Thoughts on 5 Years in San Francisco

It’s official. I’ve been living in San Francisco for five years! It’s hard to believe how quickly half a decade has flown by. When I look at my surroundings today compared to when I first moved into the city, I have contradictory thoughts. On the one hand, I feel like SF is the same, from the stately historic buildings to the beautiful parks to the wonderfully quirky residents. But on the other hand, I also notice the changes, from the shiny high rises popping up to the hip new restaurants to the backseat passengers in Lyfts and Ubers.

My time in San Francisco hasn’t been perfect, but the experience has been nothing short of amazing. Living in SF continues to be one of the best post-grad decisions I’ve made (as noted in my one-year reflection). I feel like I’ve lived many lives since I first set foot in my empty apartment in August 2013, sleeping bag and a table lamp in hand.

When I reflect on my time living in the city, I notice four distinct stages. My first year or so involved a fair share of growing pains, while my next couple years were more focused on learning and exploring. The year after was one of enjoyment and friendships. And finally, this year has been a year of doubling down and going deeper. I’ll break them down in more detail below.

Post-Grad Life & Growing Pains (Late 2013 & 2014)

When I first moved into the city, things were fresh. I had just finished undergrad, come back from a month-long backpacking trip in Europe, and started my first full-time job out of school. A lot of friends I knew from school were also in the area after graduation, so it felt like a big party.

However, that first year or so was also a mentally-taxing and challenging period. For the first time, I was on my own, living in a new city and forging my own direction without the guidelines of lectures, teachers, and the school year. Work was worlds removed from school. I felt like I’d just figured out life, only to be thrown back into the fray of a different game.

Gradually, things did look up. I began to get the hang of work life, meet new people, and get plugged into a community of friends and peers.

Learning & Exploring (2015 & 2016)

The next couple of years I consider the learning and exploring phase of my time in SF. By now I’d gotten a good grasp of the city, establishing a routine and rolodex of favorite spots. I loved taking lunch breaks at Yerba Buena Gardens, grabbing weekend dim sum brunch in Chinatown, and trying out the latest restaurants and bars in various neighborhoods such as SoMa, the Mission, and Nob Hill.

I also started to expand my sphere beyond San Francisco, discovering entirely different worlds within driving distance of the city. From snowboarding trips at Lake Tahoe to camping and hiking at beautiful places like Point Reyes and Yosemite, these trips really unlocked the full potential of living in the Bay Area.

Around this time, I began leading a neighborhood group at my church, further putting down roots in San Francisco by cultivating community in a city known for its transience. A couple nights a week, I took coding classes to add to my skillset for work. All the learning and exploring culminated in the first job change of my career.

Enjoyment & Friends (2017)

I’d mentioned this before – 2017 was one of the most action-packed and fun years I’d ever experienced. I was able to enjoy city living to its fullest with an incredible group of friends.

I think a good illustrative point is looking at the amount of music shows and concerts I attended that year – close to 20 in the city alone! And for the first time ever, I also hit 20 days of snowboarding. Add in a handful of fine-dining restaurants, museum visits, urban camping, and even an opera, and it’s pretty clear I had the chance to check out many facets of San Francisco and beyond.

I started my current job in the Financial District and loved the new learning environment. For the first time since I started working, I felt like I had the experience and know-how to do what needed to be done and excel at my job. By now I’d also had a couple years’ of experience leading my church neighborhood group, and I felt supported by a good community of solid folks.

Doubling Down (2018)

In my last post, I wrote about my theme for 2018 – doubling down, which means slowing down (relative to previous years) and diving deeper into my passions. I think doubling down is also a commitment to my current life in San Francisco, at least for this year. At the start of 2018, I sensed movement from friends and peers desiring change, whether that was upgrading to a nicer apartment, looking for the next job, or even moving out of the city.

I decided to apply the Swedish concept of lagom to my living situation. That meant staying put at my current Nob Hill apartment unit in an old building from the 1920s, instead of moving to a newer, nicer place. I also decided on specific passions that I wanted to go deeper in, which included snowboarding, writing, music shows, and volunteering.

At this point, I’ve explored enough places and done enough things in San Francisco to avoid FOMO (fear of missing out). I can hone in on things I know I enjoy, while still retaining the flexibility to be out and about in such an interesting city.

Closing Thoughts

At the end of the day, San Francisco is far from a perfect city. The insane cost of living, singular focus on tech, and obvious income disparity between the wealthiest and poorest residents are all topics that have been covered time and again. Each of these issues has layers of complexity and isn’t easy to fix.

I think as residents, it’s our responsibility at the very least to be informed of the situation at hand. As the next step we can take action in the form of voting, volunteering, and getting more involved. Despite what a lot of the more negative press coverage says, I do think SF has the capability to grow and improve, just as it’s done since the very beginning.

Too often when I’m talking to people who claim to dislike living in San Francisco, I find that there’s a fundamental mismatch between expectations and reality. After all, choosing to live somewhere is directly tied to personal preference, and SF like any other place won’t be ideal for every single person.

With that said, I love living in San Francisco because of the variety and capacity of experiences that it offers in just 49 square miles. I love the rolling fog and the feeling of the ocean breeze as the wind picks up slightly on a cool autumn night. I love the laidback and optimistic attitudes of its residents, which contrary to popular belief still consist of artists, creatives, and dreamers – in all careers and walks of life. And I love how San Francisco is a gateway to adventures, experiences, and activities beyond city limits. The possibilities really are endless.

I’m so appreciative of the past five years, and while I have no idea what the future holds for me, I’ll enjoy living in the City by the Bay for as long as I’m here!

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Bay Area at www.RandomTidbitsofThought.com.
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