Ask HN: I'm interning in SF this summer. What do I need?

2 points by jlt 14 years ago | 3 comments

As the title reads, I'm interning at a small YC-funded startup this summer, and I really need to know what I need!

I have never been to San Francisco before, but I have however been to the US (New York, Florida, Miami).

I really need to know the best way of dealing with various issues that I feel I might encounter.

I plan on getting an AT&T sim to pop into my iPhone to use whilst I'm out there for cheap communication. Is this a good idea?

What is the best way to manage my money? I'm guessing I can't open a bank account over there without a permanent residence, but I really don't want to have to pay to withdraw money from my UK based bank account. How can I achieve this?

Is transport between Palo Alto and SF center good? Is it affordable?

If you have any (yes, I mean any) advice you'd like to give me, I'd really, really appreciate it.

Thanks a lot guys!

jlt

rafa3rafa 14 years ago |

Good points by ChuckMcM.

I second the need to bring warm clothes, be prepared to dress in layers. If you're in Palo Alto most of the time it'll be 10-15+ degrees warmer (Fahrenheit) than SF so bring a mix of cool & warm clothes but again yes be prepared for cold evenings in SF.

Regarding transport between SF to Palo Alto, while it is easily accessible there are two things you need to consider. 1) Commute time: the commute between SF to Palo Alto is at least 35-45 minutes by car, commuting via CalTrain will be slightly longer 50-60 minutes. 2) Where you will live and work: 50-70 minutes assumes you live near the Caltrain station in SF and work near the Caltrain stop in Palo Alto, otherwise your commute can easily be 60-90 minutes one way. If you plan to be working 10-14hours days in Palo Alto you may reconsidering living in SF during this short stint.

Regarding managing money, not sure how long you will be here if it's just two months or so. Something I usually do when traveling, is use a credit card for most purchases. Then I withdraw cash from my bank account one or however many times needed but max the daily withdrawal limit each time to minimize fees as much as possible. You should quickly research which credit cards in the UK do not charge international transaction fees. Capital One does not charge international transaction fees.

ChuckMcM 14 years ago |

Warm clothes. Seriously, when the fog comes in it gets damn cold.

A CalTrain pass can get you between 4th and Townsend (the southern end of town, in the 'south of mission' area) and Palo Alto. There are cars with support for bikes, so if you ride your bike you can hope the train to ride south.

If you are a serious bike rider you can check out the http://sf2g.com/ stuff (Originally Googlers who rode from SF to Google in Mtn View) which has lots of resources for bike commuting to the 'south bay' from San Francisco.

It is also possible to take BART to the Milbrae Station and then transfer to CalTrain south to Palo Alto. The two stops CalTrain makes are 'University' (which is right next to Stanford (and you can pick up the campus busses there) and Calfornia.

AT&T is an ok provider as is Verizon. AT&T coverage in Cupertino around Apple HQ is excellent btw :-)

jlt 14 years ago | |

Thanks Chuck, it seems transport is pretty decent in SF then - that's good news!

I really do appreciate your input, thanks again :)

jlt