also dealing with needing furnished apt or we gotta figure something out. College close by tends to have furnishings of some sort already If he’s looking for furnished housing, he might Google sabbatical housing. |
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gabbi
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Post by gabbi on Jul 3, 2024 0:20:52 GMT -6
Rock ridge, Piedmont Ave, grand lake, Adam’s point areas in Oakland are areas I would recommend. Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, el Cerito are cities nearby as well.
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AmyG
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Post by AmyG on Jul 3, 2024 0:36:41 GMT -6
Thanks He's got a car already figured out so he will have to figure out parking somewhere. He does supposedly already have parking on campus. He's also dealing with needing furnished apt or we gotta figure something out. College close by tends to have furnishings of some sort already If he’s looking for furnished housing, he might Google sabbatical housing. who knew there was a sabbaticalhomes.com ? But academic homes dot com is $$$$$ |
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jaygee
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Post by jaygee on Jul 3, 2024 8:16:21 GMT -6
Where across the bay? If you give city names we can try to help more. I think we have the whole bay covered here more or less. He originally said across the bay but then told me Oakland, San lendro, and alepo Oh yeah those are all close by or bordering Berkeley. I think Alepo is Albany or Alameda. Those would all be good options. Oakland is the one that can vary most widely. |
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Minerva
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Post by Minerva on Jul 9, 2024 20:07:37 GMT -6
AmyG, I’m almost never on here any more, but congrats to your son! It’s pretty common for grad students and postdocs from other campuses to spend time there for research purposes - when I was there, they’d receive a visiting scholar status from their sponsor have access to campus facilities. The department he will be visiting would be his best bet for finding leads on housing. Most grad students rent a room in shared housing unless they are living with their partner/family. People post on their department listserves to find open rooms. Zillow and similar sites are good too. It’s also a good way to quickly get to know people in your department. I’d recommend staying within a couple miles of campus. I lived in the Berkeley Hills, Rockridge, Temescal, West Berkeley, and Alameda. I loved Rockridge and Temescal, but would also highly recommend West Berkeley for convenience and price. The bus system is extensive and everything is very bikeable. Even if he has a car, I’d recommend not using it to commute to campus. Parking is awful and expensive.
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AmyG
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Post by AmyG on Jul 9, 2024 20:37:40 GMT -6
@minerva
Thanks for the reply.
Right now he's got a strong lead for taking a room from a prof going to Ontario on sabbatical. So it would come with full furnishings and dishes and linens and 1 person in another room in the place. $850/mo plus $100 utilities.
So that part is right. It's near lake Merrill in Oakland though. So she says it's 20 min or less bike ride to campus but who knows.
In theory his wsu physics dept has a parking pass for him at the cyclotron if he wants to drive to campus. But he doesn't have it in his hand yet.
It's so very hard to figure out where to live without actually driving and looking around. But it is easier now than when he moved to WA in the pandemic
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Minerva
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Post by Minerva on Jul 10, 2024 7:50:30 GMT -6
@minerva Thanks for the reply. Right now he's got a strong lead for taking a room from a prof going to Ontario on sabbatical. So it would come with full furnishings and dishes and linens and 1 person in another room in the place. $850/mo plus $100 utilities. So that part is right. It's near lake Merrill in Oakland though. So she says it's 20 min or less bike ride to campus but who knows. In theory his wsu physics dept has a parking pass for him at the cyclotron if he wants to drive to campus. But he doesn't have it in his hand yet. It's so very hard to figure out where to live without actually driving and looking around. But it is easier now than when he moved to WA in the pandemic Lake Merritt is a fun area. He would be able to bus, take BART, or bus to campus from there easily! There’s lots of stuff to do in that part of Oakland. The cyclotron is on the hill above the main campus. You can walk there, but it’s a steep hike. There are campus busses that run up the hill during the day, but if he will be spending most of his time there or have time scheduled on it at odd hours, driving might make more sense. Plus, it will be nice to have the freedom to get to the coast, wine country, or into the hills whenever he wants. |
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