scenes from san francisco

our trip to san francisco last week was far too short, but wonderful all the same.  we got to see many of our old friends, eat at our favorite places, and run some errands.  we also had multiple amazing conversations with all the right people.   there have been a number of big life topics that have come up for us lately.  it was so amazing to hear that we are not alone in the things which we're going through right now, and to gain a little perspective from similar experiences.  every conversation we had was just what we needed.

here's a little peek at our trip:

{eating at our old neighborhood cafe, the bean bag, where we ran into an old friend of the mister's.  that happens all the time in san francisco.  it's really quite a small city!}

{during our few free hours we roamed through our favorite thrift shops on haight street.}

{the best tikka masala i've ever had, at naan n curry in the sunset.  mmm!}

{our friends we stayed with have the cutest apartment, which they painted themselves. they also have two ridiculously adorable little boys which made for very entertaining mornings. one morning i heard him exclaim to his mom "i think the Girl One is up!"}

{the beautiful bay bridge.}

{the view of the city from treasure island, where our dear friend lives. i used to go running along the edge of the island when i lived there long ago. i loved watching the sun glimmer on all the buildings along the embarcadero in the mornings.}

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a lot of you have asked me questions about our life in san francisco, so i wanted to take a minute to answer some of them.

when/why did i move to san francisco?

i moved to san francisco in december 6 years ago.  i had just finished college and couldn't stand living in my small southern town any longer.  i had to get out!  i literally sold everything in my apartment, bought a one-way ticket, and flew out 3 days after christmas with only two boxes of belongings.  i didn't know a soul, have a place to live, or have a job.  one of my ex-boyfriend's old high school friends picked me up from the airport and took me to the ex-boyfriend's apartment, where i stayed in his room for a few weeks while he was away.  it was the scariest, most thrilling experience of my life to completely start over like that, totally on my own, but i did it!   

how did i meet the mister?

we had actually met back in tennessee and dated for a year in college.  we were in very different places though, so like many college relationships, we broke up.  we eventually reconnected in san francisco and completely started over at the beginning. we were friends for a couple years in san francisco {pursuing other dating experiences}, before we began to have feelings for each other again.  eventually we decided that we wanted to give it another go.  three years after dating the second time, we got engaged and then hitched last september.  

what neighborhood did i live in?

for the first few months i lived on treasure island.  it was a blast to pretend to be a pirate and enjoy the amazing view of the city.  but i felt isolated in the middle of the bay, and i ended up getting a studio in the NOPA {north of the panhandle} neighborhood.  i was smack dab in the middle of the city and it was an easy walk to pacific heights, upper fillmore, lower haight, upper haight, the mission, and the castro.  i was only a couple blocks from alamo square {the "full house" park} and golden gate park.  i loved that neighborhood, and its central location allowed me to walk everywhere.  most people don't realize it, but the city of san francisco is only 7 miles by 7 miles, and really, the only places you would want to go is more within a 3 mile radius.  there were about a dozen great restaurants, a few cafes, an awesome music venue, and some bars within a couple blocks of my apartment.  and on sundays they closed down my block to traffic and set up a farmer's market just outside my door.  it was perfect!

so why in the world would we ever leave san francisco?!

as much as i am in love with san francisco, i am even more in love with change.  i am definitely a bohemian at heart and i can't imagine ever staying in one place for too long.  that was also the city of my fiercely independent growth into womanhood, and i thought it would be a good idea to start life with my partner in a new city that didn't represent so much of my single life.  we also have a good number of friends down in los angeles that we were ready to live near, and we missed summer terribly {if you don't know, san francisco is pretty much chilly and foggy year round, especially during the traditional summer months}.  

so there you have it.  i wouldn't be surprised if we move back there someday, but for now, we're soaking up the joys of having a new city to explore.