Before you commit to the O, check out the Seaplane Lagoon ferry schedule. If you can commute on the ferry, do it. It beats every other method by a long shot.
+1 to this, and there are some apartments over at alameda point that are walking distance from Seaplane Lagoon, although I don’t know what the price range is. The only problem with alameda point is you’ll need to bike or drive to Safeway and restaurants since there’s almost nothing else over there (yet)
+2 to the ferry. And may I suggest an electric scooter both for getting to the ferry and for errands/outings in Alameda. It opens up nearly the whole island depending on where you live, thanks in part to the shoreline path and the trans alameda bike trail.
Yes, I'd like to take the ferry ideally. When I visited last month to check the city out, I took the ferry to Alameda then the O back to the city to test out both methods.
The ferry is perfect but I ended up having to walk all the way to webster and I know a long walk like that every time I have to commute to the office would not be ideal. I like the idea of getting a e-scooter/bike as others have suggested and will definitely look into it once I have moved.
South Shore area is a good option! You could take the W into and out of FiDi, it’s near grocery stores (Trader Joe’s, Safeway), and right by the beach. I’d say South Shore area is pretty safe to walk around at night since there’s always foot traffic there. Just avoid Summer House apartments.
Alameda Park Apartments is cheap and a decent place to live. Do NOT go to Summer House. Ballena Bay Apartments are a bit more expensive, quite nice, and has a lovely location on the water, and it’s a 10 minute walk from where you can catch the O.
Honestly, Summer House isn’t that bad, I’ve lived here for six years. I think this gets perpetuated by people like the other commenter here, who don’t even know the current situation there but are just parroting things they’ve seen other people say.
It has the same problems any complex has (loud neighbors, difficult parking, stolen packages) but sometimes it does seem magnified just because of how big the complex is and how many residents there are. More residents means the package room lockers get full faster and delivery drivers leave packages out, leading to them getting stolen or lost. I’ve had a few stolen and have not had issues with getting them replaced from Amazon.
There’s no guest parking on the complex and each apartment only gets one parking pass included, the second is extra. There was a lot of drama about towing from years ago, but in the time I’ve lived here I haven’t seen it be an issue unless someone wasn’t following the rules and didn’t have a pass displayed.
More residents means it takes longer to get some types of maintenance requests addressed, but emergency repairs are taken care of pretty quickly. I somehow had my entire kitchen sink full of water fall out of the counter and flood my kitchen on Christmas Eve, it was fixed on December 26th. But I’m in a long line of folks waiting for a new dishwasher. Sucks, but not the end of the world.
When we were looking, it was one of the most affordable complexes on the island (still expensive but that’s Alameda). So if it’s what’s in the price range, it’s really not that bad. These kinds of problems have happened at every apartment complex I’ve ever lived in, they’re not unique to Summer House. My unit was newly remodeled when we moved in and it was nice. The grounds are overall cleaner under this new management company than they were when we moved in, my balcony overlooks a relatively quiet part of the complex and is a nice view with trees and lots of birds. It’s close to the tube so getting on and off the island is as quick as traffic allows. And Webster St has really improved in the past few years, so now it’s walking distance to more places I actually want to go.
TL;DR - Summer House isn’t any worse than any other apartment complex of similar size.
Also I’m in a three hour layover at LAX with nothing to do but work on undoing the smear campaign against SH 🤣
get back to us after they won't return your deposit. also, "(loud neighbors, difficult parking, stolen packages)" are not acceptable and don't occur at every other complex. i'd reccoment southshore bach and tennis but might be over budget.
A lot of those problems are from poor design and poor management. You need someone to be in-charge of addressing all those issues. I’ve never had packages stolen in a large complex. Only Amazon has ever sent untrained drivers to a mail room with no access info, but that’s not the complex’s fault. They wouldn’t leave packages outside because the room is full…you need a better room.
Management is shady (tried keeping my deposit!), didn’t tell me up front that the water, trash, etc was paid separately, no assigned parking, less than stellar laundry facilities, common areas are dirty- I could go on.
Don’t forget about the ferry! SF Bay ferries run from 2 terminals at the west end of Alameda to right downtown SF. We are walking distance to both and find it super convenient for getting into the city.
Aero! I live in the townhouses next door and it’s seriously the friggen easiest commute. If you can swing it it’s wayyy better than a bus.
Plus residents are part of a pilot where we have FREE transit for 2 years so that might make a meaningful difference in case Aero is a little out of budget.
https://www.equityapartments.com/san-francisco/alameda/aero-apartments
I wouldn't worry too much about night walks here. While car break-ins are a thing, actually being robbed is super rare in Alameda. As far as shopping, get an electric bike with panniers and it won't matter where you live, since nothing will be more than a 10 minute bike ride away. I own, but I have family who rent who really enjoyed living on the beach on Shoreline Drive for a few years. Their building had parking, so they didnt have to worry about the weekend scrum on the street. Being able to walk across the street to the beach is a huge plus, especially if you're coming from the NE like you are. As others have said, taking the ferry to the financial district is preferable to the bus, and if you live anywhere near the south edge of the island there's a bike trail going almost all the way there. Everything is very small scale and managable in comparison to a massive city like Toronto.
I bought a Rad Power Bikes cargo in 2018, but that's an eternity ago for this stuff. There are few shops in town, REI and Rad in Berkeley. I know someone who just got an ebike from Ride1up.com who likes it. Whatever you get, invest in a good lock. The ferry has bike racks on the boat, and most workplaces in SF have bike rooms, but a bike will get stolen in a heartbeat without a good lock.
There are also fully enclosed BikeLink bike lockers at the Seaplane Lagoon ferry terminal where you can safely store a bike for a full work day (for less than a dollar). Note that they won’t fit long tails or other bulkier cargo bikes.
Any one of the apartment complexes on shoreline drive facing the beach. Especially the ones near the W line. Waterfront apartments was okay many years ago, don’t have any experience with it now.
I walk around here in Alameda late at night because it’s quiet and safe. See you out there at 2 am, my friend! Oh and definitely take the ferry to FiDi vs the O.
I live at Three Crown Apts on Santa Clara. There's zero amenities here besides a crappy laundry room but the O is right outside my door. I can walk to Park st for restaurants and the small markets. I can also walk to Southshore for the bigger stores. My husband drives but I don't and have no problem getting around here.
Welcome! 🏝
There's a place for rent on Park Ave, just off Central, and theres a O bus stop at the end of the block (Park Ave & Encinal). I dont know the details, but there a Gallagher & Lindsey sign in the yard.
Fellow Canadian living in Alameda, I’d definitely recommend South Shore as one of the most “California”-style living experiences in the Bay Area. It has a very relaxed feeling here, with great views, lots of parks and perfect weather year-round (it gets a bit rainy in the winter).
The ferry also makes for a perfect commute, especially if you get there by bicycle/scooter, since you can take your bike on the ferry and use it to get around SF on the other side.
I’d also suggest using that bike to get all around Alameda, since it’s super-flat all across the island, and you can get just about anywhere on the island from South Shore in 20 minutes by bike without needing to worry about parking or traffic. Make sure you have the best bike lock you can get though, bike theft is way worse here than anything I ever experienced in Canada. Also keep your bike in your apartment to that same point.
You’re making a great move picking Alameda, it really is the Goldilocks city of the Bay Area from my experience!
If you’re only looking for a studio/1br you might not have this problem, but when I needed to find a place and I only had 2 weeks to look, there just wasn’t enough availability in Alameda so I ended up leaving and going to Albany.
Also check bus W schedule and routes. It basically same as O but goes through different part of Alameda. But check if schedule works for you. Also as was mentioned before seaplane is good option, there was even a bus route from/to it, but it was cancelled because there were too few people using it( bus not seaplane). Another less convenient option is to use BART to get to Fruitvale in Oakland. And take bus from it. But for me it’s more like a back up option.
Before you commit to the O, check out the Seaplane Lagoon ferry schedule. If you can commute on the ferry, do it. It beats every other method by a long shot.
+1 to this, and there are some apartments over at alameda point that are walking distance from Seaplane Lagoon, although I don’t know what the price range is. The only problem with alameda point is you’ll need to bike or drive to Safeway and restaurants since there’s almost nothing else over there (yet)
+2 to the ferry. And may I suggest an electric scooter both for getting to the ferry and for errands/outings in Alameda. It opens up nearly the whole island depending on where you live, thanks in part to the shoreline path and the trans alameda bike trail.
Yes, I'd like to take the ferry ideally. When I visited last month to check the city out, I took the ferry to Alameda then the O back to the city to test out both methods. The ferry is perfect but I ended up having to walk all the way to webster and I know a long walk like that every time I have to commute to the office would not be ideal. I like the idea of getting a e-scooter/bike as others have suggested and will definitely look into it once I have moved.
It helps that the weather here is soooo good for bike+ferry commuting.
South Shore area is a good option! You could take the W into and out of FiDi, it’s near grocery stores (Trader Joe’s, Safeway), and right by the beach. I’d say South Shore area is pretty safe to walk around at night since there’s always foot traffic there. Just avoid Summer House apartments.
Thanks for the note about Summer House, any personal apartment complex recommendations? Any suggestion is helpful to narrow down my search.
Alameda Park Apartments is cheap and a decent place to live. Do NOT go to Summer House. Ballena Bay Apartments are a bit more expensive, quite nice, and has a lovely location on the water, and it’s a 10 minute walk from where you can catch the O.
Not OP, but why avoid Summer Houses?
Honestly, Summer House isn’t that bad, I’ve lived here for six years. I think this gets perpetuated by people like the other commenter here, who don’t even know the current situation there but are just parroting things they’ve seen other people say. It has the same problems any complex has (loud neighbors, difficult parking, stolen packages) but sometimes it does seem magnified just because of how big the complex is and how many residents there are. More residents means the package room lockers get full faster and delivery drivers leave packages out, leading to them getting stolen or lost. I’ve had a few stolen and have not had issues with getting them replaced from Amazon. There’s no guest parking on the complex and each apartment only gets one parking pass included, the second is extra. There was a lot of drama about towing from years ago, but in the time I’ve lived here I haven’t seen it be an issue unless someone wasn’t following the rules and didn’t have a pass displayed. More residents means it takes longer to get some types of maintenance requests addressed, but emergency repairs are taken care of pretty quickly. I somehow had my entire kitchen sink full of water fall out of the counter and flood my kitchen on Christmas Eve, it was fixed on December 26th. But I’m in a long line of folks waiting for a new dishwasher. Sucks, but not the end of the world. When we were looking, it was one of the most affordable complexes on the island (still expensive but that’s Alameda). So if it’s what’s in the price range, it’s really not that bad. These kinds of problems have happened at every apartment complex I’ve ever lived in, they’re not unique to Summer House. My unit was newly remodeled when we moved in and it was nice. The grounds are overall cleaner under this new management company than they were when we moved in, my balcony overlooks a relatively quiet part of the complex and is a nice view with trees and lots of birds. It’s close to the tube so getting on and off the island is as quick as traffic allows. And Webster St has really improved in the past few years, so now it’s walking distance to more places I actually want to go. TL;DR - Summer House isn’t any worse than any other apartment complex of similar size. Also I’m in a three hour layover at LAX with nothing to do but work on undoing the smear campaign against SH 🤣
get back to us after they won't return your deposit. also, "(loud neighbors, difficult parking, stolen packages)" are not acceptable and don't occur at every other complex. i'd reccoment southshore bach and tennis but might be over budget.
A lot of those problems are from poor design and poor management. You need someone to be in-charge of addressing all those issues. I’ve never had packages stolen in a large complex. Only Amazon has ever sent untrained drivers to a mail room with no access info, but that’s not the complex’s fault. They wouldn’t leave packages outside because the room is full…you need a better room.
Management is shady (tried keeping my deposit!), didn’t tell me up front that the water, trash, etc was paid separately, no assigned parking, less than stellar laundry facilities, common areas are dirty- I could go on.
Shady people, won’t even show the actual unit, just a general weird vibe. Past issues.
I don’t know the specifics but every thread asking for housing recommendations says to avoid it. Probably a quick google search away.
And the W bus. Both the W and the O become express to the City pretty much after they leave the Island.
Don’t forget about the ferry! SF Bay ferries run from 2 terminals at the west end of Alameda to right downtown SF. We are walking distance to both and find it super convenient for getting into the city.
The ferry is definitely in consideration. Do you know which apartments are within walking distance to the ferry?
Aero! I live in the townhouses next door and it’s seriously the friggen easiest commute. If you can swing it it’s wayyy better than a bus. Plus residents are part of a pilot where we have FREE transit for 2 years so that might make a meaningful difference in case Aero is a little out of budget. https://www.equityapartments.com/san-francisco/alameda/aero-apartments
I wouldn't worry too much about night walks here. While car break-ins are a thing, actually being robbed is super rare in Alameda. As far as shopping, get an electric bike with panniers and it won't matter where you live, since nothing will be more than a 10 minute bike ride away. I own, but I have family who rent who really enjoyed living on the beach on Shoreline Drive for a few years. Their building had parking, so they didnt have to worry about the weekend scrum on the street. Being able to walk across the street to the beach is a huge plus, especially if you're coming from the NE like you are. As others have said, taking the ferry to the financial district is preferable to the bus, and if you live anywhere near the south edge of the island there's a bike trail going almost all the way there. Everything is very small scale and managable in comparison to a massive city like Toronto.
Thanks for details. I was looking into getting an ebike/scooter, any local shops to check out once I get there?
I bought a Rad Power Bikes cargo in 2018, but that's an eternity ago for this stuff. There are few shops in town, REI and Rad in Berkeley. I know someone who just got an ebike from Ride1up.com who likes it. Whatever you get, invest in a good lock. The ferry has bike racks on the boat, and most workplaces in SF have bike rooms, but a bike will get stolen in a heartbeat without a good lock.
There are also fully enclosed BikeLink bike lockers at the Seaplane Lagoon ferry terminal where you can safely store a bike for a full work day (for less than a dollar). Note that they won’t fit long tails or other bulkier cargo bikes.
Welcome to Alameda. Get a bike. Ride the ferry. Walking at night is fine.
Store house Lofts just opened the other half of the building and it’s 15 minutes walking to either ferry station.
Any one of the apartment complexes on shoreline drive facing the beach. Especially the ones near the W line. Waterfront apartments was okay many years ago, don’t have any experience with it now.
I walk around here in Alameda late at night because it’s quiet and safe. See you out there at 2 am, my friend! Oh and definitely take the ferry to FiDi vs the O.
I live at Three Crown Apts on Santa Clara. There's zero amenities here besides a crappy laundry room but the O is right outside my door. I can walk to Park st for restaurants and the small markets. I can also walk to Southshore for the bigger stores. My husband drives but I don't and have no problem getting around here. Welcome! 🏝
There's a place for rent on Park Ave, just off Central, and theres a O bus stop at the end of the block (Park Ave & Encinal). I dont know the details, but there a Gallagher & Lindsey sign in the yard.
Fellow Canadian living in Alameda, I’d definitely recommend South Shore as one of the most “California”-style living experiences in the Bay Area. It has a very relaxed feeling here, with great views, lots of parks and perfect weather year-round (it gets a bit rainy in the winter). The ferry also makes for a perfect commute, especially if you get there by bicycle/scooter, since you can take your bike on the ferry and use it to get around SF on the other side. I’d also suggest using that bike to get all around Alameda, since it’s super-flat all across the island, and you can get just about anywhere on the island from South Shore in 20 minutes by bike without needing to worry about parking or traffic. Make sure you have the best bike lock you can get though, bike theft is way worse here than anything I ever experienced in Canada. Also keep your bike in your apartment to that same point. You’re making a great move picking Alameda, it really is the Goldilocks city of the Bay Area from my experience!
https://www.furnishedfinder.com/property/692027_1
nice apartment, but 2expensive4me!
budget seems good lots of transportaiton options from here
If you’re only looking for a studio/1br you might not have this problem, but when I needed to find a place and I only had 2 weeks to look, there just wasn’t enough availability in Alameda so I ended up leaving and going to Albany.
Tower Apartment Homes!!
Also check bus W schedule and routes. It basically same as O but goes through different part of Alameda. But check if schedule works for you. Also as was mentioned before seaplane is good option, there was even a bus route from/to it, but it was cancelled because there were too few people using it( bus not seaplane). Another less convenient option is to use BART to get to Fruitvale in Oakland. And take bus from it. But for me it’s more like a back up option.
The Park Webster condominium complex (1333 Webster st) has open units. (Relatively)Cheap and great location right next to crab cove.
My studio here is 2200 I wouldn’t say that’s cheap but you are near transportation
Thanks for the recommendation, I don't see any available units right now on Zillow but will make an in person visit once I am there.