California, Here I Come!

Good News: I sold the condo!

Some details remain to be resolved, but everything looks good and I’m already fond of the people who soon will dwell in The Salmon Sanctuary. On my list of things to do today:

• Buy new toys for the cat.

• Buy a Sharpie.

• Buy a new Cardinals tee shirt.

What a short list – and a grand day! I have just finished tons of work, and to celebrate, I applied for three freelance jobs based in San Francisco. Then I set about doing the errands on my list.

The reason I have so little to do was discussed at length in my previous post, so no need to repeat myself. I will take on more freelance, right up until when I leave (mid-June, maybe), but for now, all I have to do is watch the calendar fill up. Many people want to have lunch or dinner -- or even hold a party in my honor.

How cool is that? One party planner has asked guests to wear some flowers in their hair. Surely you remember the song! My hair is too soft to hold bobby pins holding flowers, but perhaps I could staple a gardenia to my head…

A friend who lives on the east coast, understandably, has not offered to take me to lunch or dinner, but he did send sage advice about going late to the Haight:

“First of all, you do know, of course, that there's a big earthquake coming. I mean the granddaddy of them all. No reason not to live there. But you ought to take it into consideration when you look for a place to live. When the next earthquake hits, a lot of buildings are going to fall down. A lot did the last time. It's easy enough to go online and study geological maps of San Francisco to figure out where the most damage is going to be done (to buildings built on fill dirt). So stay away from them. Then too, don't move into a building that hasn't been retrofitted to survive the earthquake. Some have; most haven't.

“Get yourself an "I can survive the earthquake" kit. You can probably figure out the obvious things to put in it: fresh drinking water (which you need to replace regularly), spending money (small bills), food for two weeks (canned goods . . . Spam works well), backpack, etc. A few tools are handy too, such as a small crowbar that can be used to hit people over the head that are stuck under buildings screaming bloody murder and there's no way to get them out before the flames reach them.

“Remember, San Francisco is a city of weather zones. There are parts of the city that are always in the fog. It can be 20 degrees colder there than the rest of the city nearly all day long. The good news is, these places are cheaper. But then, they are cold and damp too. Places in the sun are much more expensive. Places over on the ocean side are cheaper and as long as they are on a Muni route, probably a better buy/rent. Funky areas abound around San Francisco State.

“Hang out in neighborhoods before you buy/rent. Spend time in them in the morning, afternoons, evenings, and then late at night. See if you like the neighborhood at all these different times of day. The city is weird that way . . . it changes by the time of day.”

All this makes me smile – even the part about the crowbar. It’s happening – I am moving to San Francisco! Here is what I said when I started this blog: “Some 42 years after the Summer of Love, I am moving to San Francisco, shredding the fabric of a comfortable life in St. Louis and stitching together something new. Will it fit?”

Stay tuned.