On Wednesday I flew down to San Francisco to embark on the FIRST step that’s felt really real since I decided I was moving out of Seattle… the epic “I have three days to find an apartment” trip.

Since I’ve shared my news of moving to San Francisco, I’ve received a ton of questions – “What neighborhoods do you want to live in?” “Are you keeping your furniture?” “Are you flying or driving down?” “Are you keeping your car?” “Are you getting a one bedroom or a studio?” “Are you going to live alone?”

I haven’t felt like I could tackle any of these questions until I could visualize, myself, what this little life of mine would be like in San Francisco. What my apartment would look like, what kind of neighborhood I’d live in, the space in San Fran that my life would fill… I had just as many questions.

I’m not sure what apartment hunting is like in the (what I’m sure is fabulous) city or town you live in, but in Seattle it’s a rat race. It’s a refresh Craigslist every 15 minutes, call immediately, WIN the first scheduled appointment, never, ever walk away from an apartment you love without claiming it situation. In San Francisco – it’s that times 100. I don’t think my eyes left Craigslist for two full days. I was a scheduling macheen. I drove my rented little P.T. Cruiser (hawt) up and down and forward and back. I learned the streets quickly, the neighborhoods even quicker, and ran a stop sign or two before I realized they’re at every intersection, oftentimes hidden behind trees. Woopsie.

I dodged traffic, had my iPhone’s Google maps app glued to my hand and fought to park all over the damn place – moving my car every two hours, so I wouldn’t get a ticket. I drove by the water, screeched to a halt every time I saw a “For Rent” sign, continued through the fancy, expensive neighborhoods, and through some, uh, less fancy and expensive neighborhoods. I viewed apartments that, as soon as I stepped in their front entryway, I knew they weren’t for me. I walked into more than a couple $1,700 apartments that wouldn’t fit my queen sized bed and were rundown, chipped paint, dirty blinds, stained carpet, windowless places. Who gets away with charging $1,700 for that?!

Finally, I thought I found a place I was okay with, but I had one more apartment scheduled to view that I wasn’t thrilled about – it was a little further away from the “action” than I wanted to be, and I could barely understand the manager on the phone when I called. I thought I’d give it one last ditch effort, but when I arrived, I couldn’t even find the darn place. I walked up and down the street, trying to match the apartment address to the Craigslist posting and it.didn’t.exist! It skipped from one building higher than the address to one building lower than the address. Who knew I was supposed to be looking for this tiny iron gate, covered in ivy and squeezed between two larger buildings.

I thought the gate led to the backyard of one of the big buildings. What I didn’t know, is that behind that gate is a tree-lined walkway leading to the tiniest, private off-street community of 12 apartments with a shared garden that has a patio with barbecues, and a cute bright, updated one-bedroom apartment with built-in bookshelves and shutters looking out on the garden that is just perfect for my home office. My head said, “I think this is it…” and then after one sleep, my heart said, “That’s definitely it.”

So, I signed the lease and am traveling back to Seattle with three brass keys in my pocket and finally the VISUAL of what this little life of mine will be like in San Francisco.

I can’t wait to show it to you guys after it’s all decorated and moved in!

Currently Feeling: Exhausted and so happy to be back in my bed with my little fur-ball love.
Currently Anticipating: A bunny pub crawl tomorrow, dance party Saturday night and dinner with my girls on Sunday! Gotta squeeze all the best time friend in that I can.
Currently Loving: The “spring cleaning” of moving and simultaneously getting rid of unnecessary crap!

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Tags: Apartment, Challenges, Decorating, Living alone, Moving, Moving to San Francisco, Pacific Heights

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