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Moving to Palo Alto for work. What should I know?

post #1 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:19pm
Thread Starter 
I'm shipping myself across the country next month and landing in Palo Alto for work. What should I know/be prepared for?

Here are the lessons I've learned so far:
1. Stay away from East Palo Alto
2. Expect apartment square footage to reduce by half while rent remains equal.
3. Parking is rough around University Ave. Therefore, should walk/bike to work.
4. My work wardrobe should transform from the "Men's Clothing" forum to the "Streetwear and Denim" forum to fit in. I won't get into the inner struggle I had when I was specifically told not to wear a suit/tie to the interview.
5. Become a marketing contractor for Mark Hurd, file a sexual harassment suit, and settle out of court.
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post #2 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:20pm
Boredom is your friend. Just keep repeating that.
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post #3 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:23pm
find out if the company you're working for offers a free daily bus from san francisco (i know facebook does), and if it does, move to marin county.
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post #4 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by iammatt View Post
Boredom is your friend. Just keep repeating that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mharwitt View Post
find out if the company you're working for offers a free daily bus from san francisco (i know facebook does), and if it does, move to marin county.

Public transportation is refunded. I'm attempting to figure out if (suburbia + 10 min commute) > (social life + hour long commute on Caltrain).
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post #5 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkk View Post
4. My work wardrobe should transform from the "Men's Clothing" forum to the "Streetwear and Denim" forum to fit in. I won't get into the inner struggle I had when I was specifically told not to wear a suit/tie to the interview.

Forget everything you know about fit, material, etc. and only wear what is cheap, free (with company logos or some cheeky expression), and replace your footwear with Crocs or New Balance sneakers (the chunkier, the better).

Then you'll blend in quite nicely.
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post #6 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:43pm
Why not move to SF, for a while anyway, and try it out. Look for a short term sub.
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post #7 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkk View Post
Public transportation is refunded. I'm attempting to figure out if (suburbia + 10 min commute) > (social life + hour long commute on Caltrain).
PA is alright. I grew up in that area, so my knowledge of it is pretty dated. Like PSG says, I'd live in SF, but then I do, so obviously I would. I like Marin as well, but for somebody who is a bit more settled.
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post #8 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by I<3Bacon View Post
Forget everything you know about fit, material, etc. and only wear what is cheap, free (with company logos or some cheeky expression), and replace your footwear with Crocs or New Balance sneakers (the chunkier, the better).

Then you'll blend in quite nicely.

I spent years unlearning what I learned in an engineering program at college. I refuse to fall back into said habits.
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post #9 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:52pm
On a serious note, if you're a beer drinker, the Rose and Crown is right off University. It is a bit filthy, but arguably the best beer bar in the Bay Area outside of SF. If you prefer consuming wine or spirits at home, Beltramo's on El Camino is always worth a visit. I can't think of much in the way of food in that area that I would endorse.
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post #10 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:53pm
Crocs and New Balance are for older PA types. vibram five fingers are for the young "hip" crowd If you are young and not tied down to anything that requires you to live in the South Bay (Family/property/significant other who lives there) and am not allergic to the commute... I do not know one single co-worker in aforementioned situation that has regreted moving to SF and commuting to work (2-3 hrs round trip via company shuttle).
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post #11 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:53pm
Thread Starter 
If I were living in SF, what areas should I be looking at to live in? SoMa is what I'm familiar with based on previous business excursions.
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post #12 of 49
9/29/10 at 8:58pm
Well it largely depends on your income, but for the young silicon valley crowd haight area is really popular since it's near a lot of cool places and great bars. If you are more interested in fine dining/shopping/classier areas... well I'm sure native SFers can drop some more wisdom there. I hear russian hill area is pretty good at the moment for price/quality.
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post #13 of 49
9/29/10 at 9:10pm
I love PA. Insanely expensive. I would live there if I could.
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post #14 of 49
9/29/10 at 9:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abraxis View Post
Crocs and New Balance are for older PA types. vibram five fingers are for the young "hip" crowd

If you are young and not tied down to anything that requires you to live in the South Bay (Family/property/significant other who lives there) and am not allergic to the commute... I do not know one single co-worker in aforementioned situation that has regreted moving to SF and commuting to work (2-3 hrs round trip via company shuttle).

I've seen this before. It makes me want to drink more heavily than I do usually.
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post #15 of 49
9/29/10 at 9:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manton View Post
I love PA. Insanely expensive. I would live there if I could.

it's no Duarte
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