and so the story continues, to the west: san francisco

{the city by the bay}

It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting at my laptop in the West Village, writing about ‘the biggest shakeup’ and our planned move West all the way from noisy New York City to big-sky Colorado. It was, in fact, not yesterday, but just over a year and a half ago now – nineteen months to be exact – that we made the decision to make a change (and a very big one at that).

Boulder holds an incredibly dear place in my heart; it is a wonderfully special little city that almost feels like another world in itself, at times feeling completely removed from the rest of the society.  In moving to this gorgeous space at the base of the Rocky Mountains, I have learned so much and experienced so many new things. I’ve been given the luxury of experiencing four fierce seasons every single year, and have discovered that when in Colorado, you can just as easily lay by the pool suntanning your legs in March as you can wake up to a thick blanket of snow and spend the day sipping cocoa and shoveling the driveway. (Well…watch James shovel, anyway.)

From our foothills home you can drive up twisted and gnarled mountain roads, and climb to peaks where the already thin air is even thinner, crisper, and more pure. Things just look different from a mile high vantage point above the rest of the country, and I can’t tell you how how much I’ve appreciated the Colorado way of life.  There is a grounded sensibility that comes along with living here, and the “get outside and do something” mentality has kept us on our feet, skiing, hiking, biking, exploring, and challenging ourselves. I’ve strapped Chacos to my feet more often than I’ve slipped on a pair of heels, and in many ways any wound-up tendencies I may have had encompassing my outlook on life have relaxed, slackened, and dissolved in the best way possible.

It’s been a terribly fun and rewarding stretch of time, and one that I wouldn’t trade for absolutely anything – but nevertheless I’ve got yet another announcement about yet another very big shakeup.  In just two short, short weeks, James and I are packing up our bags…and moving to San Francisco! I will miss so very many things about Boulder, and about Colorado, but most of all, I will miss the people.  Colorado breeds some of the best that I have met to date, and I’ve made some incredible new friendships and built even stronger relationships with old friends that will without a doubt stand as some of my tightest, forever.  Above and outside of all of the wonderful ways this move has shaped our lives, the wonderful people have certainly impacted us the most.

Our move has nothing to do with not wanting to be where we are at, but more that right now, I think it’s the right place for us to be. I’ve always had this slightly Nomadic sense about me, and though I’ll admit that nineteen-months ago it did take a lot for me to get comfortable with the the idea of life out of the city, confronting those fears and totally overcoming them has made me a much better person today.  Life in San Francisco will not be life in New York; it will certainly not be life in Boulder, and it will not be like life anywhere I’ve experienced before. It will come with it’s own set of challenges and dilemmas and unavoidable negatives, and it will take a lot of adjustments on our part….but I can’t tell you how excited I am for what life in the “City by the Bay” will hold for us. Our living room is already filled with boxes, and that’s sad – I can’t help but feel misty-eyed when I think of all of the amazing people and experiences we are leaving behind. But in front of us lies a dynamic city with so many possibilities, and I can’t help but feel elated and so lucky that we will be able to leave yet another footprint on this country, and behold another opportunity to build relationships and shape our world.

Here are some snaps of a long weekend we spent in San Fran last August…there will be many more to come once we are settled into our new place, in a little ‘hood called Cow Hollow.

{our home for the weekend: the mission}

{the presidio theater – just blocks from our new place}

{strolling near the palace of fine arts}

{the palace of fine arts on a cloudy day}

{blue skies in the marina}

{first lunch stop: pizzeria delfina}

{beach, meet city}

{a favorite: the slanted door}

{vietnamese iced coffee}

{peeking over the top of pacific heights}

{cheers-ing, with boots}

{cheesing in pac heights}

{brotherly love}

{i was too impatient to wait in the line for a cone, but got my fix in a pint}

{bright and early for some amazing treats}

{contradictory brekkie: green juice + tartine deliciousness}

{stopping in at the farmer’s market}

{fresh produce for days}

{purple peppers}

{bright blooms}

{and the most perfect peach, which i could not resist}

{freshly shucked}

{don’t mind if i do!}

{a gorgeous morning in the mission}

{dusk}

{trading in our aspens for palms}

{a foggy alcatraz}

{spicy beef & noodles at the slanted door}

{brunching at foreign cinema}

{brandade, toast, + house pickles}

{croque madame}

{lunch at suppenkuche}

{amazing pan fried trout}

{spicy garlic-chili prawns}

{strolling through the haight}