<p>Hi all! Would like some feedback from the Bay Area CC crowd if you are out there.
We have an empty nest now and my H works all week in Silicon Valley. We are contemplating taking the next two years or so for ourselves and enjoying the adventure of living in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco.
PLEASE NOTE: we have been there. H knows it well. i know all about the ridiculous rent prices and we know all about the horrible traffic. So don’t feel like you need to tell me those things!
What I really am just curious about is where you think we would most enjoy living. The areas I am thinking about are Cole Valley; Glen Park; Noe Valley; Pac Heights; possibly South Park for the CalTrain though I know it is completely different from the other neighborhoods I mentioned. What are Potrero HIll or Bernal Heights like?
Where do you think two 50-somethings would settle down best?
Thanks!!</p>
<p>Perhaps I didn’t clarify – we would be renting. Possibly with a dog, possibly not. </p>
<p>Also – would you use a rental agent? OK, I will stop now. Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>If your husband is going to commute using CalTrains, the South Beach area near AT&T Park makes a lot of sense. My daughter lives in that area. </p>
<p>There are so many great places to live in the city. It is really personal preference. If you are going to have a dog, you would probably want to live near a park. </p>
<p>I lived in Cole Valley. Liked it a lot. A friend has a dog and lives near Buena Vista Park. I like the Marina. Russian Hill. The Fillmore area. But commuting could be a drag. A friend lives in the Nob Hill area. He is happy there. Obviously Pac Heights is nice. </p>
<p>Your H knows the city. You two will make a great decision. You will have a blast.</p>
<p>Does your H work for one of the companies that has a bus to SV (Google, Yahoo, etc.)? If so, check out those routes and you will have many options.<br>
Maybe rent in the Presidio? Beautiful parkland, lots of walking trails, close to GG Bridge, Marina, etc.</p>
<p>What are your favorite leisure activities?</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, guys!
Lizardly – Walking!! Also reading, cooking and eating. Maybe catching some live music or an author appearance. Drinking coffee and watching the world go by:)</p>
<p>If I were going to move to an urban area, I would like short walking distance to stores, park and transit lines. Specifically to SF, that means no hills and a warm sunny area.</p>
<p>The hills and general topography of SF is an integral part of its allure. My vote goes for Glen Park. It maintains some of its old SF charm with 1920s houses and Mom & Pop shops. The first thing I do when visiting and evaluating a new city is to look for a neighborhood that reminds me somewhat of Glen Park.</p>
<p>I think you should go for maximum diversity of perspective and live in the Mission.</p>
<p>No, I do not mind the hills at all, though, as cbreeze points out, I have not experienced them with grocery bags. And dmd, I enjoy the Mission very much, but I feel very old on Valencia Street!!</p>
<p>Glen Park area is nice, as is Diamond Heights. We have been staying in the Diamond Heights area over most of the past decades visiting SF. It’s very near Golden Gate Park, the fog rolls in and out, it’s cool and has a nice view. We stay near the Safeway there. The Glen Park library is only a short distance away, off the metro stop. You can walk or cab from the Glen Park metro stop. Staying in the Glen Park area is more convenient to the metro stop and has a lot of nice restaurants and small shops, including a cute hardware store.</p>
<p>This might help people who do not live in SF following the conversations.</p>
<p><a href=“Cole Valley — San Francisco Travel — SFGate - SFGATE”>http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/colevalley/</a></p>
<p>Limked to Cole Valley in honor of our resident hipster aka Dstark 
Other 'hoods are a click away. </p>
<p>Xiggi, in real life, you would be very disappointed in me. I dont deserve that honor. </p>
<p>I am a little too young for the hippie era. :)</p>
<p>I was and am straighter than the characters on the show “Silicon Valley”. :)</p>
<p>I am not in sync with the OP. That’s ok. I would probably choose the The Marina. Or maybe South Beach because I would like to hang around people your age xiggi. :)</p>
<p>All my info is a bit dated, haven’t lived there since the latest tech boom. Glen Park is a little too suburban in feel for me. If I had young kids I’d like it as it has a family vibe but it isn’t exciting or convenient to other areas. I’d rather roll out the door into the thick of things. Potrero is a bit far and awkwardly places too. Bernal Hts is less like that but more funky and closer in. It abuts the sunny Mission area so you have access to the restaurants. Cole Valley is a nice mix with real neighborhood charm and walking area, lots of dogs, and you really don’t take advantage of GG Park unless you live that close, so that would be a contender, but some foggy summers and too far from the train. Have not been to South Park recently so don’t know what’s going on there. Pretty convenient.</p>
<p>I lived in Pac Heights on the edge of the Marina. One of my favorite cities, so vibrant, the views are gorgeous, the food is wonderful. The deal is to live close enough to public transpo, get used to schedules, transfers, and your overall timing to get somewhere. And yes, walk. </p>
<p>Personally, I’d choose somewhere either with a view or close enough to one. If you’re going for the adventure, the kids have flown, why not? Not sure in your shoes I would want anything approaching ordinary.</p>
<p>Could you narrow it down to three areas, then spend a week at a VRBO (or something equivalent) in each area… then make your decision?</p>
<p>Jealous. That is all I can say. And Cole Valley gets my vote!</p>
<p>Another vote for Cole Valley…Though not great for South Bay mass transit it is a great location for lots of other reasons. I also like the inner Richmond too for access to the Presidio and Golden Gate Park and great neighborhood shopping/eating on Clement Street. How important is it to you to be out of the worst of the fog belt? That could help you clarify your thinking a bit.</p>
<p>If you will have a car, don’t forget to check out the parking permit situation for the various areas. Kiddo has lived in various neighborhoods over the last six years. She enjoyed Noe Valley (didn’t have a car, but long commutes around town); really enjoyed Portrero Hill (resident parking permit, easy parking, fairly easy commutes, easy walking distances, but ohmygoodness the steepness of those particular hills! beautiful weather, but starting to have some serious crime issues nearby); now lives in Richmond along the Golden Gate park (no resident parking permit, tough parking, fairly easy commutes, easy walking distances, proximity to park has pros and cons—great access, but encourages some criminal elements, makes parking even more difficult on nice days).</p>