45 minutes up to the closest one--if there's no traffic. A little hyperbole when I whine, me? ;)

I'd call that an hour, too - especially since traffic can vary wildly.

And, San Jose makes sense, as far as the distance goes. Isn't where I'm likely to be, however, since the school I'm interested in is in SF. So that ought to help with social stuff.

What's defined as 'the east bay'? Across the bay from SF?