[RiverX]

I think I'm about to make a decision to go to California to see a T. which I know sounds really quite a strange thing to do. Theres a long story behind it - of course.

Does anyone here know anything about California? eg wheres Walnut Creek?
Any advice....... spare rooms, recommendations welcome.

thanks...

river

[ECHOES]

San Francisco / Berkeley area... an area that has a lot of T's and especially analysts because of the Univ at Berkeley.

Google map California or Berkeley CA. and I think it is southeast of Berkeley / Oakland.

[ErinBear]

Walnut Creek is east of San Francisco, across the Bay - and east of Oakland; if you fly into the Bay Area, Oakland is the nearest airport. Walnut Creek itself is accessible by our local BART trains and public transit. However, if you plan to use public transit to get there while in the Bay Area, you can see if it goes directly to the therapist's office by using our local transit planner. Go to www.511.org and choose "Trip Planner" from the pull-down menus. You enter a starting location (maybe the Oakland Airport) and your destination (the address of the therapist's office) and it will give you complete instructions on how to get there on public transit. Of course, you may be renting a car.....but sometimes these things are nice to know.

Hope this helps.

Take care,
ErinBear

[Kiya]

walnut creek - wasn't that where little house on the prairie was - the town's name?

riverx! i haven't seen you in a dog's age... how are you?

i don't know about walnut creek specifically, but that whole area is extremely expensive for living costs and i will tell you that finding an apt os very difficult. If you are going make sure to plan things very well in advance. You might consider choosing an area which would be a difficult commute for those trying to get to silicone valley... those are the peeps which drive the rental costs up. If they can't live in an area then the rent is usually reasonable.

[RiverX]

Thanks to you all for these heartwarming and helpful
answers!
I will make use of the info. Sounds scary, this super expensive part and all, .................but the little house on the prarie bit sounds interesting, I once read an exerpt from it to a little boy for his bedtime story, it seemed quite eeyrie.

Thaks again, any more info/ contacts etc all appreciated.

I'll also ring the Cali tourist board.

Hi Jellofluff, I love foamy things too. Yeah, here we go, trying again!

river

[ErinBear]

Unfortunately, it's a different location than the Little House on the Prarie books. There was a book that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote, "On the Banks of Plum Creek" that you could be recalling. The town that she describes in her other books, Walnut Grove, is another one you might be remembering. These places are in the center of the country - Minnesota and South Dakota, if I recall correctly. However, the television series was filmed here in California, although they tried to suggest it was the cold north : - )

And yes, also an unfortunate reality - housing here is wildly expensive, and there are no two ways around that. Some areas are better than others. Walnut Creek is a tad better than San Francisco or "Silicon Valley" but not by a whole lot. People who live there may actually work nearby, or commute - to Oakland, Berkeley, or SF. It's unlikely they'd commute to the San Jose area, although I guess some could, but it would be a horrendous commute. Most wouldn't. There are a lot of companies in the East Bay also. If you really choose to move here for therapy, probably the cheapest option is to rent a room in a house. But I would meet the therapist first, to see if you're a good match and everything else works, before making such a big change.

Take care,
ErinBear

[DoggyBonz]

Hi,
I went I lived in that area after college and housing can be expensive. If you are open to it you can go on craigslist.com and find possible roomates or a place to rent. I don't know if you are looking for a job or a part time gig but it is a usefull source for that also.
It's a beautiful time to go...

Concord is right next to Walnut Creek & cheaper. I was born in Berkeley, grew up in Orinda (also very close to Walnut Creek; went to a boarding school in Danville & lived in Concord when I first got married, then moved to Clayton--Concord was by far the cheapest). You might also look around in Pleasant Hill.

Other options, though I can't remember off hand how far away they are as when I lived in Calif. (been 20 years now!) it was no big deal to get on the freeway & drive to these places, but the traffic & freeways have gotten so complicated now (son lives in S.F. so we visit a lot): Martinez, El Cerrito, Benicia, Rodeo, Pacheco (think that is the spelling), Bethel, Vallejo.

Finding a room to rent I think would be easier near a college: Diablo Valley College (DVC) in Pleasant Hill or Concord (can't remember & I used to take classes there!), but it tends to draw students who mostly already live in the area as it is a junior college--a 2-year college used as a stepping stone to get into a 4-year institution--but worth a try looking.

Also, the Rockridge area of Oakland has easy access to the freeway & is close to the Calif. College of Arts & Crafts (CCAC) & Cal.-Berkeley so lots of students renting rooms there.

Good luck. Miss the area quite a bit.--Suzy

[sunrise]

RiverX, if you are going to live there for a while, you might also consider what kind of climate you do best in. Walnut Creek is on the east side of the Berkeley hills. It is very hot there. Concord, Pleasant Hill, and Orinda are located nearby. It is much cooler on the west side of the hills due to the proximity to the Bay. Communities there would include Richmond, El Cerrito, Albany, Kensington, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, etc. The road from the west to the east is called "24". This road is easy to access from south Berkeley. I don't like the heat, so when I lived in the area, the west side of the hills agreed much more with me. (I lived in El Cerrito.) If you choose to live on the west side, the cost of housing tends to go up as you move from the flat (closer to the bay) up eastward onto the west slope of the hills. The homes are bigger in the hills and many have views, so higher cost. We lived in somewhat of a hovel in the El Cerrito hills, lol. (It had no heating and a rat problem.) But I loved the location and view.

The commute will be worse if you live in the west. Pros and cons.

RiverX, I am curious about the therapy you will get there. Is it a special variety? A special therapist you have heard about? Good luck!

[RiverX]

Thank you all so much for these responses, I'm saving all the info, it will all be useful.

Sunrise, yes it is special. He is a Masterson trained T. they specialise in the disorders. Over the years I have done so much therapy and lots of stuff, no T. ever made much impact on me, these people get through to me emotioanally half way through the first sentence, its LOL,

I have tried several of them and couldnt stick it, I think they had thier own disords too. This guy ---- well, so far so good after a few sessions on the phone.

thats the story very briefly. I'll tell you more if you like.

thanks so, much again for the info, I'm impressed and now much better informed. (ps USA reputation for hospitality!

We'll probably confirm if I'm really going to do this next sess, next week.

river.

[RiverX]

Oh I just posted and it didnt come out. At the risk of saying stuff twice, I'll try again.

Thanks all so, so much for the info, Im impressed by your hospitality and now much better informed.

Sunrise, yes, he's a Masterson trained T. and they specialise in the disorders.

I'll talk more again perhaps, but its late now, gotta go.

river