we made it to the city!
We made it. We packed up our lives, our dogs and our baby, loaded up the truck, and hit the road Sunday night. A few moms had tipped me off that driving through the night would be a little easier than flying because, theoretically, the baby will sleep during her sleep time and it's a little less hassle and disruption for her.
And they were right! We did the whole bath/book/feeding bedtime routine and like clockwork, baby girl fell asleep an hour into the drive, right at her bedtime.
The thing is... we were both in a wedding the night before. So what we didn't fully consider when scheming up our super smart, outsmart-the-baby travel plan, was that we would already be pretty tired from that, and would become even more exhausted as we drove through the night. Our exhaustion would peak around 4am as we pleaded with our now-awake and confused baby, to fall back asleep so we could finally get some rest.
Needless to say, it was a long night but we are happy to finally be *home* -- in an adorable Victorian house, in the family-friendly neighborhood of Bernal Heights.
So, if you’re anything like me, and spent most of your life growing up in Southern California (or really any place other than the Bay Area), you may not be super familiar with all of the San Francisco neighborhoods, and you probably have no idea where Bernal Heights is. So here is a snazzy little map to help! Bernal Heights is in the lower right corner. South of the Mission District (known as 'The Mission') and east of Noe Valley (pronounced 'No-E' -- rhymes with "Joey").
*Map illustrated by Margaret Hagan
We were drawn to the Bernal Heights neighborhood for a few reasons:
Commutability. Jordan, who oversees operations for a new home construction company, has to travel to job sites from Oakland, to Alameda and South San Francisco, so we wanted something pretty central to those areas. This neighborhood, while in San Francisco proper, isn’t too 'deep' in the city, so we have pretty easy access to the freeways and the Bay Bridge.
Family Friendly. We were told this was a highly sought after family neighborhood, because it is one of the few neighborhoods with single family detached homes. It was also said to have a nice 'small town' vibe.
Microclimate. This was a new term for me BUT now I see that this neighborhood gets more sunshine than other parts of the city, so the climate is a little warmer and less foggy.
So after over a month of tirelessly looking for the perfect house in the perfect area, a two bedroom TWO bathroom beauty with a yard came up in my VRBO search. I knew I had to jump on it. And I am so happy I did. We are in love with this house we get to call home for the next three months. I did a Instagram Live video tour of our new digs, but in case you missed it, here are some pictures of our humble abode.
Fun Facts
In 2014 Redfin named Bernal Heights the hottest neighborhood in America. Say whaaaat?
Our little place was built in 1906.
A time capsule was found by the current owners when they renovated the upper level. In it they found items from the early 1900's including copies of 'Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Newspaper' from the year 1916, and two button-up boots (that baby boot, though!!).
We are two blocks away from Cortland Avenue - the main drag that goes through the neighborhood -- home to bakeries, restaurants, little coffee shops and even a dog-friendly fitness center.
This area feels like such a close-knit neighborhood (everyone from shop owners to chefs at small local restaurants ask if we are new to the neighborhood, learn our names and make sure to say goodbye and come again), and every person I've encountered has been SO friendly. Looking forward to exploring the area, eating all the food, making new friends and enjoying these new experiences with our little family!
