kellie

iTrader: (2)

I've been debating this for a while, and didn't want to post until it was definite, but there is a 99% chance that I'm moving to San Francisco for college. I’ll be attending Academy of Art College, and I'm moving in the beginning of June for summer classes. I plan on staying in their dorms until August when regular classes start, but the problem with the dorms is that there's nowhere for me to keep my car, and parking from the city is way too expensive. Leaving my car in Colorado for 4 years while I'm in school is absolutely not an option. My car is a necessity like food, water and shelter, but much more important. So I've got a few ideas as to what to do with my car. I plan on doing a lot of research, but I want to get a head start.

Plan A) Stay in the city, live in dorms, keep my car somewhere outside of city and only drive it on weekends, and when absolutely necessary. The disadvantage is that I'd be paying for insurance on a car that's rarely driven and that seems like a waste of money. Plus it's pretty inconvenient, and I have no idea where I’d be able to keep it.

Plan B) Find a cheap place in the city with parking. Highly unlikely.

Plan C) Live outside of the city, and commute either by BART, or by car. This seems like my best option, but since I'm extremely unfamiliar with the area, I don't know where to look. I'm used to commuting for school and work, so that's not an issue at all. I just don’t know what areas to stay away from, what areas are super expensive, etc.

I’m totally open to ideas. Everyone I’ve talked to has discouraged me from bringing my car to California, but they aren’t car people, so they don’t understand. If any of you happen to have connections, or your mom’s dog’s vet’s sister’s brother-in-law’s dentist’s neighbor owns a parking garage, I’ll sell you my soul in exchange for parking.

-Kellie

huck

iTrader: (25)

D) stay in dorms and rent a garage space locally for about $250/month.

Hollandaze

I live in San Leandro and it's only a half hour from school. Right off the BART, there I am, walk down the block on New Montgomery, and I'm at school. I go to the Academy of Art College and I'm finishing up my last year. I've done it for years. It's pretty expensive to do it though since it's about $6.60 round trip from the station I'm at (Bayfair Mall station). However, it beats the hell out of driving for a good hour to get to school plus paying for outrageous parking.

A lot of students dorming at the Academy of Art College usually rely on public transportation (bus pass) and the school buses (which are free to us).

What's your major gonna be?

You'll probably catch me around school. I'm the only one at that place rockin' an I-Club sweatshirt. :banana:

HomerJay

iTrader: (3)

Find a cheap place in the city somewhere and find someone in a nearby town w/ some space that will rent to you cheap.

kellie

iTrader: (2)

Huck, thanks for the idea, but $250/month is over half my car payment, and not really within my budget.

Takumi, is there anything similar to a bus pass, but for BART? I'll have to look into San Leandro, I take it apartments are reasonable in that area.

I'm majoring in industrial design, but I'll be designing cars, not toasters. We can start an I-Club Sweatshirt Club or something, because I have one too.

Thanks for the ideas so far.

Rocket Man

iTrader: (1)

welcome to California. Most people give up their cars moving out of state. But this sounds like love. Living out of the city and commuting into it is what most people do. Living in the city is almost like a tourist trap. I used to do that when I was going to "the other" art school (Art Institute International). School isn't cheap either.

huck

iTrader: (25)

I'd suggest East Bay then. Berkeley/Oakland and Bart to school.

fryrice

iTrader: (3)

250 a month for garage is high.... i think it's somewhere between 100-150. look in the newspaper for ads.

Might want to look here .

Hollandaze

Nah, there isn't something like a bus pass for BART. You can buy a prepaid $45 ticket from Safeway....but you only save like...$3 cuz they give you $48 for $45. Hahaha. San Leandro shouldn't be nearly as bad as San Francisco as far as rent. At least you'll avoid the traffic in the city, plus you can attend the Tuesday night meets at the local Union City Krispy Kreme. It's about 10-15 min from where I live and a buncha cars show up.

At school, I'm mainly around the 180NM building where all the computer art people are. I'm a new media design major.

Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda are pretty good places to live since they're pretty much in the middle of the bay area. I dunno about places further up north that also has BART stations like Daly City, San Bruno, Millbrae, and such.

TurnWRX

iTrader: (3)

You could live in Millbrae (where the newly built BART station is, i forget). But find a place near there and use that BART station to park. It has several thousand(?) parking spaces daily because nobody uses that station even after all that tax money put into it. Then commute down to SF.

blaznasn

iTrader: (5)

i would live somewhere outside of the city, and either take muni or bart.

Wingless Wonder

iTrader: (7)

Meet other students at your school. See if some would make compatible roommates. Rent a place outside of the City. BART or carpool to school, taking turns with driving chores. Gasoline costs a lot in CA.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

mexicanpizza

iTrader: (9)

I'd live on the Penninsula and commute on 280. Screw public transit...always late, full of bums/urine...ugh!

nachomc

iTrader: (7)

my only advice would be to find out what "thebankman"s car looks like and make sure you don't park near him. he uses his bumper to tap cars in order to find out how far away he is from them

You could also post up looking for roomates in SF - there are guys on here that live in the city and might be looking to lower their rent a bit. You should also look around though - I've talked to people in the past that were getting pretty decent deals on places in the city - much less than they were in the past. good luck