Annelien Is Leaving Me

(My favorite mural on 23rd St)

In two weeks, Annelien will be heading out to South Bend, Indiana. She has never been there before and friends told her it’s the middle of nowhere. But she wants to write a book and the University of Notre Dame bribed her with an offer she couldn’t refuse. So now she will be leaving me and San Francisco for a year.

In this state of affairs, I felt I was ready for a change of setting too. Also, I figured that downsizing was a good idea in the current economic backdrop. Maybe I should move a block down to lesbian mecca Valencia Street? Or to a smaller apartment a few blocks up, to get more out of the bobo organic Noe Valley experience? Or perhaps into the gritty heart of the Mission towards 14^th Street?

You should know that apartment hunting in a city like San Francisco is no small feat. You have to apply and owners get tons of applications for the best apartments. You sort of have to dress up for each visit. As I told you before, dressing up here is very relative. Comb your hair, brush your teeth and smile and the job is done. I overdid it a bit though. I made sure to wear a scarf for each visit, because Americans think that wearing a scarf is a European thing and somehow they believe that being European is sophisticated. I rode my bike to the millions of apartments I visited and the scarf was hot and I got all sweaty when I arrived at my appointments. Also, I carried a lot of paperwork with me to make my case. Everyone had to know that I would make a great tenant, one who would not only pay rent on time, but even too early. And everyone knows that the bigger the pile of documents you carry with you, the higher your chances of getting in, even if you just print some random pages from Wikipedia.

I scouted apartments in chic Noe Valley. They were nice and clean and safe, but somehow just too snobby for my taste. I have become this smug, left-wing California girl who likes authenticity, which appears in life in the form of things that are a little bit imperfect. Noe Valley is too perfect for me; and too many baby strollers block the sidewalks of its streets.

Then, I moved on to the gritty parts of the Mission District. Right now, we live in the gentrified part of the Mission District, the part leaning towards Noe Valley. I had a feeling I was ready for the real deal though and made an appointment to view an apartment on Guerrero and 14^th. I put on my bike gear and rode the ten blocks down on Guerrero towards 14^th Street. I always feel invincible when I ride my bike. According to Annelien, the reason I am safe is that no one dares to approach me because I look so “special” with my bike helmet and sunglasses. And it’s not easy to look unusual in San Francisco, trust me. I felt great in the gritty part of the Mission District. This was the place where I belonged! And also, this place was what they use the word “urban” for. The visit went well and the apartment was remarkably cheap. That night though, one of my friends was mugged on 14^th and Guerrero. He wasn’t wearing any bike gear. And so I decided against moving to the heart of the Mission, because even though I never feel scared when I wear my bike attire, it would be annoying to have to wear it all the time. I am staying put for now!