i ran out of time during our home stretch of packing up last month to finish writing down NY memories, but now it seems healthier to focus on the present than reminisce about the past. we arrived in san francisco in late december and the first week was pretty brutal emotionally. i was filled with overwhelming regret and sadness. but, surprisingly, those feelings lifted pretty quickly as we got settled into our rental house. we are staying in SF proper for at least 6 months, probably a little more, as we figure out where in the bay area we want to live long term.

it’s fun decorating a new house. i’m feeling a dramatic range of emotions lately and setting up our home relaxes me and makes me happy. we are living in the inner richmond, a neighborhood not too far from where i grew up, but one i hadn’t known well. it’s so quiet here compared to NY– but it’s still a very dense, busy, and diverse area. the commercial streets are filed with mostly “mom and pop” shops (some very odd ones– which i love) and great asian food. and we are two blocks from golden gate park. i have to see the hockney exhibit next week before it closes.

our friend brian w. ferry photographed our brooklyn house for remodelista before we moved, and he captured it so beautifully. i recently purchased two prints from brian and had them framed this week (shown in third photo down). the pair called out to me since one is a photograph of the beach in northern california and the other is pavement in brooklyn. they’re gorgeous– as is all of his work. thank you, brian!

 

14 thoughts on “

  1. hi lena! so interesting to see everything in a new context:)! enjoy your new surroundings, it can be hard but there’s something so refreshing about change. xo

  2. hello and welcome! we’ve been hopping over to SF exploring the inner richmond/outer richmond area on weekends lately (we are in berkeley) and it’s so nice out there, comfortable and reminds me of home in queens. just wanted to offer a word of support- it was so very, very hard for me when i moved here a couple years ago and it took me a very long time to look out into the world again. i hope everything is settling well for you!

    • thank you laura, i really appreciate your words of support! i know it takes time but it’s easy to forget….. it’s only been 1 month! xx

  3. changes are always good, even if they can be tough at the same time. i’m sure you’ll be fine in this “new” city, with new habits.. and yes, arranging a new home is always good to clear your mind 🙂
    marion

  4. Its good to see that you all arrived safe and sound and I look forward to sharing any of your adventures in SF. Exciting to have a new place to decorate too Im sure that will help you to adjust 🙂

    • thank you! i wish i had more time to post about getting settled in here but it’s hard to find time these days… busy with stuff like getting a new license, new school for eli, etc etc

  5. I enjoyed to read your memories about your life in NY, looking forward to see the changes that SF will bring to you and inevitably to this space. I’ve been to SF few years ago and I love it, it is an unique city indeed I still have very vivid memories of the light, the people and the beauty of nature.

    (When I followed your link to B. Ferry website and started browsing trough the images my heart jumped seeing how beautifully he captured the beach were I spent many happy days during my childhood, and also the place where I used to go with my husband way before we got married and where few friends of ours worked as bartenders 🙂 Camogli and il bar Sillo.
    We still go there with our daughter every year. A timeless place, with a very slow pace. Brian totally captured the spirit of it).

  6. I am a transplant to SF from the east coast too (I’ve been here for a long time now) so I have one HUGE bit of unsolicited advice. If you choose to stay in the city, don’t live in a foggy area (i.e. the sunset or richmond) – it will probably drive you nuts. Never underestimate how depressing day after day of grey in the summer can be when you know it is glorious like 2 miles away. And believe me, they don’t call it Fogust for nothing 🙂

  7. Hey Lena,

    Welcome — It must be tough leaving your closest friends and loved ones in New York. I hope you build that kind of community here. 🙂 I moved from LA to SF and have found the Richmond to be one of my fav neighborhoods in the city! Check out Cafe Bunn Mi in the Inner Richmond for the best Vietnamese sandwiches and Cassava for late night dinners or wine and cheese in the Outer Richmond 🙂 If you ever need a rec, don’t hesitate to ask. 🙂

  8. hey lena – i’ve been following your blog for years. you have such a lovely style (and we have mutual friends). the bay area is my home, and I moved “back home” here about 12 months ago, and I can’t tell you how much this post hit home for me. good luck with the change – it does slowly get better.