I Run Like A Girl

It was another busy week over here. We’re in our second week since returning to the Bay, and we made a lot of progress on the moving front.

First update – we signed a lease for an apartment in San Francisco! Our new place is in the Haight, which was our #1 neighborhood choice. Flashback to when I lived in my studio in the Haight for a year. I have such fond memories living there and taking walks in Golden Gate Park, and both Joe and I agreed that was our dream neighborhood. While we so wanted to be in the Haight, inventory was low and competition was high, so I feel incredibly grateful that we scored this apartment.

This was the most searching Joe and I have ever done. We applied to 4 places before landing on this one! It was the first time in my life I experience losing an apartment (I imagine this is what buying a house will feel like). It was a rollercoaster of disappointment and a lot of effort to drive into the city after work each day for appointments, but it was all worth it when we saw this one. We both loved it instantly and knew this was the one. Plus, it fit our pickup truck (truly a miracle in SF)! What a cherry on top. Once we signed the lease, I let out a sigh of relief.

Here’s a view from the roof deck. 😉

We still have two weeks until move-in, and I am counting down the days. I feel like moving will feel like the end of this “limbo” period of my life as I’ve been living out of a suitcase for over a year now. Until then, I’m trying to stay present and enjoy our Airbnb in Oakland, as it’s a unique opportunity to live outside the city and have East Bay at our disposal.

After signing our lease, Joe and I had a date night to celebrate. We started off with a favorite restaurant in Oakland’s Chinatown, Shan Dong. We’ve come here a few times and it never disappoints.

Then, we drove into SF and went to the California Academy of Science, a natural history museum right in Golden Gate Park. Every Thursday night, the museum hosts a “Nightlife” event – it’s geared for adults as they play music and serve cocktails while people explore the exhibits in the dark. It was pretty crowded as it happened to be 4/20 so there were a lot of stoners wandering around. 🙂

This was our second time at the museum. We enjoyed the new exhibits as well as some repeat ones as well.

The aquarium is always a favorite. Lots of unique species that looked extra interesting at night.

The weekend was a very fun one! Saturday started out with brunch in the city. A few people in our friend group got together for dim sum in SF’s Chinatown. It was so nice to see everyone for the first time since we left last summer, and it felt like no time passed. Joe and I shared stories of our RV adventures, and we heard about everyone’s latest life news – new jobs, new homes, wedding planning…I’m always happy to have these friends through our life milestones.

After brunch, I headed back to Oakland for the afternoon. Joe had some errands with the trailer, so I had a solo afternoon. It was gorgeous weather, so I headed outside for a walk along Lake Merritt. The lake was poppin’ as it felt like every resident in Oakland was hanging out there. There were food vendors, a drum circle, and lots of people laying on picnic blankets enjoying the sun.

There was a free garden by the lake with a whole area dedicated to bonsai trees. I loved looking at the miniature trees and the Japanese decor.

Then, I did some window shopping on Grand Avenue, one of the main streets of Oakland. The afternoon ended with relaxing over kava at MeloMelo Kava Bar. The perfect Saturday filled with friends, sunshine, and me time.

Sunday looked a lot like Saturday. I slept in and started my morning with a workout. After lunch, I headed back out for a walk along Lake Merritt and ended up at the kava bar again. I relaxed here for a few hours and worked on this blog post.

Ending this blog post with my weekly dump of cute cat photos.

Ben spends about 20 hours a day on this chair…it’s his new “spot” in the Airbnb, even though he doesn’t quite fit. 😉

Have a lovely week!!