After a Decade in the City, I am Moving Out of San Francisco
Back in 2011, I moved to San Francisco to attend San Francisco State University and gain some life experience in a big city. After all these years here, San Francisco became such a huge part of my identity, that I consider it to be where I’m “from” even more than the two towns I grew up in. It was in San Francisco where I experienced my highest and lowest points, where I learned who I was, where I met the love of my life and where I really grew as a person. I met hundreds of fascinating people, gained some amazing friends for life, and have created more memories than I could have ever imagined. So it is with a heavy heart that I announce that Steven and I are moving out of the city at the end of the month.
Being that my San Francisco experience was a huge reason behind starting my blog, I wanted to give some context to the move and answer questions my readers may have, whether you know me personally or just know me for my writing. After a decade in the city, this move is no small deal for me.
Why are we moving?
It would be an understatement to say that COVID-19 changed everyone’s lives. And we were not exempt from that. Among many other changes, it forced us to put a lot of our personal goals on hold. So we decided to make the most of this year so that it wouldn’t go to waste, and see if we could accomplish one of our goals that didn’t involve gathering together a large group of people: Buying a house.
While we have loved our experiences living in the big city, it was time for a change. Being that we both love to collect things (decor, books, curiosities, clothing, the list goes on) it was getting difficult to house our belongings in our two-bedroom apartment. We also were beginning to find limitations in the culinary adventures we took on due to a lack of space for storing various cookware and machinery. Not to mention Steven was tired of having to do a K turn just to inch his way out of our parking spot while trying to mind trash cans two inches away from the side view mirror. It was clear to us that it was time for more space. In this move, we are not implying that we are above the city lifestyle; just that we are personally interested in trying something new.
We looked for housing around the Bay Area and all over California, but realized we could get more of the features we wanted from the house for our budget if we looked out-of-state. We considered many places before landing on a spot on the East Coast. And it was there that we found a home that was in our budget and had almost all of the traits we were looking for. Sure it’s missing the view of the Golden Gate Bridge that we enjoy at our current Marina apartment, but you win some, you lose some!
Where are we going?
We found a home in Fairfield County Connecticut that satisfies our need for a garage, a yard, and space for hosting loved ones and entertaining. We will be a short(ish) distance from Manhattan, and driving distance from Steven’s mother. So while I am very sad to be moving 3 timezones away from my parents, it will be awesome to get to spend more quality time with Steven’s family members. We are also excited to explore New York City together. Steven lived in Manhattan for years back in the day while attending Columbia University, but knows that the experience of living there as an adult out of college will be quite different (especially with me around.) And during my past three vacations to New York, I always aspired to live there and explore the city more in-depth. So now my chance has finally come! While it is still a dream of mine to have a condo in Manhattan proper, right now we are just excited to live outside the city and experience what it’s like to set up a backyard, guest bedrooms and a suburban-sized kitchen and living room. I cannot wait to share with my readers all of the boutiques, restaurants and entertainment I discover in NYC, as well as all of the decorating, organizational, and culinary challenges we take on in our new home!
Will I stop writing about san francisco all-together?
While I will no longer be able to speak about the city as a current resident, I am by no means done writing about San Francisco. It has been a huge inspiration to my writing - fiction and non - and will always be a part of who I am. I still have so many San Francisco anecdotes to share, businesses and artisans to gush about, and memories to make! In fact I have a backlog of Bay Area recommendations to share with you once things start to open up more completely! So stay tuned.
Will We Ever Return to San Francisco?
Let’s make one thing clear: We are by no means “done” with San Francisco and aren’t running away from anything there. We are moreso running towards a new opportunity. So never say never on the return to San Francisco. Maybe it’ll happen in the next couple of years, or maybe we’ll move back in a later chapter of life. But we will always love San Francisco, wish it well, and maintain a relationship with the city and the people we love who live there. We don’t want anyone we know to feel like they’re losing two friends in the Bay Area, but rather that they’re gaining two friends who live near New York City!
So I hope you’ll join me as I document my new adventures in both Connecticut and New York! I am excited to see what this next chapter of our lives brings, and am relieved for Steven that he’ll be able to back out of our garage in one go. Until next time!
