Cole Valley

Cole Valley residents break into roughly two categories; single and coupled with baby.  On any Saturday you can see both walking up and down the main commercial section of Cole Street.  Cole Valley does tend more towards couples with babies, and Cole Street can seem like a stroller parade at times.  The area is quiet, which seems to suit the families, but its close proximity to both the Upper Haight and the Inner Sunset can be great for the younger crowd.

Although there is only one really commercial section to Cole Valley, there is quite a bit packed in there.  There are two bars, Finnegans Wake and Kezar Bar (not to be confused with Kezar Pub which is two blocks away), both of which are fairly low key establishments with sports playing.  Finnegans doesn't offer food, where Kezar serves until late.  Neither bar is a big scene, but definitely fun and laid back, fitting right in with the relaxed atmosphere of the hood.  There are also quite a few restaurants, Eos, Zazie, BurgerMeister etc for dining, so there is plenty of food and a good variety of it.  Several coffee shops, grocery store, pharmacy, hardware store and video store round out the main drag on Cole.  Elsewhere in the hood there is a Real Foods, the aforementioned Kezar Pub, conveniently located near a yoga studio.  Cole Valley does have some really great places to eat and a couple of bars to spend a relaxing evening with a beer and a friend, but is definitely not a hip night spot.  It would be a chic date spot, or a great place to meet a friend for a quiet drink.

There is no doubt that the rent in Cole Valley is on the pricey side, even for San Francisco.  However, if you are looking to spend your rent money for a quiet area thats pretty well removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, or from the touristy areas, this is a great place to do that.  The quality of living in Cole Valley is high if you value a community based oasis in the middle of the city, seeing some of the same faces, being recognized when you go out to dinner. Cole Valley also has great views of the rest of the city.  Value for the rent is hard to fully quantify, and it is possible that with the recent increase in rent in the area that the apartments are overvalued in the area, but not by too much!

Transportation is plentiful in Cole Valley.  The N Judah runs right down Carl Street through the heart of Cole Valley.  The N Judah is notoriously infrequent, however and there are several bus lines.  The 71, 37, 33, 6, 43 buses all run through Cole Valley.  Parking is actually not too bad.  Trying to park on Cole Street is tougher than other places with all the retail, but its rare to circle more than 5 to 10 minutes for a spot.  Toughest times to park seem to be Friday nights, weekend mornings. You will also need to purchase a J sticker for most of Cole Valley, the neightborhood is zoned for parking during the business week and you will get a ticket if you leave your car for more than 2 hours without one.

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Cole Valley is very pet friendly and it seems like everyone has a dog.  There are a few dog parks, a pet store in the heart of the hood and on weekend mornings the Valley looks like an outdoor kennel there are so many dogs out for walks or waiting for their owners in front of coffee shops.

Cole Valley is right next to Golden Gate Park, so has access to all the recreation in the park, it is a few blocks from Haight Street, which affords all the distractions of the Haight.  There isn't a lot of shopping in Cole Valley, just a few restaurants and coffee shops to sit and read or watch the world go by.  There are a few sports pubs to watch the game, a yoga studio, Kezar stadium for running enthusiasts, but its a sleepy little area in terms of entertainment.

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Grocery stores - there really isn't one big store in the hood where you can find everything you need.  There is the Real Foods at Stanyan and Carl which has organic produce and food, the Alpha Market on Cole Street at Parnassus which is a decent grocery store, but not particularly big so it doesn't have a wide selection.  Otherwise, Andronico's in the Inner Sunset is probably the closest 'big' groery store.  Gyms, the Cole Valley Gym right in the heart of the hood is a bit pricey for what you get, and the Millberry center at UCSF is also pricey for those who don't belong to the school, but a better value for your money.  There is also a yoga studio at the corner of Stanyan and Waller.  Banks, there are no bank branches in Cole Valley but several ATMs.  Drug stores/Pharmacys - there are two - the Pharmaca on Cole Street and Walgreens at Stanyan and Parnassus.

Cole Valley is very family friendly.  There is an elementary school in the hood on Grattan Street, complete with a popular kids playground.  There is also USCF in the hood, a medical campus.  There are no kids stores or boutiques, but the area is very kid friendly with plenty of stroller parking!