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Good post. I hope sf doesn’t go downhill. It is a jewel of a city. Congratulations on your new home in wine country. Wasn’t exactly a step down was it?
Thanks! No, I don't consider it a step down. It's a change of direction.
As I said, I've always viewed Wine Country as a great place to slow down and retire. Now, that said, I'm a long way off from retiring, but am old enough to begin thinking in those kinds of terms for the future. So, interest rates, WFH, COVID lockdowns, etc. all converged to present both short- and long-term considerations for going ahead
and making this move now.
With that in mind, I think we may have overbought our new house, though. It's probably too big for me and my wife to have in retirement. So, when that time comes, we'll likely think about downsizing. For now, we'll take the next several months doing things to the house to make it our own, while we wait out the rainy (and colder than I expected) season, getting ready for the warm weather, restaurants and wineries reopening and friends from SF, Texas and across the country (who began angling for stays in our guest room the minute we announced we were moving) to visit.
I didn't leave San Francisco eagerly. I've been told I'm one of those dying breed of romantics of a different era who connects with the City on a deeper level. I found my way to SF on sheer will, established myself and reinvigorated my career in SF. I've made friends and I've worked alongside some of the best and brightest people in my creative field in SF. I've always sensed an unspoken pledge among creative people in SF and LA both, of support, advocacy and inspiration to elevate our work.
I love the neighborhoods and neighbors of the City--the character and the characters I find there. I love biking and walking everywhere and the food culture, the air of acceptance, the hustle, grit and elegance of the place. I also love that SF was a real, talk-about-what-next-season's-starting-rotation-will-be-in-December kind of Baseball town.
There's a lot to be said for places that foster that kind of environment. I want it to come back, as it's missing these days.
SF is a special place-- a "jewel," as you say, for a lot of people. It's also polarizing and misunderstood for many more, because it embodies so many distinct values, ideas, influences and images. It has a sense of place many times bigger than its size would suggest.
I've found a similar situation, though on a completely different wavelength, here in Wine Country. I've been coming up here for a day, a weekend, or a week so often over the years, I almost felt as if I moved a long time ago. I feel a different sense of connection to this place, but a connection, nonetheless.
This area is part of the Bay Area, but it has its own distinct identity, lifestyle, and sense of place. I can already tell that the California living I came out here to find will be available in heavy doses here, just like it was in the City, only different. And with an easy drive to a bridge or ferry (even better!), once some normalcy returns, I can be back in SF in the same kind of capacity that I used to be in Wine Country.
Location: As of 2022….back to SoCal. OC this time!
9,297 posts, read 4,580,042 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeanoSF
I've found a similar situation, though on a completely different wavelength, here in Wine Country. I've been coming up here for a day, a weekend, or a week so often over the years, I almost felt as if I moved a long time ago. I feel a different sense of connection to this place, but a connection, nonetheless.
IMO tho Marin is the perfect compromise to get out of Sf but still be close enough to everything. You just have to be able to afford it....AND to the O.P....that’s what makes Sf bad for some ppl. The nicest places to live that are the closest to water & beautiful trails & stuff to do are too expensive for most ppl.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,351 posts, read 8,567,170 times
Reputation: 16693
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeanoSF
Thanks! No, I don't consider it a step down. It's a change of direction.
As I said, I've always viewed Wine Country as a great place to slow down and retire. Now, that said, I'm a long way off from retiring, but am old enough to begin thinking in those kinds of terms for the future. So, interest rates, WFH, COVID lockdowns, etc. all converged to present both short- and long-term considerations for going ahead
and making this move now.
With that in mind, I think we may have overbought our new house, though. It's probably too big for me and my wife to have in retirement. So, when that time comes, we'll likely think about downsizing. For now, we'll take the next several months doing things to the house to make it our own, while we wait out the rainy (and colder than I expected) season, getting ready for the warm weather, restaurants and wineries reopening and friends from SF, Texas and across the country (who began angling for stays in our guest room the minute we announced we were moving) to visit.
I didn't leave San Francisco eagerly. I've been told I'm one of those dying breed of romantics of a different era who connects with the City on a deeper level. I found my way to SF on sheer will, established myself and reinvigorated my career in SF. I've made friends and I've worked alongside some of the best and brightest people in my creative field in SF. I've always sensed an unspoken pledge among creative people in SF and LA both, of support, advocacy and inspiration to elevate our work.
I love the neighborhoods and neighbors of the City--the character and the characters I find there. I love biking and walking everywhere and the food culture, the air of acceptance, the hustle, grit and elegance of the place. I also love that SF was a real, talk-about-what-next-season's-starting-rotation-will-be-in-December kind of Baseball town.
There's a lot to be said for places that foster that kind of environment. I want it to come back, as it's missing these days.
SF is a special place-- a "jewel," as you say, for a lot of people. It's also polarizing and misunderstood for many more, because it embodies so many distinct values, ideas, influences and images. It has a sense of place many times bigger than its size would suggest.
I've found a similar situation, though on a completely different wavelength, here in Wine Country. I've been coming up here for a day, a weekend, or a week so often over the years, I almost felt as if I moved a long time ago. I feel a different sense of connection to this place, but a connection, nonetheless.
This area is part of the Bay Area, but it has its own distinct identity, lifestyle, and sense of place. I can already tell that the California living I came out here to find will be available in heavy doses here, just like it was in the City, only different. And with an easy drive to a bridge or ferry (even better!), once some normalcy returns, I can be back in SF in the same kind of capacity that I used to be in Wine Country.
Win-win
I can agree with so much you say. I think San Francisco is a special place and hope it can get cleaned up and return to glory.
You really do have the best of both worlds.
Funny thing about a house too big, sometimes you grow into them.
SF has gone up and down over the years. It was fine for me working there in the 80's, running around having fun. I couldn't do that today though, things have changed for the worse. But that doesn't mean things won't change again for the better at some point. I'm not entirely sure WHY or HOW it happens, I'm sure it's a complicated combination of things.
SF has gone up and down over the years. It was fine for me working there in the 80's, running around having fun. I couldn't do that today though, things have changed for the worse. But that doesn't mean things won't change again for the better at some point. I'm not entirely sure WHY or HOW it happens, I'm sure it's a complicated combination of things.
It's definitely a combination of things that change over time. SF tends to reinvent itself every 10-15 years or so, at least in a superficial sense and often on a deeper level. This, no doubt, has a lot to do with how transient the population has always been throughout the history of the City.
From the Gold Rush to the post-earthquake boom, to its rise as a financial center, to its post-war population boom, to beatniks, hippies, Black Panthers, punks, Silicon Valley, real estate boom, dot.com boom and bust, the rise of Tech... SF is an innovator of culture, politics, trends and more.
And even though a lot of people who have lived in the City for a long time get nostalgic for days when SF was affordable, it has always been expensive relative to most places in the country. That's just how it is and has always been. That means it boils down to a value proposition for many--is it worth the cost? And if so, for how long?
People who view it through the same lens you would, say, the typical Sunbelt city will quickly tell you, "no." SF is a hard place to raise a family. Houses cost too much. The taxes are too high. There are homeless people right next to $2,000,000 homes. They're right, but that's not the measure for everyone.
Those of us who do (or did) find it worth the cost and could afford it, have a different perspective. I'm fortunate that I never had to struggle to afford a very comfortable life in SF. My decision to leave was made based on opportunity, not necessity.
And that's the biggest issue facing the City today--for the first time in most people's memory, affluent people are leaving, not because they have to, or they can't deal with its issues, but because they choose to be somewhere else--somewhere else presents a better value proposition on some level, and circumstances have allowed them to do that.
I knew I'd leave one day and was 90% sure my destination would be Wine Country. I kinda pictured it happening maybe 10-15 years from now, though. If there's a silver lining for me in this COVID mess, it's that it made the tough decision to leave SF so much easier to make. Now I'm looking ahead to good liiving in what I consider one of the most beautiful, interesting, life-affirming places in in the world.
That is correct. There are issues with homelessness on the east side of downtown, but despite the imposing new condo towers, it always was a less savory area. I worked at Imperial & 12th 20 years ago and remember being able to go into the James R. Mills building without having to go through a metal detector first. Not anymore. And be careful on the freeway ramps in the area, as the homeless have built their shanty towns all the way up to the edge of the curbs!
Gaslamp and much of the western part of DT San Diego lacks the grit and filth that SF has. Feels newer and cleaner.
Gaslamp and much of the western part of DT San Diego lacks the grit and filth that SF has. Feels newer and cleaner.
Fair point. I deduct a few points from Gaslamp for the preponderance of formula retail and restaurants, though. Don't get me wrong--it's always a good time--I love rolling out of a Giants-Padres game on a warm summer night and grabbing dinner and bar-hopping after the game. There's just not much to differentiate this district from similar ones in Denver, Dallas, etc.
IMO, Little Italy does a bit better job of this kind of entertainment district, though at a much smaller scale.
I didn't leave San Francisco eagerly. I've been told I'm one of those dying breed of romantics of a different era who connects with the City on a deeper level. I found my way to SF on sheer will, established myself and reinvigorated my career in SF. I've made friends and I've worked alongside some of the best and brightest people in my creative field in SF. I've always sensed an unspoken pledge among creative people in SF and LA both, of support, advocacy and inspiration to elevate our work.
Congrats on the home! I can relate to your feelings of leaving the city. We used to have an apartment with a Bay Bridge (& would-be Saleforce park) view and despite my love-hate relationship with the City, I was still very teary eyed for the entire month we packed up. Probably from all the memories made there. SF did help turn me into a stronger person than I thought I could be, it's a shame to see what's happening.
Congrats on the home! I can relate to your feelings of leaving the city. We used to have an apartment with a Bay Bridge (& would-be Saleforce park) view and despite my love-hate relationship with the City, I was still very teary eyed for the entire month we packed up. Probably from all the memories made there. SF did help turn me into a stronger person than I thought I could be, it's a shame to see what's happening.
Thank you. I honestly doubted, when I first moved here years ago, whether I'd ever truly be able to own property. It's not easy, but here I am.
Thing is, as you know, San Francisco has unique history and character. Stories of the music, the food, the counter-culture, entrepreneurs, social activists, inventors, investors, artists, politicians, visionaries, kooks, nerds idiots, geniuses, and yes, even the obscene wealth that has come from the influence of Tech and has ultimately led to so many of the City's problems, rooted in inequality--all have placed this city in the pantheon of of the most interesting, invigorating places to live in America. The City also rewards people with vision and a strong work ethic.
Now, I feel pretty great, putting my money where my mouth is--investing in California and declaring that I'm staying. I do love it here. I've felt more at home here than I did in decades in Texas--not for petty politics, but for my absolute connection to the area. Sure, I recognize points where the progressive ideals go a bit too far. But I mostly embrace the politics here. And I vote my conscience.
My wife and I came here to make this our home. So far, so good! California has been incredibly good to us! Now, we're doubling-down--putting down roots and embracing a beautiful area with its unique lifestyle as ours. Loving life in Wine Country, so far!
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BUT ita... move farther out & you get all the pros without a lot of the cons of a big city. I like Sf but I LOVE living in Marin.
