Well, we traveled through 12 states including Virginia and California and finally arrived in Palo Alto. The trip was a fun adventure - we saw the country, saw friends and family, and spent a lot of quality time together. But, all things must end, and now I am here trying to fill my days without spending money.
The temporary housing is right in the middle of Palo Alto. There is plenty within walking distance (including the Stanford Shopping Center, which is super dangerous), and I have been enjoying the perfect Bay Area weather as I get a handle on my new surroundings.
But, now that we're settling into a new routine here, I have quickly been reminded of everything I loved and everything I loathed about living here. We can start with the positives:
The weather is amazing. The persistent drought means lots of sunshine, but thankfully I think the ocean/bay keeps it pretty mild. And the fog is an SF thing - it doesn't really extend to the peninsula.
There is so much good food - especially Asian and Mexican, two areas that were often lacking in DC.
Being in the Pacific Time Zone makes it much easier to talk to my sister (in Los Angeles) and my parents (in AZ which doesn't do daylight savings so is either the same time zone or an hour ahead).
People actually care about the environment here. We have compost in our building, and it's so easy to recycle or compost everywhere. I was always skeptical that our recycling in DC and VA didn't just end up in a landfill. AND, I had to pay to compost in VA.
Friendlier people - it might be the weather or just the laid back west coast vibes (and more lenient liquor laws), but people are just so much nicer here. I have often thought that part of what makes the east coast more uptight is that it was settled by puritans while the west was settled by cowboys!
Proximity to Napa. I love wine, and am especially partial to California wines (though not the super oak-y, buttery chardonnays). So, being a quick drive to Napa will be pretty amazing - but bad for my liver and bank account.
Reconnecting with old friends. I am not the world's best long distance friend - especially when contending with three time zones. But, I've already made plans with many people I was devastated to leave 11 years ago, and they are all excited we're back (or so they tell me 😉). I am thankful they've remained in our lives, and I can't wait to build new memories and traditions with them all.
Now the bad...
It's so expensive. And I don't want to hear anyone from the DC area chime in with "but it's expensive here too." You don't know from expensive until you've lived in the Bay Area. I paid $5 for a 12 ounce iced coffee today, and our rent for an apartment in Redwood City will be more than our mortgage payment for our 3 bedroom 3.5 bathroom house with a roof deck.
Related: We may never be able to afford a house - at least not a house we want. There is very little inventory for housing to begin with, given how many people live and want to live here. So, whenever some teeny tiny little money pit of a home comes on the market, there tends to be an all-out bidding war - and it's even worse when a good property becomes available.
Earthquakes. I know there are extreme weather events and natural disasters on the east coast too (including one mini quake I experienced), but I was in LA for the big Northridge quake in the 90s, and it was a scarring experience. I always thanked my lucky stars I got outta Cali before being in another big one. And now I am back. Joy.
The Bay Area bubble. There is a weird sort of snobbery in the Bay Area. It's almost like a contest to have the most liberal guilt. There aren't many conservatives here (well, many out conservatives), so you don't get the sort of political debate one can expect in DC. I had a lot of friends in DC that I didn't agree with politically, but I really enjoyed discussing the very things we disagreed on. They were informed and astute and weren't basing opinions on news stories (or worse headlines of news stories). People are smart here, of course. But when you live and work in DC - especially if your job touches on the federal government or Congress - you get a deeper understanding of how things work (or don't work as the case may be), and it all becomes less black and white. Here political discourse just feels very colored by the prevailing, deeply liberal ideology.
But, I think what I struggle with most is the fact we've left behind the incredible life we'd built in DC. I will miss the house that we built, painstakingly selecting finishes and details all while trying not to go nuts on upgrades. I will miss the family we created with our amazing friends. I know there is email, and texting, and old-school phone calls (plus the ability to visit), but it isn't the same. We've been through some truly wretched crap over the last couple years, and I don't think I could have made it through without all the love and support from those amazing people. I will miss being able to meet up for lunch, after work drinks, or on the weekend.
But, DC had its negatives too. I won't miss the humidity. I definitely won't miss the bugs. And I won't miss the DC bubble (i.e., DC is the center of the universe, and of course everyone can name several cabinet-level Secretaries - what is wrong with you if you don't know who heads up HHS or Labor or Education?!). Plus, I know that moving here made Eddie incredibly happy, and in our marriage, his joy is my joy. Thankfully, his money is also my money - especially until I find a job!
I guess for now I just need to focus on the positives (and start clipping coupons and putting together my earthquake kit to mitigate some of the negatives). Thankfully, there are quite a few to focus on when I start to get sad.
The temporary housing is right in the middle of Palo Alto. There is plenty within walking distance (including the Stanford Shopping Center, which is super dangerous), and I have been enjoying the perfect Bay Area weather as I get a handle on my new surroundings.
But, now that we're settling into a new routine here, I have quickly been reminded of everything I loved and everything I loathed about living here. We can start with the positives:
The weather is amazing. The persistent drought means lots of sunshine, but thankfully I think the ocean/bay keeps it pretty mild. And the fog is an SF thing - it doesn't really extend to the peninsula.
There is so much good food - especially Asian and Mexican, two areas that were often lacking in DC.
Being in the Pacific Time Zone makes it much easier to talk to my sister (in Los Angeles) and my parents (in AZ which doesn't do daylight savings so is either the same time zone or an hour ahead).
People actually care about the environment here. We have compost in our building, and it's so easy to recycle or compost everywhere. I was always skeptical that our recycling in DC and VA didn't just end up in a landfill. AND, I had to pay to compost in VA.
Friendlier people - it might be the weather or just the laid back west coast vibes (and more lenient liquor laws), but people are just so much nicer here. I have often thought that part of what makes the east coast more uptight is that it was settled by puritans while the west was settled by cowboys!
Proximity to Napa. I love wine, and am especially partial to California wines (though not the super oak-y, buttery chardonnays). So, being a quick drive to Napa will be pretty amazing - but bad for my liver and bank account.
Reconnecting with old friends. I am not the world's best long distance friend - especially when contending with three time zones. But, I've already made plans with many people I was devastated to leave 11 years ago, and they are all excited we're back (or so they tell me 😉). I am thankful they've remained in our lives, and I can't wait to build new memories and traditions with them all.
Now the bad...
It's so expensive. And I don't want to hear anyone from the DC area chime in with "but it's expensive here too." You don't know from expensive until you've lived in the Bay Area. I paid $5 for a 12 ounce iced coffee today, and our rent for an apartment in Redwood City will be more than our mortgage payment for our 3 bedroom 3.5 bathroom house with a roof deck.
Related: We may never be able to afford a house - at least not a house we want. There is very little inventory for housing to begin with, given how many people live and want to live here. So, whenever some teeny tiny little money pit of a home comes on the market, there tends to be an all-out bidding war - and it's even worse when a good property becomes available.
Earthquakes. I know there are extreme weather events and natural disasters on the east coast too (including one mini quake I experienced), but I was in LA for the big Northridge quake in the 90s, and it was a scarring experience. I always thanked my lucky stars I got outta Cali before being in another big one. And now I am back. Joy.
The Bay Area bubble. There is a weird sort of snobbery in the Bay Area. It's almost like a contest to have the most liberal guilt. There aren't many conservatives here (well, many out conservatives), so you don't get the sort of political debate one can expect in DC. I had a lot of friends in DC that I didn't agree with politically, but I really enjoyed discussing the very things we disagreed on. They were informed and astute and weren't basing opinions on news stories (or worse headlines of news stories). People are smart here, of course. But when you live and work in DC - especially if your job touches on the federal government or Congress - you get a deeper understanding of how things work (or don't work as the case may be), and it all becomes less black and white. Here political discourse just feels very colored by the prevailing, deeply liberal ideology.
But, I think what I struggle with most is the fact we've left behind the incredible life we'd built in DC. I will miss the house that we built, painstakingly selecting finishes and details all while trying not to go nuts on upgrades. I will miss the family we created with our amazing friends. I know there is email, and texting, and old-school phone calls (plus the ability to visit), but it isn't the same. We've been through some truly wretched crap over the last couple years, and I don't think I could have made it through without all the love and support from those amazing people. I will miss being able to meet up for lunch, after work drinks, or on the weekend.
But, DC had its negatives too. I won't miss the humidity. I definitely won't miss the bugs. And I won't miss the DC bubble (i.e., DC is the center of the universe, and of course everyone can name several cabinet-level Secretaries - what is wrong with you if you don't know who heads up HHS or Labor or Education?!). Plus, I know that moving here made Eddie incredibly happy, and in our marriage, his joy is my joy. Thankfully, his money is also my money - especially until I find a job!
I guess for now I just need to focus on the positives (and start clipping coupons and putting together my earthquake kit to mitigate some of the negatives). Thankfully, there are quite a few to focus on when I start to get sad.
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