For awhile, I lived longer in San Francisco than in Hollister where I was born and raised. I moved away at 19 years old to study at San Francisco State University. A couple of times, I moved back to Hollister for a few months. The first time I couldn’t handle being on my own, and the second time it was because I took the concept of being a good daughter too seriously. When I realized my parents were essentially okay about me having a Mary Tyler Moore single girl life in the big city, off to San Francisco I scrambled to live and work thereabouts for another 24 years. During those 30 years, I moved 13 times.
In San Francisco, I had 11 different addresses, all rentals:
- 28th Avenue in the Outer Sunset district
- Clement Street in the Outer Richmond
- Theresa Street in Mission Terrace, right across from a freeway. This is where I learned to pretend that freeway traffic sounded like ocean waves.
- Byxbee Street in Merced Heights, a couple blocks from college
- Balboa Street, near Ocean Beach, in the Outer Richmond
- Moraga Street in the Outer Sunset
- Ord Street, just above the Castro district
- Spruce Street, just below Lone Mountain College, in the Inner Richmond
- Walnut Street in Laurel Heights, several blocks south of the Presidio and Pacific Heights
- Fulton Street across from Golden Gate Park in the Inner Richmond
- Warren Drive on the westerly slope of Mt. Sutro, where across and above me was a eucalyptus forest
When the Husband and I decided to live together, we moved to El Cerrito in the East Bay. We rented a cute funky house on Gladys Avenue (12)that had a view of the San Francisco skyline. A few years later, we moved to Bay View Farm Road (13)in Pinole, the town where the Husband grew up.
When Mama was feeling weaky-weaky (as she liked to say) at 82, which by then she had been living alone for 21 years, the Husband and I decided to move in with her. Relatives lived across the street, but their idea of caring for her was to call me when Mama was being her feisty self. (They eventually moved away to greener pastures, I hope,to the relief of all.) Come this August, the Husband and I will have been living in Hollister for 19 years. What comes next? As Doris Day say, que sera sera.
Thursday means Thursday 13. Please, have a look at what others are sharing. Cheers!
It seems like we all have those periods of time when moves are frequent. And then we settle down. Did you like living in San Francisco? Do you miss it?
ReplyDeleteI miss walking down a street and having my pick of different kinds of restaurants. I miss the bookstores, the museums, and the free concerts. I miss the diversity of everything about living in San Francisco. I’m very glad I lived there when I did. I don’t think I would be a happy camper today if I had lived my 20s, 30s, and 40s in Hollister.
DeleteI can't believe how much you moved. I've been in our current log home longer than any other home: 15 years in my childhood home, 30 years here. We're pretty settled here but a nearby indoor pool or maybe the ocean could tempt me.
ReplyDeleteMe, either. I got very good at moving. The apartments on the third floor where there wasn’t an elevator was where I lived the longest.
DeleteI have never lived in that many places. I have lived in 7 different houses. I've been in this one for 35 years.
ReplyDeleteIt’s possible, I’ll have lived that many years in this house. Knock on wood.
DeleteWow, that's a lot of homes, I've only moved three times. From my childhood home when I was 17 to a rented apartment on the edge of town, it was furnished so all I took with me were my clothes and personal possessions. From there to a fully furnished 2-bed house not far from my childhood home, then from there to my current home where I've been for 43 years. This was unfurnished but our landlady allowed us to bring whatever furniture we wanted from the previous house, which has been upgraded/replaced over the years. I love it here, I'm right on the edge of local countryside with many nice walks nearby so I've no intention of moving ever again :)
ReplyDelete43 years, wowza! That’s very cool. It has to be something very compelling for us to move from this house. A place in Hawaii might do it. :-)
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