Apartment pictures

I have yet to share pictures of my new apartment, even though I have now been living there for 3 months. So, here are pictures of the living room, bedroom, and kitchen. There is also a square shaped entryway between these three rooms, three ginormous closets, and of course, a bathroom.

My first new bed

You would think that at 27 years of age, I would have bought my first bed long ago. But alas, with my new apartment in SF, this is the first time that I have had the space and the need to buy a brand new  queen size bed. I have been suffering for three weeks, sleeping on an air mattress in a sleeping bag. Needless to say, I have been yawning everything day after several bad nights of sleep. 

But that all changed yesterday when my bed (ordered from Macy's two weeks ago) finally arrived. I didn't know the least thing about shopping for mattresses, so I spent a lot of time lying on them in the stores. I finally chose a Simmons Beautyrest - maybe you've seen those commercials where they drop a bowling ball on a mattress with bowling pins set up and the pins don't fall over - well that's what I got. And combined with brand new 600 thread count sheets, 2 new pillows and a new mattress pad, last night was a very comfortable and restful night of sleep.

A busy past week...

I feel that I have already violated the blogger code of ethics by not keeping my blog at least slightly fresh. It has been about ten days since I last posted, so I'm sorry. My excuse is that I have been crazybusy. I have found an apartment in the Marina district of SF, survived the first 3 weeks of work (my boss has been traveling and I have been immediately responsible for three big projects), got a temporary parking permit, moved all my stuff from a storage container in Oakland into the apartment (thanks to Christina for the help!), got new CA car insurance (surprisingly way more expensive than Boston, by the way), visited the DMV to get a license and registration (kudos to the CA DMV appointment system), got a smog check for my car, bought a new dresser, and finally went to Trader Joes and Safeway (please visit this link - but don't read into my intentions in shopping there) to stock up on food. I've done all of that since Saturday morning. Whew... Next up is buying a mattress (i've been sleeping (if you want to call it that) on an air mattress), finding some more furniture/appliances (coffee table, dining chairs, tv stand, microwave, area rugs), and unpacking.

One additional note about the visit to the DMV - In California you have to pass a written test to transfer a license from another state and I was a bit nervous about this. Surprisingly, I passed with flying colors, only missing 2 out of 36. Apparently, a pedestrian always has the right of way, even if there isn't a crosswalk at an intersection, so I am going to take that as permission to jaywalk as much as possible. A visit to the DMV is always entertaining, but by far the most entertaining part of my visit was a sign posted in front of the lady who grades your test. The sign warned that verbal abuse is punishable by law and may lead to suspension of license. The lady grading the tests must have been 70 years old with completely white hair, had those glasses attached to the chain around her neck, and looked both as nice as can be and that she had been doing this for decades. So, the thought of someone just reaming her out for failing them is abhorrent and deeply comical at the same time.

Despite the fact that I have been running around this city like a crazy man trying to get all this stuff done, my only frustration is that I haven't really had the chance to start my life here. That may sound strange, but I guess what I mean is I have been wanting to start that whole process of meeting people, finding friends, and feeling like I am a part of the city. It was a blessing to be able to go to church on Sunday morning. I had been looking forward to attending City Church of San Francisco, which I have attended twice before. I am fairly confident that this will become my church home, and my visit on Sunday all but confirmed that. It seemed like just the church I am looking for - great pastor with great teaching, a diverse group of people that I think I can relate to, and a solid community group structure. So, I am excited to be able to share more news with you about that church and how I plan to get involved in the coming months.

Hope this post makes up for my week of silence. I promise my next post will come sooner rather than later.

The Great San Francisco Apartment Hunt

One of the first orders of business upon arrival here in SF has been to find an apartment. Right now I'm staying in an extended stay hotel, which is nice for now, but not exactly a long term kind of place. So, I'm looking for an apartment to move into as soon as possible. From what I have heard, finding an apartment here is not super easy and take a lot of initiative, patience, and a bit of aggression. 

I spent the afternoon getting shuttled around by Milton, a relocation agent, who had found about 8 places for me to look at. Milton has lived in SF for 20 years (he's also originally from the VA Beach area!), and has been helping new renters for 15. So, he had loads of info for me as I started this search with quite an overwhelming feeling. We were able to look at about 8 places over 4 hours. There were a few duds - two places we went to didn't have anyone showing the apartment, so we weren't even able to see them. This was probably because they had already been taken. If I learned one thing today, it is that you have to act fast and be prepared. 

Anyway, in the end, there were 5 apartments that I have applied for and that I think I would be happy living in. Here they are, listed in order of preference:

2590 Sacramento St.

This one had close to 20 people at the open house, so the competition is stiff. Milton thinks I have a good shot.

2754 Pierce St.

The Pierce St. neighborhood is amazing and the apartment has a sweet layout. Definitely a great place, just a little more expensive.

2528 Washington St. #4

Nice apartment with some great bay windows and again a great location. 

2528 Washington St. #2

Same building as above, just smaller and with the kitchen and living room combined.

2300 Webster St.

Huge apartment on top floor with amazing views (including the Golden Gate bridge!) and enormous closets, but pricey.

Check them out and let me know which one you think I should take. Of course, they have to actually offer me the apartment first, but hopefully I'll get my pick.

I'll keep you posted on the search...