Before I left, I thought I’d find a place to live in no time. But, here I am, almost two weeks in, and still no luck. Maybe it’s the high demand for housing in San Francisco mixed with my absolute inexperience in house hunting. 🌆 Thanks to this, I’ve wandered around San Francisco quite a bit. Though it’s only 1/5th the size of Seoul, its neighborhood diversity rivals that of New York. For those in need of some insight, here’s a quick rundown.
The bustling Financial District near Market Street is always lively (with lots of homeless folks too), so it’s not ideal if you need a quiet home for focus. Likewise, the North Beach area, frequently mentioned in travel guides, is usually packed with tourists, but surprisingly calm a block or two in. Near Columbus Avenue, close to Chinatown, rents are cheaper, but rooms are small, often with shared kitchens or bathrooms. Lombard Street and Pacific Heights are quiet and clean, but a bit pricier. And if you love baseball, consider SOMA, near Oracle Park (formerly AT&T Park), where home runs can land in the sea! ⚾️
Anyway, since I couldn’t find a place quickly, I had to extend my hotel stay for a week. When I went to the reception, the price had doubled since my booking from Korea! 😳 They explained it was because of a salesforce.com event happening nearby next week. San Francisco is home to many tech companies and startups, from giants like Google to startups like Twitter and Airbnb, so tech events bring in huge crowds. This means whenever there’s a major event, hotel prices skyrocket. Despite my dire situation (being homeless and not attending the salesforce.com seminar), I wasn’t keen on paying double for the room. So,
“Hey, I was already using the room, shouldn’t the extension be at the original rate?” I protested, and the receptionist nodded,
“Makes sense (though I thought it didn’t). Hold on a sec,” and made a call. 📞
What exactly makes sense here? Even I couldn’t wrap my head around it. But after the call, the receptionist pulled out some papers and asked, “Extending for another week?”
Absolutely! 😊
Even though English lacks formal speech, I was mentally using polite language.
So, I managed to extend for a week and continued my house hunt with renewed vigor. And finally, I found a house near Pacific Heights that I fell in love with. It was a quaint Victorian-style house, close to Japan Town, with a big park out front, and just a block up, you could see the ocean across the street. 🌊 Most importantly, the area was peaceful and clean, which I adored.
At the open house, there was a post-it on the door saying ‘Come on in, it’s open.’ Inside, an amiable old gentleman was reading a book by the stairs to the second floor. He greeted me with a warm smile, handed me an application form, and explained various details about the house. As we chatted, I even got to hear about the landlord’s personal stories.
‘I love baseball. After retiring, I work as an usher at the ballpark, and I enjoy it even more than being an accountant,’ he laughed heartily. I didn’t know much about accounting or baseball, so I couldn’t quite grasp how much better it was, but suddenly, a line from the movie ‘Moneyball’ came to mind, where Billy applied a new method to team management.
I’m going to see this through, for better or for worse. 🌟
There’s no need to logically calculate how much better being a baseball usher is compared to an accountant. If the landlord is happy, I should be happy too. If that thought crosses your mind, don’t hesitate, just go for it, like Billy said. I need a home. I want to live here. I must be chosen! I started laughing along with the landlord.
“Haha, being a ballpark usher really is the best. I’m so jealous.”
I worried that my admiration seemed insincere, but the landlord kindly explained the application submission process, as he probably did with others.
“Just fill out the application and email it to me. Welcome to San Francisco.” 🎉
While it wasn’t solely because of my laughter, I finally secured a home after three weeks. 🏡
epilogue.
Hi,
Was at the apartment yesterday to check things out.
Noticed you didn’t even have a starter roll of toilet paper! 🚽
I’ll drop off a couple of rolls of toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and Kleenex.
You’ll need to get them on your own in the future. 🙂
Will drop them in the late PM. If you’re not there, I’ll leave them at your door.
Oh, by the way, no trouble for us to do this.
Diane and I are heading out for dinner and a movie at the Kabuki.
(Told you it’s our favorite place!) Welcome to our building. 🏢
I still can’t quite imagine what it feels like to leisurely dine out and watch a movie after retirement. But whenever life gets too chaotic, I remember the email from Bob, the landlord, after I signed the lease. It makes me wonder, ‘Do they still dine at Japan Town and catch movies at the Kabuki?’ and it somehow cheers me up. One day, I’ll get to spend my time that leisurely too. 😊
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