Monthly Archives: August 2015

Life

10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Moving to SF

August 10, 2015

gg-bridge-2– Photo by Andrew Sawyer –

Now that I’ve firmly cemented my status as a Bay Area resident, there are a few things I wish I’d known before moving out here a year and a half ago. If I could go back in time, these are the 10 things I wish I’d known before moving to SF.

  1. Everything. Is. SICKENINGLY. EXPENSIVE.

    To be fair, people did tell me this one before I moved out here, but it took living it firsthand to really and truly understand. Everyone here has their hand out (literally and figuratively), and it’s tough to make ends meet sometimes. Real talk: I’ve definitely had to cut back my “fun” expenses in order to have enough money for food and rent.

  2. No one is actually an SF native.

    Everyone you meet out here is a transplant just like you! In fact, SF natives are so rare that people around here call them “unicorns.” I’ve only met a handful!

  3. The job market is TOUGH.

    SF and the surrounding area (Silicon Valley) breeds the best of the best. Everyone out here is incredibly smart and incredibly good at their job, so it can be difficult to stand out among the many other gifted applicants.

  4. It will take a year to make solid friendships.

    Being the youngest person in your office has its drawbacks, and it can be challenging to make friends. Keep putting yourself out there, go to events, and be social. You only need to make one or two friends to get the ball set in motion, and the friends you make will be the genuine kind.

  5. The weather in the city kinda sucks, but the weather in the East Bay is phenomenal.

    One of the best parts of living in the East Bay is the year-round sunshine, warm temps, and real California weather. If only I’d known before moving here!

  6. You will need a car.

    We lived in SF for a year without a car and every day was a struggle. Not to sound like a princess, but I missed my car every.single.day. Without a car, getting groceries was an entire event on the weekends – and forget about taking a trip or showing around out-of-towners!

  7. SF has great food. And also really, really bad food.

    For every great restaurant, there’s a terrible one, and we’ve had our fair share of really, really great and really, really terrible food since moving here. Yuck.

  8. The blogging community is the best!

    I love the bloggers that I’ve met out here, and I feel that the blogging community in SF is so close-knit. I’m so grateful to be a part of it!

  9. SF is a big city with a small community feel.

    One of the things I love most about San Francisco is how non-urban it is. As someone who didn’t grow up in an urban area, I can appreciate the community vibe of SF.

  10. San Francisco will test you and push you to your breaking point, but in the end will show you how strong you are. And SF, I love you for that.

XO, J

P.S. Things I’ve learned about living in SF (part I & part II)!

Style

Summer Style Series: Rose Garden Vintage

August 5, 2015

KS-8875

Dress – Vintage | Shoes – Vintage | Sunglasses – Amazon | Lipstick – NARS

Have I ever mentioned that I truly love a great vintage piece? I think what I love most about vintage is how you can find a totally unique and special treasure that no one else will have. You will never run the risk of showing up in the same thing as someone else and having a “who wore it better?” moment. I found this gorgeous vintage dress and these silver oxfords on my most recent trip to Pretty Penny in Oakland and it was love at first sight.

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