<p>I'm going to be a 2nd year next year and I've been looking into some co-ops and apartments in Northside. The only thing is it seems like Northside is kind of...dead (no offense). From what I've seen, there are a lot of trees, everything is dark, and there are little to no shops. However, it does seem really quiet which is definitely a plus.</p>
<p>Right now, I live in Unit 2 in Southside and I'm around a lot of shops, people, etc. I like the somewhat busy environment...but I've found some great housing deals in Northside (plus it's quiet...)</p>
<p>Has anyone lived in Northside and Southside? Can you please give me some advice?</p>
<p>Have you considered renting an apt in the gourmet ghetto (aka North Berkeley)? It's like a cross between Northside and Downtown Berkeley. It has the quiet and safe characteristics of Northside but it also has a a vibrant shopping area (Shattuck Ave). The gourmet ghetto is located on Shattuck Ave between Hearst Ave and Rose St. Plenty of apartments on Walnut, Spruce, Oxford, and Arch which are all reasonably close to campus and the gourmet ghetto.</p>
<p>I currently live there and everything is really convenient. Andronicos, Wells Fargo, BofA are only a few minutes away. Longs Drugs and Safeway are are ~5-6 minutes. Plus there are great food eateries around like Cheeseboard, Gregoire, and Peet's Coffee. Check out this site for more stores (Gourmet</a> Ghetto)</p>
<p>People always think N. Berkeley is too far, but it really depends on your classes. For me Tolman, Mulford, and the Natural Resources campus are only 3 minutes walking. VLSB is more like 10 minutes. If you're a bio/engineering major most of your classes will be close to the area. If you have lots of classes at Haas or Wurster walking takes longer (~20 min).</p>
<p>I lived in Southside for the dorms and was originally looking for apartments Southside as well. After looking at most places, all of them seemed rundown and shoddy. I started my housing search in January and went to 20-30 open houses and didn't find anything I liked. A lot of places advertise "two bedrooms" where its really 1 bedroom + a living room that counts as the 2nd bedroom. </p>
<p>So then I considered looking northside and gourmet ghetto. My roommates and I found a nice unit going for $2500/month. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and ~1000 square feet. I have never regretted my decision to choose Northside/N. Berkeley over Southside.</p>
<p>If you live on northwest side, i.e. around spruce or arch, you're really close to the downtown berkeley to the southwest (~7-8 minute walk) and the gourmet ghetto to the northwest (10 minutes).</p>
<p>Approximate times to get to the following places are as follows:
Evans - Uphill 7 minutes
Dwinelle - Downhill then up a little ~10 minutes
VLSB - 5 minutes
Southside/Telegraph Bancroft - ~15 minutes (maybe a little bit more now because of the dumb construction at dwinelle.
Northgate/North Asian Ghetto ~ 8 minutes</p>
<p>A great place to find listings is Craigslist. Call and ask about open houses and make sure you arrive early with a checkbook. </p>
<p>northside's not really "dead"
it's actually kinda...alive</p>
<p>great shops and environment. really convenient. and cleaner.. i like it a lot better than southside. i lived on southside my first year but have been living on northside since august and i like it a lot more...you know those weekends when you can't party b/c you're cramming for a huge exam/paper that you put off too long? and it's impossible to get anything productive done b/c everyone's comnig back drunk from the frats and you can hear every single word they're saying?...well you don't experience that on northside. the only hassle is when you are one of those drunk people and don't want to be making that long trip back to your place at 4am.. but you can always crash at a friend's place who lives on southside in that case.</p>
<p>and for me, my classes are actually much CLOSER than they were my first year...but if you're not a science major that might not be the case for you.</p>
<p>Northside feels like it's a great place for grad students and/or serious students. Immediate southside (like within a few blocks from bancroft and say, above telegraph or a few below) is like tits and beer and stupid frosh that puke in the streets. Rockridge area is beautiful, a little bourgeoisie-y for my taste, but nice enough. I'm moving to a place about ten blocks from campus btwn college and telegraph. Far enough to be away from parties and chaos, but close enough to walk and feel near campus. </p>
<p>I think if you're settled in your friends and life and aren't looking to constantly go out and meet new folks, Northside is probably good for you. And you can get some work done. If you like kegstands, live above Noah's on Shattuck or something.</p>