Each time I drive to San Francisco I miss living there more and more. While I enjoy living close to family having a large backyard and bike trails near my home, I miss the excitement of city life. I love meeting strangers and potential friends, having long conversations in bars with old friends and just exploring the pockets and corners of the city. The smell in the air, the happy couples walking their dogs and endless sidewalk entertainment just feels so alive to me. I realize that we made a smart move by moving out here, but my heart will always pull closer to the Bay. I'd be happy living anywhere near Berkeley, Piedmont or San Francisco and am always surprised when people say they would never raise their children in a city. In my opinion, cities (especially San Francisco) have so much more to offer growing children that the suburbs do. Not only are there a variety of fascinating weekend activities to choose from, cities give kids the opportunity to learn about different cultures, experience foreign culinary styles and not to mention all the gorgeous parks, festivals and sights to see. I do hope we eventually end up back in San Francisco, in some sort of three bedroom Edwardian with a small city backyard, crown molding and original hardwood flooring. Every now and then when I'm lazy or bored or both, I look at the real estate listings in San Francisco in part to torture myself and in part to stay aware of the changing market. I've obviously fallen in love with many apartments and condos during these searches, but think that in exchange for what the city has to offer, the housing prices are well worth it. These are my top neighborhoods where I would like to own a home in San Francisco. There are the unrealistic options (Pacific Heights, Ashbury Heights, Marina, etc.) but I've managed to narrow down my list to more do-able and affordable standards.
1. Noe Valley
2. Cole Valley
3. Upper Haight
4. USF/Panhandle
5. NOPA
I wouldn't settle for anything smaller than a three bedroom only because even though I like small and cozy, there is such a thing as too small, especially in the city. I wouldn't be too picky though, a balcony wouldn't be necessary, two full bathrooms wouldn't be all that important to be either, but somewhat of a view, lots of natural light and at least one parking spot would be a must. Today, I found these charmers. They may not be multi-million dollar homes, but I could see myself building a family life in any of the following residences.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/reb/2396014975.html
$799,00 / 3br - Top Floor 3bd/1.5bth/2pkg - Noe Valley
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/reb/2407794231.html
$769000 / 3br/1.5bth - Cole Valley
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/reb/2406487903.html
$989000 / 3br - Haight Ashbury
A girl can dream, right?
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