What's Alameda like?

[cfitz]

I have a friend who is considering a transfer to a position in Alameda, California, and he wants to know what it is like. I found a couple of on-line resources (e.g. here and here), but was wondering if there are any Bay-Area residents here who could give me their personal impressions of Alameda. For example, "It's too close to the Oakland airport so it is noisy all the time" or "It's a really beautiful place, right on the Bay" or "I've lived there and it's nice, but getting there is tough because you have to go through bad sections of Oakland", etc. (I don't know if any of the above are true, but you get the picture of what I am looking for.)

Thanks in advance,

cfitz

[aviationwiz]

Being close to an airport rocks! The two parallel runways to MSP, I'm right in the approach line-up, so I get to see all the planes coming in from my house! Sending this out to Monte now who lives in the Bay Area.

[MonteLDS]

I live so close to Alameda. My sister works there. The lovely Alameda man made beach! Alameda is a fine place to live. the Airport is not that close to any residental area. You would most likely hear more nose if you lived in San Leandro then in Alameda. Depends on where you live. I suggest that if you can not live in Alameda then good for you. The city of Hayward my home town is nice. And only 25 mins to Alameda from my house.

My sister said this
"by the bussiness area closes to the tunel and the beach, it is pretty nice, a little better then living right here in hayward. their are condo's and apt there."

[cfitz]

Being close to an airport rocks!

Well, yes, for someone who goes by "aviationwiz", but not everyone has the same enthusiasm for airplanes that you do.

I personally live far enough away from the nearest airport that I don't generally get much traffic directly overhead, but depending on the wind and the weather, incoming flights are sometimes vectored over my house and they sometimes come in quite low. I don't mind (except when trying to watch television - my set turns into a bistatic radar receiver) but others dislike it.

cfitz

[cfitz]

Thanks Jonathan.

I suggest that if you can not live in Alameda then good for you.

I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand this sentence. Are you saying that you recommend commuting to Alameda rather than living in Alameda, even if the job is in Alameda?

My sister said this
"by the bussiness area closes to the tunel and the beach, it is pretty nice, a little better then living right here in hayward. their are condo's and apt there."

Please tell her thanks also.

cfitz

[aviationwiz]

On my other forum, everyone LOVES being right under the flight path. Well, that may be explained by the fact that the forum is on Airliners.net

Being right under the flight path, you get to see all the action! In addition, my synagouge is also under the same flight path where right at about the place of my synagouge, that's when they bring down the landing gear (my house is pre-landing gear)

[burninfool]

Driving in the bay area is a nightmare(I commute sometimes) so if your friend can live closer to work the better.

[TheWizard]

Driving in the bay area is a nightmare(I commute sometimes) so if your friend can live closer to work the better.

No public transportation?

[dodecahedron]

I don't mind (except when trying to watch television - my set turns into a bistatic radar receiver)

damn!
what an original new use for an old 14" TV.
knew there had to be something to these old things yet.

[MonteLDS]

Thanks Jonathan.

I suggest that if you can not live in Alameda then good for you.

I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand this sentence. Are you saying that you recommend commuting to Alameda rather than living in Alameda, even if the job is in Alameda?

My sister said this
"by the bussiness area closes to the tunel and the beach, it is pretty nice, a little better then living right here in hayward. their are condo's and apt there."

Please tell her thanks also.

cfitz

Ya i wouldn't live in Alameda. Just because it's Alameda. Their are some close nicer cities, like Castro Valley, the Hayward Hills, or pleasanton if u want to go very nice. it just can feel blah in Alameda unless u are near the beach downtown area. I guess it depends on what your friends status is. If he has a family i am not sure I would raise my family there. But cost of living there is better then say Danville or Alamo.
Alameda does not have a "BART" station ( www.bart.gov ) so their is not any fast transit. You can take AC (alameda county) transit. but that is all you. They got new buses here a few months back.

[tazdevl]

Alameda is a fairly cool place. I've lived in the city, south bay and east bay. Had several friends that lived there.

Noise isn't too bad. There is public transportation.

[CowboySlim]

No public transportation?

One needs to be aware of the nature of public transportation in California as opposed to that in other parts of the country.

In California, public transportation is just another taxpayer supported welfare program for the illegal alien.

Slim

[dodecahedron]

No public transportation?

One needs to be aware of the nature of public transportation in California as opposed to that in other parts of the country.

In California, public transportation is just another taxpayer supported welfare program for the illegal alien.

Slim

what, no "legal non-aliens" who are poor in the Golden land of California, who don't own a Ferrari and a Jet and have to make do with a bus ?

[JamieW]

You've clearly never been to California. Its like going to Mexico complete with American tourists but ran by hippies and an Austrian.

[burninfool]

You've clearly never been to California. Its like going to Mexico complete with American tourists but ran by hippies and an Austrian.

Too funny!

[MediumRare]

This is a bit off topic, but the name "Alameda" rang a bell with me- the Alameda Corridor is a recently opened new billion dollar rail corridor to the port at Los Angeles, joint development by UP and BNSF. But it's named for Alameda Street, at the centre of which it runs, not a nearby town. Otherwise I sure wouldn't mind living near it, for reasons similar to Aviationwiz', but most everybody else would want to avoid it.

G

[dodecahedron]

Total lunar eclipse on 4 May. Visible in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia. Start 18:48 UTC, total 19:52-21:08 UTC

thanks for the tip.

[CowboySlim]

what, no "legal non-aliens" who are poor in the Golden land of California, who don't own a Ferrari and a Jet and have to make do with a bus ?

Yes, the few "legal non-aliens" that are economically too poor to afford cars amount to less than 1% of the ridership.

Slim

[dodecahedron]

what, so that film "Speed" was a hoax ???

[burninfool]

what, so that film "Speed" was a hoax ???

Yes,Keanu Reeves is too stupid to become a cop and a bus cannot jump a 50ft gap in the freeway.