my gf is working in SF downtown and i'm working in sillicon valley, where is the best place for us to live?

Question

she's taking the public transit. we'd like to find somewhere in between, so that both us can commute less than 45 mins.

Answer 1

The answer to that question varies WILDLY depending on:
- Where she works in San Francisco, i.e. nearer BART, or CalTrain. One problem is that Caltrain's station is nowhere near downtown.
- Where you work in Sili Valley relative to the transit available, and what transit options your employer offers.

For instance: If you work at Tasman/Lafayette, and she works in downtown SF and would hate Caltrain... then you want to be in Fremont near Mowry and Paseo Padre, or Jack London Square Oakland. She walks to BART, you walk to ACE or Amtrak. The Amtrak Capitols run 16 trains a day now, they work well for Oakland-Hayward-Fremont-Great America-SJ.

If you refuse to take transit, then then consider living in communities adjacent to CalTrain stops with convenient service to the City (Baby Bullet, hint hint!) or near Union City or Fremont BART so she can take BART. BART gets her closer to downtown SF, but curses you to an ugly Fremont-San Jose commute on 880/680. (880/Mission Blvd, fixed, this year, yay!) Living in the valley gives you an easier commute, but may curse her with the shlep from Caltrain's King St. station, which is nowhere near downtown.

Any way you go, a 45-minute commute on transit is probably a pipe dream. Virtually any commute is going to involve transfers from one mode to another, and those take time. That is why it is useful to go to EXTREMES to set up your living situation accordingly. A nice long uninterrupted transit ride lets you get a lot of work done. (more than driving, that's for sure!) Four 15-minute rides with 3 transfers, not so much.