Moving to SF to start a job for three months in mid September. Looking for a place for either 2 people or 4 people (and a dog) in the city. We are all four late 20s-early 30s nurses scattered (I will be working in Oakland but want to live in SF)

Want to find the good areas to live, safe, fun, lots of young people, preferably close to water and easy access to public transportation and BART to get to Oakland. Any help narrowing down the neighborhoods a little better? Thanks! Can't wait to get there!!!

I'd definately recommend looking in the Russion Hill area. It's right next to the upscale nob hill, but is better for younger people since it is less expensive, but still very safe. Everywhere in SF is expensive, but if you have a few roommates you can get a lot more bang for your buck. You can find a lot of really nice places there as well, and a lot of the apartments have been nicely renovated. I'd recommend looking on craigslist for apartments in the area. Other nice areas are Pacific Heights and Nob Hill, but they might be pricier. Good Luck!

Thanks, we have about $2000 pp to work with so I think we can find some pretty decent places, although I'm sure we'll have to use every penny of it! I did see a couple in Russian Hill, will check them out. What about Mission Bay, King Stree area. There are some apartments called Avalon???

I'm not as familiar with those areas. If you have that much to spend per person you should definately be able to find a nice place. I think you'll be very impressed with the Russion Hill area, but also check out Nob Hill and Pacific Heights since you'll probably be able to afford those areas too. The Marina and Cow Hollow are also areas that you might want to look. It's kind of known as the yuppy part of town, but there are a lot of trendy bars and restaraunts there.

I think Russian Hill, Pac Heights, and the Cow Hollow/Marina are great suggestions. The Marina is the height of Yuppiness, but I would still recommend it especially if you have just a few months here. If any of you plan to have a car, I highly recommend finding a place that includes a parking space. That is a must for Russian Hill. Street parking is hard to find.

Other neighborhoods that might be good are Cole Valley and the inner Sunset. These are closer to Golden Gate Park and farther out from the water, but along the N streetcar line which will take you downtown to BART in about 15+ minutes. Both areas have restaurants and amenities. Russian Hill and the Marina are closer to downtown, but taking the bus may actually take longer b/c it is on the city streets and not underground, like the N.

Here is a link describing the different neighborhoods: http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/

Check the BART website www.bart.gov, don't know your work schedule but BART does not run all night (no trains from midnight to 4 am I think) and less trains on weekends. You probably want a place you can walk to a BART station, taking a bus to a station adds another layer. Mission Bay is too far, King Street is where the stadium is, fun and close to the water, the Avalon is there. Craiglist is what most people use.