Jimbo was doing updates recently on the many places he has lived all over DC. It got me to thinking about all the places I’ve lived in SF. It was certainly a bit of a roller-coaster ride the first few years. I finally settled at my current place but not before some interesting bounces.
Upon moving here I stayed with a friend in the SOMA [1]south of Market area for the first couple months. He had a small 1 bedroom live/work space. I got a birds-eye view of what some of the seedier areas of the city were like back then. Anyway, after the first month we kinda got on each others nerves a bit being in such a tiny space. He stuck by me though. I tend to land on my feet so it wasn’t long before I’d found a new place.
I found my 2nd place based on a referral from a friend of a friend sort of thing. It was in the Duboce Park area which is close to the Castro. It is a very pretty and enjoyable neighborhood. It was half a block from the park, and much like my current place, walking distance to virtually everything. Sadly, my housemate was a bit cray-cray. Seriously, unknown to just about everyone he had started succumbing to AIDS-related dementia and would forget whole conversations. He would often go on and on about drama with previous roommates and how hard it was for him to get them out. I’d made it clear if things didn’t work out he wouldn’t have to fight with me to go, I’d just go. He would of course forget all of that and start over the next month. While the place itself was nice and convenient, I couldn’t handle the weekly episodes. Not to mention, the rent seemed to be a different price every month. Ironically, he insisted on paying me to move out. lol It worked in my favor as money was tight and his contribution covered my deposit for the new place.
Making a jump, I landed out in the Sunset which is as close to suburbia as SF can possibly get. I was close to the beach but that side of the city tends to stay foggy a lot. With the fog came the chill too. At that time I still had my scooter and driving over Twin Peaks at night was a chilling experience. I lived in the garage apt of a house being rented out by a very nice straight couple. The rent was good and the roommates were great. I just hated living so far out and the chill was miserable. After about 8 months I opted to move inwards again.
Making another jump, I landed just on the edge of the Tenderloin very close to work. I lived in a high-rise building. It was ok for the price. The amenities were nice, especially the jacuzzi! I still miss having that hot steaming jacuzzi to come home to at night. lol I could also walk to/from work as well. Not being rent-controlled, eventually the price got to be a bit much.
It’s at this point I had a very short stay in a coworkers vacant house. He practically begged me to move in. Unfortunately, the day I moved, he decided to change all the rules and ask for a ton more money than we had agreed. While I could have fought it and stayed, I bounced back to the high-rise building for awhile, albeit a different apt.
I then found my current place thru a blog buddy. While not perfect, it’s pretty damn close. I’m close to the hood, walking distance to most everything I need and live on a quiet street. I’ve been in my current place for over 6 years now. If it were just a tad bigger, I would consider it perfect. I get along with all my neighbors. [2]even the russians with the screaming baby I’m still close to a big park and there is also a nice dog park for Cooper just a few blocks away as well.
Overall, I consider myself very lucky. Housing in SF can be a real pain. The rents and the demand are high so this creates a variety of problems. You could show up to an open house and easily find 20-30 other people vying for the same place. You can also find yourself in bidding wars if you are dead set on a certain place. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid all that. I found a great place, my rent isn’t bad considering the market rates. My landlord is a pretty good guy too. Short of someday buying my own place or leaving SF, I probably won’t move again. Once you find a good place you hold on to it!