My daughter is interviewing for an internship with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. As a result, I am looking for lodging recommendations or, better yet, a Maggot/Maggette with a room to rent for 2-3 months. I don't have exact dates, but I'm guessing mid-May through late July. While I'm asking for the world, something with access to mass transit would be nice since she may not have a car of her own.
Any help you might offer is greatly appreciated.
Which Kaiser building, specifically? There are some seriously sketchy parts of Oakland, but also a lot of nice parts. Go look at BART and AC Transit maps, as that's the trains and buses, respectively.
Is she 21? This will probably make a difference in where is best.
She's only had one interview, so I don't know which building yet. She will be 21 at the end of September, so she maybe won't have as much as she might have in 5 months.
I'd probably recommend something in Berkeley then, as there will be more people her age. If you're not 21, there's not necessarily a ton of stuff for you in the typical uptown/downtown area.
Temescal is another possibility, but it can be hit or miss.
Also, if you need additional info, SchralpMacchio is the man to go to, as he's lived here 5-10 years longer than I have.
I highly recommend she live in Berkeley or El Cerrito for no other reason than the crime rates. Every female I know that has lived in Oakland has felt uncomfortable due to crime at one point or another. Oakland has great food, nightlife, jobs, etc., but you as a father probably don't want her living there.
As long as she lives near a Bart station she'll still be able to go out in Oakland & SF and get to work easily. If she's interning the actual medical center, there's a shuttle that runs every 10 minutes or so between the medical center & the macarthur bart station; if she's working in the regional office she'll be a short walk from the 19th st. station).
She'd probably have more fun living in Berkeley than El Cerrito. But if you find yourself without options, I live a couple hundred yards from a Bart station and have a guest room that we've been contemplating renting.