Living in San Francisco as a Travel Nurse
The San Francisco Bay Area is a populated region that encompasses the major cities and metropolitan areas of SF, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas. Skyrocketing rents are fed by a constant demand for housing, fueled mainly by the growing tech industry and rapid gentrification. With rent prices hitting a record high and inventory drying up, you have to move quickly in your search.
Tip: Search with relevant key words, “corporate housing”, and “short term rental”, “vacation rental,” and “corporate hotel” as examples. As these words will be necessary to find the information you are looking for, surround them with quotation marks so the search engine knows to look for the specific words in the order you typed.
Internet Searching
When scouring the internet, please do not be fooled by embellished advertisements that tout low starting rents. Ideally, work with websites where you can interact directly with the owner or landlord in advance. Most are free and some offer membership plans. A few recommended Online portals are:
www.urbanflat.com
www.furnishedfinder.com
Living as a Travel Nurse with Pets
When traveling with your furry companions, having recommended pet resources at your fingertips is vital. The following ‘pet picks’ are referenced by many of our Hotel and Landlord contacts in the Bay Area. Here you can explore San Francisco’s top dog parks, shops, groomers, and pet sitters.
Lafayette Park
Gough & Sacramento Street, 94115
Le Marcel Bakery for Dogs
2066 Union Street, 94123
Pet Food Express
3 locations:
3160 20th Ave
3050 California St
1975 Market St.
Doggie Day Spaw
415-933-0991
920 Harrison St, Suite 6,94107
1819 Polk St, 94109
Sitters & Walkers
Pick up!
415-829-7376
Wag Hotel
415-876-0700
25 14th Street,94103
Traveling in San Francisco as a Travel Nurse
Parking & Transportation Resources
For renters in San Francisco, a parking space is considered an amenity and extremely costly. The average monthly parking rate for those lucky to get an assigned garage or lot space in the heart of the financial district has increased 9.43% from $404.25 in 2010 to $442.38 per car, month in 2015.
Most other areas in and around the City seem to average close to $375.
Innovative Parking Solutions
Many commercial garage or lot signs have you inquire within for the monthly rate. To avoid circling around the city for hours looking for an available garage, consider parking search engines.
The SFpark app provides real-time information on parking availability and cost. You can find prices and hours using the on-line map and mobile map. It is currently available in the Financial District, along the Embarcadero, Fisherman’s Wharf, Civic Center, Marina Union Street, and Mission District. Available in iTunes and Google Play Stores.
Public Transportation
If you opt not to take your own automobile and plan on relying on the public
transportation offered for your community, carefully research the transit
routes and schedules. San Francisco is one of the easiest cities in the world to navigate. There are plenty of transportation options, including the world famous cable cars, bus lines, and ride sharing. The following sites offer trip planners, routes and schedules:
– Transit.511.org
– Sfmta.com
– Bart.gov
Rental Car
If public transportation is not your preference, renting a car in the Bay Area is easy, but can be costly. If you are flying into Oakland or San Francisco International Airport and need a rental car, booking ahead is highly recommended.
Suggested Companies
If renting a car, check out these companies that offer a discount by utilizing Epic Travel Staffing corporate code.
800-527-0700
www.budget.com
Discount Code: U343028
Tip: As renting a car at the airport is the most convenient option, many times you can capture better rates at the off –airport locations.
800-593-0505
www.enterprise.com
Discount Code: 32C4388
PIN: ‘EME’
800-654-8216
www.hertz.com
Discount code: 1608528.
800-CAR RENT
www.nationalcar.com
Contract ID: GCAMA032
www.nationalcar.com/offer/GCAMA032
Thrifty Car Rental – 800-327-7607
Corporate Account 00102293