Today, I moved out of my apartment in SF. I’m writing this from my parents’ in San Jose, without a real plan about the future beyond the next month or two. I really enjoyed the time I had in pac heights, although it was very different from my experience in dogpatch. I think the only downside was not getting enough light in my last apartment, but that’s okay. I ended up getting out of the house pretty frequently, so I was able to soak in the rays outside instead.
What I enjoyed the most was the ability to just walk outside and have such a crazy view. I could see the ocean if I just walked to the end of my block. If I walked up a bit, I’d be able to see the skyline of SF. The hills in the city make this stuff possible, even though it’s a pain to walk up sometimes. I wish I could say there’s a natural beauty to the place (because I’m sure there was at some point), but in reality, the beauty now comes from the architecture in the area. Bay windows are everywhere, pastel colors on every block, false tops make the buildings look taller than they actually are, etc. The architecture in this area is just core SF. The shops in the marina area are fun, and the food especially both in that direction and on Polk are just great.
The parks in the area were also really fun. Lafayette park gets these really nice prairie flower things in the spring time, and Alta Plaza park is always a blast. The one time I got to go to Ina Coolbrith, I had some hand rolls and saw the sf parrots up close, so I can’t complain there. I appreciated the options I had in comparison to just crane cove in dogpatch.
Negatives exist, like they always do, and I think it had to do with the people. Had packages stolen multiple times in my building. Saw countless people walking their dogs without a leash, one even getting pissed at a driver that almost ran over a leashless dog because it ran into the crosswalk. Dog poop at every corner. Drivers constantly running stop signs. Maybe I just didn’t notice it as much in dogpatch, but I felt like people just were more “independent” here? Like they didn’t want to be bothered or inconvenienced. They all wanted to be in this area like they owned it all. Even though I never directly felt it, experiencing that mentality in your own neighborhood sucked, I guess.
Didn’t really end up dwelling too much on the negatives though. Was too happy enjoying my walks, food, and sights. Maybe I’ll move back to pac heights one day, but if not, I know I’ll think about it once in a while with a smile.