Anxiety about moving, commuting, and working in San Francisco Bay Area
October 21, 2018 5:21 PM Subscribe
I'm moving to San Francisco Bay Area in the very near future. I have a job offer already, but the location, commute, work environment, etc. are making me very anxious. Do I live in an area that I don't like for a shorter commute or do I live in an area I do like and deal with a longer commute?
My partner accepted a "once in a life, career-enhancing" job in the Bay Area and has already moved as of the past week. They are currently living in Oakland and commuting to Berkley I'll be following, of course, since it was an area on my "To Live" list, a job in my field is available, and I really like the Oakland/Berkley areas. We won't be living together (this works for our relationship at this time), but I'd like to live relatively close by to them or at least in a location where visiting often is easy-ish.
I feel like I've done some basic research on the "best' hospitals to work at. I applied to only one at first, inteviewed, and accepted a job offer, but I'm seriously second guessing it. Additional research makes me feel liek this hospital won't have a good work environment, but I don't want to burn bridges if I can't find another job and feel very pressed for time.
Anyhow, overview:
I'm a Registered Nurse, and have already interviewed and been offered a job at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. I have verbally accepted the position at this time with a start date of November 26th. I haven't received the offer letter itself yet. I had thought that this was a smart move. It appeared to be an excellent hospital. And it appeared, on maps, to be a relatively straight shot on the BART to Walnut Creek... and I could choose to either live in Oakland and commute, or live closer to work and visit Oakland on my free time. All seemed to be working out perfectly.
Except...
I was in the area this past week to help my partner move, and I drove out to Walnut Creek and Lafayette areas to check things out. And... I hated it. I didn't realize that more western East Bay was such a dry, warm suburbia... and I don't want to live out there. The dream of moving to the Bay Area was living in the cooler, urban areas of Oakland. But the commute on weekdays appears to be brutal because I'll be working night shift and will be commuting with the traffic returning home from day shift jobs. Commute will be roughly 45 minutes to an hour + by car or BART. I am well-aware that the typical commute for most Bay Area inhabitants is brutal, so it may be something I need to just accept as well. But I'll be working overnight for at least a year or two and sleep is important to function. I'm also very worried that I'll find it much harder to meet friends in Walnut Creek since I don't fit the demographics out there as a single, young professional, queer, and transgender person. I'm already moving only knowing my partner and one other person, and I don't make friends easily.
Overall, I think I'm just really anxious/stressed about the move in general and second guessing everything.
I would really appreciate advice on several things:
A. Hospitals in the area, as in: Which one would be the compromising ground between pay, benefits, and how they treat their staff/nurses? I have been lucky to work at a good hospital with good co-workers, and I'm nervous of possibly going to a place with a bad environment. I panicked last night and put in applications at UCSF Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Marin General Hospital, and San Francisco General Hospital. UCSF's commute appears to be about 45 minutes from Oakland with a BART to MUNI to the hospital commute. San Francisco General Hospital would be the same, but with only a BART and a mile walk commute. Kaiser has the shortest commute, but operates on four 8-hour shifts scheduling; I'm concerned that the loss of some income (32 hours a week vs 36 hours a week) isn't a bright idea for the Bay Area. I've also heard through the grapevine that Kaiser has the highest incidents of burning out their nurses.
B. Commuting. Do I compromise on living situation (live in suburbia for a shorter commute & visit Oakland/my partner on my day's off? Or do I compromise on commute (suffer through a long commute three shifts a week, but live in Oakland?)
Other details:
A. I'd probably be working the typical schedule of three 12-hour shifts and working every other weekend, so at least six shifts a month would be on Friday/Saturday/Sundays which would make for an easier commute.
Overall, I'm really not sure what to do. My instinct is to decline the job offer, and the move, and just not do anything. I need to make some decisions by the end of this week, since I need to have time to give two weeks notice at work, pack, etc.
My partner accepted a "once in a life, career-enhancing" job in the Bay Area and has already moved as of the past week. They are currently living in Oakland and commuting to Berkley I'll be following, of course, since it was an area on my "To Live" list, a job in my field is available, and I really like the Oakland/Berkley areas. We won't be living together (this works for our relationship at this time), but I'd like to live relatively close by to them or at least in a location where visiting often is easy-ish.
I feel like I've done some basic research on the "best' hospitals to work at. I applied to only one at first, inteviewed, and accepted a job offer, but I'm seriously second guessing it. Additional research makes me feel liek this hospital won't have a good work environment, but I don't want to burn bridges if I can't find another job and feel very pressed for time.
Anyhow, overview:
I'm a Registered Nurse, and have already interviewed and been offered a job at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. I have verbally accepted the position at this time with a start date of November 26th. I haven't received the offer letter itself yet. I had thought that this was a smart move. It appeared to be an excellent hospital. And it appeared, on maps, to be a relatively straight shot on the BART to Walnut Creek... and I could choose to either live in Oakland and commute, or live closer to work and visit Oakland on my free time. All seemed to be working out perfectly.
Except...
I was in the area this past week to help my partner move, and I drove out to Walnut Creek and Lafayette areas to check things out. And... I hated it. I didn't realize that more western East Bay was such a dry, warm suburbia... and I don't want to live out there. The dream of moving to the Bay Area was living in the cooler, urban areas of Oakland. But the commute on weekdays appears to be brutal because I'll be working night shift and will be commuting with the traffic returning home from day shift jobs. Commute will be roughly 45 minutes to an hour + by car or BART. I am well-aware that the typical commute for most Bay Area inhabitants is brutal, so it may be something I need to just accept as well. But I'll be working overnight for at least a year or two and sleep is important to function. I'm also very worried that I'll find it much harder to meet friends in Walnut Creek since I don't fit the demographics out there as a single, young professional, queer, and transgender person. I'm already moving only knowing my partner and one other person, and I don't make friends easily.
Overall, I think I'm just really anxious/stressed about the move in general and second guessing everything.
I would really appreciate advice on several things:
A. Hospitals in the area, as in: Which one would be the compromising ground between pay, benefits, and how they treat their staff/nurses? I have been lucky to work at a good hospital with good co-workers, and I'm nervous of possibly going to a place with a bad environment. I panicked last night and put in applications at UCSF Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Marin General Hospital, and San Francisco General Hospital. UCSF's commute appears to be about 45 minutes from Oakland with a BART to MUNI to the hospital commute. San Francisco General Hospital would be the same, but with only a BART and a mile walk commute. Kaiser has the shortest commute, but operates on four 8-hour shifts scheduling; I'm concerned that the loss of some income (32 hours a week vs 36 hours a week) isn't a bright idea for the Bay Area. I've also heard through the grapevine that Kaiser has the highest incidents of burning out their nurses.
B. Commuting. Do I compromise on living situation (live in suburbia for a shorter commute & visit Oakland/my partner on my day's off? Or do I compromise on commute (suffer through a long commute three shifts a week, but live in Oakland?)
Other details:
A. I'd probably be working the typical schedule of three 12-hour shifts and working every other weekend, so at least six shifts a month would be on Friday/Saturday/Sundays which would make for an easier commute.
Overall, I'm really not sure what to do. My instinct is to decline the job offer, and the move, and just not do anything. I need to make some decisions by the end of this week, since I need to have time to give two weeks notice at work, pack, etc.
Compromise by taking the commute for six months while you search for optimal employment situations? Maybe try to avoid a leap into yet another position without knowing for sure that you really want to work there lest you set up a pattern of leaping, regretting, leaping again, regretting, etc.
(I know people that get into this, it's almost a habit of some kind, and it tends to destroy them. Perhaps it's not a pattern that applies to you, in which case disregard.)
(All IMHO, speaking as someone who presently lives in the Bay Area despite thinking he would hate it and who, while he still dislikes innumerable [literally innumerable] aspects of the Bay Area, nevertheless regards this move as having been the single greatest move of his entire career.)
posted by aramaic at 5:43 PM on October 21, 2018
(I know people that get into this, it's almost a habit of some kind, and it tends to destroy them. Perhaps it's not a pattern that applies to you, in which case disregard.)
(All IMHO, speaking as someone who presently lives in the Bay Area despite thinking he would hate it and who, while he still dislikes innumerable [literally innumerable] aspects of the Bay Area, nevertheless regards this move as having been the single greatest move of his entire career.)
posted by aramaic at 5:43 PM on October 21, 2018
I don't know what it's like to work there, but what about Alta Bates in Berkeley? What time exactly do you need to be at work in Walnut Creek, and where will you be living in Oakland? I would take BART- it's true that it's painfully crowded at rush hour, though it thins out considerably as you go along, i.e. it's awful if you're getting on in SF, but not quite as bad at Rockridge. You could easily live in Oakland, I think. The SF hospitals and Marin would be much worse commutes.
posted by pinochiette at 6:05 PM on October 21, 2018
posted by pinochiette at 6:05 PM on October 21, 2018
Best answer: How realistic is it to think of this job as a stepping stone to which you will move on to another, better-fitting job in six months to a year? You could survive this commute for one year, right? If the hospital also sucks to work at then maybe try to move on closer to six months after starting.
Heck, maybe in six months to a year you and your partner will be feeling like moving in together, and another mini-move will happen which could be an opportunity to optimize your commute and/or work situation. They might dovetail nicely.
Honestly, I feel like big moves are just inherently fraught and you have to do a certain amount of rolling with the punches and making the best of it, at first. It will get better the longer you live there, if you work to arrange your life that way. You sound like in the long run you'll be OK whatever you do.
Bottom line advice: live where you want to live, take the commute, take the job, make finding a better job with a better commute a Year One priority.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:08 PM on October 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Heck, maybe in six months to a year you and your partner will be feeling like moving in together, and another mini-move will happen which could be an opportunity to optimize your commute and/or work situation. They might dovetail nicely.
Honestly, I feel like big moves are just inherently fraught and you have to do a certain amount of rolling with the punches and making the best of it, at first. It will get better the longer you live there, if you work to arrange your life that way. You sound like in the long run you'll be OK whatever you do.
Bottom line advice: live where you want to live, take the commute, take the job, make finding a better job with a better commute a Year One priority.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:08 PM on October 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Best answer: I can't comment about hospitals but from living and commuting in the Bay Area, BART from Oakland (rockridge?) to Walnut Creek would be pretty mellow- its the reverse direction and would be less than 1/2 hour. But John Muir isn't near the station, unless you work at the facility in downtown Walnut Creek. That looks like a reasonable walk from BART. (though the streets aren't really built for walkers there... and even cycling to the main hospital is doable but a huge drag on those roads).
But yeah, I'd live in Berkeley-Oakland and commute. Even if you drive it's not bad at all- like I say its sorta the reverse commute. Start near Oakland until you get used tot he area & can more closely weigh your alternatives.
posted by TDIpod at 6:16 PM on October 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
But yeah, I'd live in Berkeley-Oakland and commute. Even if you drive it's not bad at all- like I say its sorta the reverse commute. Start near Oakland until you get used tot he area & can more closely weigh your alternatives.
posted by TDIpod at 6:16 PM on October 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Not to thread sit, but to answer questions:
My shift starts at 7pm and ends at 7am. So I will be commuting from Oakland to Walnut Creek during peak traffic times, so not a reverse commute exactly. Eventually, I'd like to move to the 7am - 7pm shift, but that will take a year or two.
I'm considering living near the MacArthur Bart or Rockridge Bart.
John Muir Medical Center offers a shuttle and taxi service to help get employees from the Bart to work.
Another aspect to my personality is that I tend to stick to one company for long periods of time, so the thought of only working a year at a place and then leaving makes me feel guilty. Something I need to get over!
posted by Thirty7Degrees at 6:29 PM on October 21, 2018
My shift starts at 7pm and ends at 7am. So I will be commuting from Oakland to Walnut Creek during peak traffic times, so not a reverse commute exactly. Eventually, I'd like to move to the 7am - 7pm shift, but that will take a year or two.
I'm considering living near the MacArthur Bart or Rockridge Bart.
John Muir Medical Center offers a shuttle and taxi service to help get employees from the Bart to work.
Another aspect to my personality is that I tend to stick to one company for long periods of time, so the thought of only working a year at a place and then leaving makes me feel guilty. Something I need to get over!
posted by Thirty7Degrees at 6:29 PM on October 21, 2018
Best answer: Hi New Friend!
I am a queer nurse and lifelong Oaklander. I've only ever worked at Highland (the safety net/"county" hospital in Oakland and the other - besides John Muir - East Bay trauma center), but I have some impressions of the other hospitals - for example Alta Bates Berkeley campus may close soon.
Your perception of Walnut Creek is accurate and John Muir is one of the few non-union hospitals in the Bay. Having said that, it is considered a prestigious kind of hospital to work for. If I were you, I would accept this job and just get my bearings while actively checking out the East Bay and applying at other jobs. Your experience at John Muir will help you get your dream job later.
I don't think you should live in Walnut Creek. As a nurse, you can get a job somewhere else once you've settled down, figured out if you even like living here, and have chatted with other nurses about where they like working. Personally I am trying to get into Kaiser as I think they have a lot to offer, but every place has it's shitty parts. If you work at John Muir and live in Oakland, the commute will suck, but it's not as bad as commuting to SF and you're not committing to the commute for life. If you live in Walnut Creek, with the alienating culture, AND you'll be far from your partner AND you'll be on nights. You will surely feel like there is nothing holding you here and lots that you hate.
One option to consider is just renting a room month-to-month in a shared home near a BART station in Oakland or Berkeley. This could potentially help you meet people here too. But also you could just learn the neighborhoods and the culture and see if you like it here.
I hear you are questioning whether to move here at all: Is there any way you can see this as an experiment and leave your options open where you are now? Just like, a trial move? Or does part of you just want an out because in your heart you are realizing this idea is not for you?
If you do move out here, seriously, come over for brunch! Message me any time with questions... I'd love to be helpful if I can.
posted by latkes at 6:32 PM on October 21, 2018 [16 favorites]
I am a queer nurse and lifelong Oaklander. I've only ever worked at Highland (the safety net/"county" hospital in Oakland and the other - besides John Muir - East Bay trauma center), but I have some impressions of the other hospitals - for example Alta Bates Berkeley campus may close soon.
Your perception of Walnut Creek is accurate and John Muir is one of the few non-union hospitals in the Bay. Having said that, it is considered a prestigious kind of hospital to work for. If I were you, I would accept this job and just get my bearings while actively checking out the East Bay and applying at other jobs. Your experience at John Muir will help you get your dream job later.
I don't think you should live in Walnut Creek. As a nurse, you can get a job somewhere else once you've settled down, figured out if you even like living here, and have chatted with other nurses about where they like working. Personally I am trying to get into Kaiser as I think they have a lot to offer, but every place has it's shitty parts. If you work at John Muir and live in Oakland, the commute will suck, but it's not as bad as commuting to SF and you're not committing to the commute for life. If you live in Walnut Creek, with the alienating culture, AND you'll be far from your partner AND you'll be on nights. You will surely feel like there is nothing holding you here and lots that you hate.
One option to consider is just renting a room month-to-month in a shared home near a BART station in Oakland or Berkeley. This could potentially help you meet people here too. But also you could just learn the neighborhoods and the culture and see if you like it here.
I hear you are questioning whether to move here at all: Is there any way you can see this as an experiment and leave your options open where you are now? Just like, a trial move? Or does part of you just want an out because in your heart you are realizing this idea is not for you?
If you do move out here, seriously, come over for brunch! Message me any time with questions... I'd love to be helpful if I can.
posted by latkes at 6:32 PM on October 21, 2018 [16 favorites]
Best answer: If you really don't want to change jobs after you find one I would honestly look at Kaiser. You can transfer to other Kaiser locations, other departments. The pay is good, they are union. Coworkers who work at Highland and Kaiser say it's not better, not worse, just somewhat different (for example, Kaiser inpatients are older than Highland inpatients, because we have more low-income/no income patients who get sick younger, so we tend to have more "complex social issues" but they tend to have more total care patients. Both can be hard in different ways, but according to these coworkers, one is not better than the other). But Kaiser pays better than us..
posted by latkes at 6:36 PM on October 21, 2018
posted by latkes at 6:36 PM on October 21, 2018
Kaiser is a good idea - they have facilities everywhere.
posted by bendy at 7:18 PM on October 21, 2018
posted by bendy at 7:18 PM on October 21, 2018
Yeah, that's a reverse-reverse commute and would be rough. 24 from Oakland out to WC between 5 and 6 is a parking lot every day (I'm going the other way which is not bad) and I would assume is not a great deal better in time to get you to WC at 7.
I work but do not live in the WC area. My impression is that you are correct: you would not like living there. It's not awful but it's suburban, as you say, and does not feel like a great place for queer people. Contra Costa County further out would be dangerous and bad. WC itself, well...it just wouldn't feel super safe and homey. I am a queer cis guy who can't stand Oakland but will say that it feels very safe that way.
Kaiser might be a good idea. I have the idea they are a good employer, based a little anecdotally on talking to social workers there a lot and finding them competent and...seemingly calm? They don't sound like people who hate their jobs.
posted by Smearcase at 7:19 PM on October 21, 2018
I work but do not live in the WC area. My impression is that you are correct: you would not like living there. It's not awful but it's suburban, as you say, and does not feel like a great place for queer people. Contra Costa County further out would be dangerous and bad. WC itself, well...it just wouldn't feel super safe and homey. I am a queer cis guy who can't stand Oakland but will say that it feels very safe that way.
Kaiser might be a good idea. I have the idea they are a good employer, based a little anecdotally on talking to social workers there a lot and finding them competent and...seemingly calm? They don't sound like people who hate their jobs.
posted by Smearcase at 7:19 PM on October 21, 2018
I would echo everything latkes says (except I am not a nurse myself!). If you are driving from Oakland to WC on a Friday (pretty much at any time), or during rush hour before the 7pm shift on a weekday, it is going to suck. But yes, think of it as temporary, perhaps get some podcasts/books you like to listen to. If you can BART, all the better, and how great that the hospital provides transport for you! I would definitely BART. Also, I think MacArthur or Rockridge BARTs and there environs sound like they could be a very good fit for you, in terms of weather and culture. And the beauty of those shifts is that you have time on your off days to discover all kinds of fun areas (I know you will probably need to sleep a lot for recovery purposes). Hopefully you're finding comfort in a lot of these answers--I think they are pretty good!
posted by bookworm4125 at 7:20 PM on October 21, 2018
posted by bookworm4125 at 7:20 PM on October 21, 2018
I am not a nurse. I also don't work night shifts.
But if I were, I would likely prioritize a minimal commute and quiet over daytime amenities, at least for the first year.
For sure, Walnut Creek isn't Oakland. If you love Oakland (I do) it's kinda the opposite. However there are a zillion things to do in just the East Bay and on weekends and outside of rush you can get from Walnut Creek to everything pretty quickly.
You're dealing with a relationship move and a new job. I'd say make your commute something super easy.
posted by zippy at 7:54 PM on October 21, 2018
But if I were, I would likely prioritize a minimal commute and quiet over daytime amenities, at least for the first year.
For sure, Walnut Creek isn't Oakland. If you love Oakland (I do) it's kinda the opposite. However there are a zillion things to do in just the East Bay and on weekends and outside of rush you can get from Walnut Creek to everything pretty quickly.
You're dealing with a relationship move and a new job. I'd say make your commute something super easy.
posted by zippy at 7:54 PM on October 21, 2018
I work in the WC area and most of my coworkers live in Berkeley/Oakland/Albany. The commute isn't too bad, you get used to it! I personally commute from San Jose and it's just going home that's hard--the way in isn't too bad at all. Frankly, the worst part is once you get off the freeway and are on the surface streets to get to the hospital, so I would say moving to Walnut Creek/Danville/etc isn't going to solve the most irritating part of the commute equation. I would stick with Berkeley.
WC is boring, yes, but John Muir is a great place to be for building a future career.
posted by assenav at 8:02 PM on October 21, 2018
WC is boring, yes, but John Muir is a great place to be for building a future career.
posted by assenav at 8:02 PM on October 21, 2018
Missed the part where you could take the shuttle from BART to work. If you don't have to be sitting in a car, and you're going to be commuting at the relatively non-creepy BART hours of 7a and 7p, I would 100% go for staying in OAK and commuting to WC. I wouldn't think twice about living in WC at that point, or about looking for a different job.
posted by assenav at 8:04 PM on October 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by assenav at 8:04 PM on October 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
My wife and I lived in Walnut Creek for a few years (her family’s there) and I haaated it. Totally not my (queer) scene, getting into Berkeley was a hassle (and I was in SF proper half a dozen times in two years, at best,) and the cost of living was just ridiculous. I’m so much happier elsewhere, and so is my wife.
It was a great place for the dogs, there’s some really good food, and the library system is great. Other than that, I’d vote anywhere but Walnut Creek.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:12 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
It was a great place for the dogs, there’s some really good food, and the library system is great. Other than that, I’d vote anywhere but Walnut Creek.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:12 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Oakland to Walnut Creek on the BART at 6pm (peak times) will be busy, but not sardine packed. That is only from SF through the tube to Oakland. Seats and space become available after you hit the east bay. If anything it'll be easier because a lot of trains will be coming through. Also! Coming in the opposite direction in the morning won't be terrible either. Again, busy, but you probably will even get a seat. It is picking up in Oakland and going into SF that is a problem commute.
Anyway, try it, I think it won't be too much trouble. Just don't drive. Dear god.
Also don't move to Walnut Creek.
posted by Toddles at 8:40 PM on October 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Anyway, try it, I think it won't be too much trouble. Just don't drive. Dear god.
Also don't move to Walnut Creek.
posted by Toddles at 8:40 PM on October 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
I thought of one more good thing about Kaiser: they are the most actively trans-forward of any large local health care org. They have a trans clinic in Oakland, actively train staff in trans literacy and trans-respectful healthcare, they do gender affirming surgery, they have their own in house curriculum for staff on trans inclusion. Just something to know when weighing your options here.
posted by latkes at 9:59 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by latkes at 9:59 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Your commute really won't be so bad on BART--after Rockridge, you'll have a seat in all but the busiest of trains. I'm a cyclist, and would consider bringing a bike on the train for the last leg (though agreed that Walnut Creek roads aren't great to bike on -- but it's the suburbs, so the shoulder should be plenty wide, even if the traffic is heavier/faster than dense urban roads). You can probably also find carpool buddies to ride with, if you'd prefer that.
I'd definitely avoid living in Walnut Creek, where you'll be culturally and subculturally isolated; instead, why don't you make an effort to live near your partner? Just imagine if you lived a few blocks away? You could have breakfast/dinner together before you head out on your 7PM shift! (Really, I've always thought that living two blocks away from my partner would be the best possible situation.) The Bay Area, for all its flaws [cost of living, rapidly blandifying consumer culture, the tech economy, housing crisis], is an oasis for queer and trans people, and to move so close to that oasis without actually living in it may be a little heartbreaking. Despite the 12hr shifts, you're not just a worker bee; unless you're an extreme introvert, you're going to need friends and a community of queers and allies in your off-hours, and I promise you: you'll be able to find us so much more easily if we're all around you. There's no way you're going to commute into Oakland/Berkeley after a twelve-hour shift to hang out with a new acquaintance, but it won't be such a big deal to meet someone for morning coffee at 9AM half a mile away.
posted by tapir-whorf at 12:15 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'd definitely avoid living in Walnut Creek, where you'll be culturally and subculturally isolated; instead, why don't you make an effort to live near your partner? Just imagine if you lived a few blocks away? You could have breakfast/dinner together before you head out on your 7PM shift! (Really, I've always thought that living two blocks away from my partner would be the best possible situation.) The Bay Area, for all its flaws [cost of living, rapidly blandifying consumer culture, the tech economy, housing crisis], is an oasis for queer and trans people, and to move so close to that oasis without actually living in it may be a little heartbreaking. Despite the 12hr shifts, you're not just a worker bee; unless you're an extreme introvert, you're going to need friends and a community of queers and allies in your off-hours, and I promise you: you'll be able to find us so much more easily if we're all around you. There's no way you're going to commute into Oakland/Berkeley after a twelve-hour shift to hang out with a new acquaintance, but it won't be such a big deal to meet someone for morning coffee at 9AM half a mile away.
posted by tapir-whorf at 12:15 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I know nothing of nursing employment situations, but I've lived in the Bay Area, working at Berkeley, living in Oakland, and occasionally commuting to a collaborating office in Walnut Creek for > 10 years.
If your first impression is that you wouldn't like the section east of the tunnel because it was too suburban you are absolutely right. Some people like that, but Walnut Creek or Lafayette are not going to change--they value that feeling.
The BART time from 12th St Oakland to Walnut Creek is 25 minutes. If their shuttle is closely timed with BART or you take a bike or scooter I would say it is much less likely it would take you 45 minutes end to end than 45 minutes to UCSF (I'd allocate at least an hour for the Sunset location and ~45 for Chan/Zuckerberg (Potrero)), so I would stick with your original offer. (Though as a Kaiser Oakland patient who only shows up for basic checkups my nurses have always seemed fine, and not hassled or put-upon).
If you are a driver, there are some hill locations that might not be as terrible on the commute--there is always terrible traffic going back to the far-East Bay at 6 pm, but it is always better by local roads than tunnel. If you don't mind driving to your partner's, or most fun locations, but driving lesser times than Walnut Creek, you could live along the ridge line of Skyline Blvd. prices are cheaper and you can avoid the tunnel by taking (slow) local roads over the ridgeline.
posted by ...tm... at 12:56 AM on October 22, 2018
If your first impression is that you wouldn't like the section east of the tunnel because it was too suburban you are absolutely right. Some people like that, but Walnut Creek or Lafayette are not going to change--they value that feeling.
The BART time from 12th St Oakland to Walnut Creek is 25 minutes. If their shuttle is closely timed with BART or you take a bike or scooter I would say it is much less likely it would take you 45 minutes end to end than 45 minutes to UCSF (I'd allocate at least an hour for the Sunset location and ~45 for Chan/Zuckerberg (Potrero)), so I would stick with your original offer. (Though as a Kaiser Oakland patient who only shows up for basic checkups my nurses have always seemed fine, and not hassled or put-upon).
If you are a driver, there are some hill locations that might not be as terrible on the commute--there is always terrible traffic going back to the far-East Bay at 6 pm, but it is always better by local roads than tunnel. If you don't mind driving to your partner's, or most fun locations, but driving lesser times than Walnut Creek, you could live along the ridge line of Skyline Blvd. prices are cheaper and you can avoid the tunnel by taking (slow) local roads over the ridgeline.
posted by ...tm... at 12:56 AM on October 22, 2018
Hi! I currently live near MacArthur BART, and the BART ride from there to Walnut Creek is around half an hour, I believe. I would totally consider it doable. Between Piedmont Ave. and Telegraph Ave., the area is also a pretty cool part of Oakland with lots of interesting stuff to do. Good luck!
posted by naju at 1:11 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by naju at 1:11 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Another thing: if you live far from your partner, and have this punishing schedule that's opposite theirs, are you both going to be able to be attentive enough to your relationship amid so much other change in each of your lives (moving/settling in logistics, new job, new city and social sphere) to make the relationship richer and stronger over the next year? If you're really moving in part to be with this person (and not just 'cause the Bay Area is neat), make sure that you build a life they can easily be part of. And vice versa, of course. Living in Walnut Creek, to me, would make it so much harder not only to nourish your spirit in the off-hours, but to nourish the relationship.
posted by tapir-whorf at 1:27 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by tapir-whorf at 1:27 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
My old commute could vary from anywhere to 45 minutes to two hours, depending on traffic, weather, and other disasters. I moved to a new area where my commute to work is usually 5 minutes, depending on weather, deer, and tractors. I always recommend living as close to work as you possibly can, because it reduces an incredible amount of stressors on your life, especially since you work 12 hour shifts. The absolute worst thing I can imagine after 12 hours on the job (ON MY FEET AS AN RN!!) is being stuck in Bay Area traffic for an hour or more. Or standing up on the train being jostled by people. Also Walnut Creek is the pits. :D
posted by elsietheeel at 7:05 AM on October 22, 2018
posted by elsietheeel at 7:05 AM on October 22, 2018
MacArthur to Walnut Creek on BART is 17 minutes
Rockridge to Walnut Creek is 14-15 minutes
I'd live in Rockridge if I could; it's cool and the houses are pretty. (Plus it's the same name as the town in Blazing Saddles.)
posted by kirkaracha at 10:32 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rockridge to Walnut Creek is 14-15 minutes
I'd live in Rockridge if I could; it's cool and the houses are pretty. (Plus it's the same name as the town in Blazing Saddles.)
posted by kirkaracha at 10:32 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Based on that info, I think I got "half an hour" by including the 10 minutes or so it takes me to walk to BART. So yeah, 17 minutes. I don't think it's super crowded either. Oakland<>SF is standing room only while people are commuting to and from work, but Oakland<>Walnut Creek isn't, at least in my limited experience.
posted by naju at 3:30 PM on October 22, 2018
posted by naju at 3:30 PM on October 22, 2018
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posted by arnicae at 5:38 PM on October 21, 2018 [2 favorites]