the thought of leaving sf
*In November
**At least I have no intention of publishing this as one of “those posts” on Medium
I didn’t know a city could have my heart like this. I really didn’t.
Not until it became clearer over the last week we’re not renewing our current lease. If this sounds melodramatic, it completely is. As is my love for this beautiful, messed up, gentrified city.
This weekend we drove up (Bolinas) and down (Big Basin) the coast and I was awash with memories.
My SF journey, simplified in three acts:
Act I: Explore
~When I fell head over heels, enamored
Visiting Tony in college & taking trips to nearby sights (Windy Hill Preserve, first drive to Santa Cruz, first Napa trip)
Visiting all the tourist attractions (Fisherman’s Wharf, Ferry Building, renting Blazing Saddles bikes across the bridge to Sausalito and taking the ferry back)
Driving into the city, laughing at / soaking up the tech billboards, mesmerized by all the pastel houses
Sitting on a hill at Dolores munching on Curry Up Now and wondering what it’d be like to live in this incredible place
Interning for the summer and living with Tony for the first time
Being so excited to take the BART to work every day and walking through the sights & sounds of the Mission District
Stuffing those amazing 2 months with delicious eats (pizza from Arizmendi, late night burritos), exciting sights (buffaloes in Golden Gate Park) and happy hour deals (Fridays at Monroe’s)
Act II: Thriving
~When I adjusted to a new home
First month in Millbrae where I could hardly contain my excitement about living in the Bay
First apartment in the city and feeling so “adult” that we had real furniture and all
Being so excited to start my first real job and then hating my work life
Distracting myself with fun/basic af weekend activities (Off the Grid, farmer’s markets, brunch) and trips (Sonoma/Yountville, Seattle) and going out (Polk, Raven, not Temple) with friends
Loving the chance to take visitors around to show off “my” beautiful home
Act III: Living
~When I started taking it for granted
Being less enthusiastic about visitors (Fisherman’s Wharf again?) but still loving taking them to my favorite spots (Land’s End)
Being less excited to try new restaurants and going out
Switching jobs to a tech company and completely taking the amazing work environment for granted
Buying a bike and shunning poor urban planning re: non-protected bike lanes
Buying another bike and turning into a cyclist who rides Hawk before work and yells at tourists on the bridge
Moving into the Mission, mere blocks from where I once sat envisioning what it’d be like to live here