Yesterday, I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time since moving here (yes, I’ve been over it plenty of times before; no, I had never physically been behind the wheel when doing so) and it hit me: I live here. I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the States, if not the whole world. Now, I’ve had plenty of friends in San Francisco – even the Frommer’s dude, who’s been here 20 years and writes about far-flung places like Thailand and Borneo for a living – say they still often stop and think, “Oh my gosh, this is my home.” But this was my first “a-ha!” moment, perhaps because I’m still settling in, still finding my neighborhood pharmacy, scoping out the bar and restaurant scene, trying to make it to the Marina at 6:30 in the morning without getting hopelessly lost and ending up somewhere in the Embarcadero. More often than not – and perhaps, it’s because I get lost an average of seven times a day – I feel like a tourist, despite having a Bay Area zip code and LAN line number(!).
Jemima (bless her for putting up with my eternally tardy ass) and I have been running along the coast from Fort Mason to the bridge on Mondays and Wednesdays, and each time the view of the bridge towering above us at that hour in the morning (a time of day that, prior to my move here, I was unaccustomed to seeing) when the light is just perfect and turns it a fiery shade of orange still stuns me. This is how Parisians must feel each and every time they pass the Eiffel Tower on the way to work or Egyptians when they catch glimpse of the Pyramids while trotting by on their camels. It’s not unlike how anytime I’d be speeding around Manhattan at night in a cab, I couldn’t ever help myself from searching the sky for the silhouette of the Empire State Building: Even though it’s just another cement-and-steel facade, something about it always made me smile.
So, I’m hoping this sense of wonder and discovery – the buildings, they are so pretty! the Presidio, I want to live there! Sausalito, what a fun town and even more fun name! – doesn’t leave me anytime soon. Or ever. Because it may be premature thinking on my part, but I’m (pretty sure I’m) here to stay.
Pics from Thanksgiving 2007 with SVV, Lemon and Lauren.
In four years of living there, I never got over it. I could never drive down 280 by the Crystal Springs Reservoir and not think, “I LIVE here?!?”
And now I’m on the other side of the country and I miss SF every day. Which is my way of admitting that I am super jealous.
I highly recommend living in the Presidio. Where else can you live in a National Park but also in a city? NOWHERE, THAT’S WHERE!
That picture spot is absolutely perfect!! Next time we come out there we must go to that spot and take a picture. I love how clear the bridge is behind you!
Oh and when we lived back in Santa Cruz for a year I lived that moment every day… mostly because I knew I was coming back. It’s an amazing feeling.
I lived in San Francisco years ago, back in the late ’80s/early ’90s. I lived in South San Francisco, which is a small community a few miles away from the city.
My family and I used to take the BART, get off on the Embarcadero stop, and spend the day exploring the city. I loved visiting the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown, and I loved that you could walk everywhere once you were in the city.
I still have family there and come by to visit every once in a while, which is nice. It’s almost like visiting a different country.
You so make me want to move there. It’s been a dream of mine since I was 11 and yet it hasn’t happened. That’s it, it MUST happen.
I can understand your feeling about this wonderful city. I still can’t believe I grew up in San Francisco, it was a fabulous place then too, when Fisherman’s Wharf actually housed working fishermen, Chinatown was an extremely exotic place, we often took the Ferry (with our car) across the Bay. My mom lived in San Francisco too, and I have a photograph of her at Lands End, before (!!) the Golden Gate Bridge was built. Enjoy every moment.
Gosh I absolutely love your life, I love San Fran and I lovethat youre loving every single part of being there and everything thats going on in your life. CHEERS TO YOU. I love San Fran as well and could easily live there, it is so beautiful. I need to visit!
Kristin, I love your blog! I couldn’t contain my laughter when reading about you, Ann, Callie, and Andrea waking up at 5 a.m. to pay your mini bar tab before Mrs. Sawyer woke up. So funny! Oh, and I believe both Ann and I had a couple pairs of those silver satin heels..priceless. You should put up an East Middle School dance picture! You all were smokin’ back then!