How is transportation in general in San Francisco?

<p>I understand that this question is a bit irrelevant to UC-Berkeley however I figured with many of the people on this board being familiar with the S.F. area, that I may be able to have this question answered:</p>

<p>How is the transportation in the city? </p>

<p>I am beginning at CCSF however I do am not familiar with the S.F. area whatsoever. If I live in an apartment that is not in the immediate proximity of the campus, will I still be able to manage walking to and from classes or possibly riding a bicycle? </p>

<p>I have found several potential apartments in the downtown area however I would like to find out if it is going to be managable to walk/ride a bicycle/take public transportation to and from classes on a daily basis.</p>

<p>Is there any part within the city that I should not consider finding an apartment if I am going to need to be on campus as CCSF 4-5 days during the week?</p>

<p>As I mentioned, I know many people on this board are familiar with the area so I value and appreciate your opinions and advice. </p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Hi, SF has a great public transportation system from Muni (buses, trollies, etc) to BART (the subway system). Its been a while since I've lived in the city but I think downtown is a long way from CCSF(do they have a downtown campus now?) - you'll have to take Muni. I don't think BART goes out that way. I think you'll find that 511.org can give you transit info from and to any where in the Bay Area.<br>
As for places to live - downtown can be really iffy. There are some great parts of downtown but I would really suggest checking out anything that says its downtown - as you might find yourself in the Tenderloin which I would not suggest. You might consider looking for an apartment in Haight Ashbury or the Sunset district or Noe Valley or the Castro or Pacific Heights. But I'm actually not sure what your commute to CCSF would be like from either area. SF has very high housing prices. You might find that Daily City is more affordable (I'm not sure if I spelled Daily City correctly). Or even the East Bay(Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville - all very easy to take BART into SF).<br>
You might also want to post on the parent's forum and see if you can find a parent living in SF that could help point you towards affordable housing in SF that is in a safe neighborhood.</p>

<p>...from the CCSF website...</p>

<p>The City College Ocean Avenue Campus is two blocks from BART's Balboa Park Station and the end of the J-Church line. </p>

<p>It is also served by the following MUNI lines direct to the campus: K-Ingleside, 36-Teresita, 43-Masonic, 49-Van Ness. The following buses stop within walking distance of the campus: 15-Third, 23-Monterey, 26-Valencia, 29-Sunset, and 54-Felton. </p>

<p>For additional route information contact BART and MUNI directly. </p>

<p>you vary well may want to search for housing that is on one of the bus or trolley lines that goes directly CCSF...</p>

<p>just curious...are you an international student, just from out of the area, or did you attend hs in the bay area?*</p>

<p>astro30, I think the question is quite relevant. Many of the Berkeley students will go to SF sometime, but many have only visited briefly prior to attending Cal. Many are from LA, North, or South of the Bay Area, and even those who have been to SF generally have had much help navigating from parents or whatever. :)</p>

<p>I'm from New England and plan on moving to California for the beginning of the spring 2007 semester. Find an affordable/reasonable living arrangement has become a large deciding factor in whether or not I go to a school in the city or somewhere else (across the bay in Berkeley) for my 1st 2 years before I apply as a transfer.</p>

<p>I guess the only 2 factors that really worry me at this point are finding a place that is easy to get to and from classes and safety (and of course affordability). I have heard the Sunset district is a nice area and I have been looking for some nice studio apartments in that area. I still have a while before Jan. so I'm not getting scared....yet. :)</p>