We're Moving!

Although it may seem sudden, our decision to move has been the result of a series of conversations.  Now that Mass has finished his Masters degree, we've spent quite a bit of time wondering what's next for us.  We've definitely grown to enjoy some things about Claremont, and truly care greatly about some of the wonderful friends we've met here, but in terms of career & lifestyle preferences, we've decided on San Francisco as our next home.  For the first time we can make this decision not based on where we grew up, or where school takes us, but where we actually want to live.  It's pretty exciting!  There seem to be more opportunities for us there, more options, more culture, and just more of the lifestyle we want in general.  We love San Francisco, so why not make it our new home?!


After making and re-making this decision several times, we got in the car and drove up for a 4-day trip to find a place to live.  We crashed on an air mattress in our friends Ann & Steve's gorgeous new home, and set out on a mission.  The rental market in SF is insane!  The inventory can not match the demand, and apartments become available and get snatched up in a matter of minutes.  In order to rent an apartment in SF these days, you must have your ducks in a row, and move quickly.  We drove all over town, in no logical manner, going to open house viewings, scheduling appointments for showings, checking and re-checking Craigslist for new listings.  It was like nothing we've ever experienced!  


Then it happened- timing is everything as they say, and we were finally in the 'right place' at the right time.  I saw a posting on Craigslist, literally twelve minutes after it was posted, and called the property manager right away.  She agreed to meet us across town as soon as we could get there.  Flora was her name, a sweet yet feisty elderly woman, and as it turns out, she was Italian. (thank goodness for Massimo's Italian blood!)  I suddenly had a feeling we might soon find a home.  The apartment she showed us turned out to be pretty nice, but had a super tiny kitchen and needed some work.  Many of the apartments in the city are very old, which gives them a unique charm, but also causes some challenges.  I think Flora had a feeling about us (Massimo), because she suggested we take a look at another apartment one building over, which hadn't been listed yet because it wasn't quite ready.  The woman who lived there prior, had lived there for thirty years, so needless to say it was being completely renovated.  After huffing & puffing up the 3 flights of stairs, Flora opened the door for us, and our search was over.  It was love at first sight!  


Of course it wasn't that easy....because of the rental challenges in SF, people are required to submit lots of information and proof that they can reliably pay their rent.  The fact that we don't have jobs up there yet, required us to do everything but promise our future first born child to Flora.  But again, Mass is Italian (thank goodness), and she loved us (him).  So we got the apartment!  We haven't decided our exact moving date yet, but the lease begins August 1st, so we hit the ground running as soon as we got back to Claremont.  


We'll be going from life in a 3-bedroom townhouse, to a 1-bedroom apartment, so we have some major downsizing to do!  We spent one full day sifting through our house, and had a yard sale yesterday to get rid of anything & everything we could part with.  In less than 3 hours our stuff was gone.  It was a huge success!  The to-do list continues to grow, but we're excited about this new chapter.  It will no doubt come with its ups and downs (and anxiety & stress), but I think we both agree it'll be well worth it.  We're already looking forward to all of you coming to visit!

The view from our new apartment

The view from our new street