Hi everyone,

I am hoping all of you who live in the Bay area or Boston/Cambridge can help me make a major decision.

I am looking to relocate for a short-term training position (2-3 years), either to the Boston/Cambridge or SF Bay area. During my time in this position I will actively be trying to network my way into a job.

At this time I do not have a car, and I realize that many of the places I hope to go (attend seminars, meetings, coffee) will be spread out and in the case of SF Bay, not in San Fran at all. I actually prefer to live in an area with good public transport and not to have to deal with a vehicle.

So my question is, can I do this without a car? For example, if I live in SF, how hard would it be to go to South San Fran for an interview? How extensive is the public transportation system?

Thanks for any and all help. It is greatly appreciated!

In my opinion the public transportation is much better in the Boston area. It covers a much larger area.

There should be ZIP cars or something similar available in SF that you could join. I know they have them in Boston. You can become a member and then you will have access to a car anytime you need it.

I think Boston will probably be a better choice for you. The public transit system is very good and covers most of the greater Boston area as well. Also the cost of living will be a bit less in Boston .

YOu might try www.craigslist.com for apartments in both cities so you have some idea of the costs.

Thanks for all the info! I didn't know about Zipcar - it looks perfect for me.

There is Caltrain - a local train from SF to San Jose through the South Bay.

There are buses "Samtrans" covering an extensive area. They run mainly along Hwy 101 and 280. There are buses from SF and local, serving only a short route.

There is also BART to the airport and beyond.

It's difficult to tell if there is a public transportation to that particular address you're going to, but most is covered on weekdays.

I know many young people who work and live in San Francisco quite sucessfully without cars. Some for economic reasons, some environmental. On those occaisions that one is needed, some belong to CityShare, a car sharing non profit to get a car for an errand. As Faina has posted, no one can tell you whether public transportation will take you to an exact address without the address. As with any public transportation system, the deeper one goes into the suburbs the less of public transportation there is.

Have visited both cities sans car and can honestly say that it is far, far easier to get to more places far faster and with more ease in Boston and the surrounding areas. You can truly do without a car in Boston. In San Fran very much less so. (Though it would be possible, with sacrifice)

I agree with Chele60. I've lived in both cities and Boston has a much better transportation system, especially its suburban commuter train.

That said, you can still do the Bay Area without a car. You can get around the city proper by bus and train pretty easily. In the burbs, the transportation varies. The east Bay and parts of the South Bay have BART, which is easy and good. Marin has a bus and ferry system which is mediocre, at best. As Faina mentioned, there is also Caltrain that goes down the peninsula. Some of the Silicon Valley companies (i.e., Google and Yahoo) have free bus transportation from SF for its employees (it's wireless!) as well. That fact is a bit random, but more interesting than helpful. Anyway, it is still possible to get where you need to be outside the city.

I wouldn't make the decision soley on transportation. Where do you want to live for the next 2-3 years. If you'd prefer a temperate climate, it doesn't really matter how good the public transportation system in Boston is, you know what I mean? Weigh the transportation system issue with the other factors that are important to you, but I don't think the disparity is great enough to make the decision on the transportation issue alone. Good Luck!