Originally Posted by
DukieDrew
If you hate commuting, you won't want to live in SF, especially the Marina. Perhaps try downtown Mountain View or Palo Alto. I live in downtown MV and love it...there are tons of restaurants there of all different kinds, and while the nightlife isn't SF, it's okay. There are a couple clubs, a microbrewery, a latin club, a great latin restaurant that has live music every friday/saturday, a seafood place this weekend with live music, etc etc etc. I'm sure downtown Paly is similar, but I usually either stay in MV or if I want more, go to SF.
Totally agreed, as someone who used to live in Palo Alto, now lives near downtown Mountain View, and HATES commuting also. Palo Alto does have a much larger downtown, with more extensive nightlife and more upscale dining options, but you'll have to decide if that's worth the extra commute time (~10-15 minutes more) and higher rent/mortgage. You don't say if you're renting or buying, but neighborhood makes a huge difference so definitely take a peek at craigslist.org or a real estate site before deciding anything.