Angela Tung Oversharing on the internet since 2005.

Here I am wide awake 8 AM Pacific time.  Actually I’ve been awake since 6:30 but just lolled around in bed for a good hour before finally getting up.  (MB is on bat-time so he’s still asleep.)

Our flight yesterday was at 7 AM so I was up at 4.  Total misery.  But by the time we got to the airport and I ingested a vanilla latte and bagel I was fine.

The flight was pretty good.  We flew Virgin America and the plane was all spiffy and new.  Despite the early hour, it was packed, but the girl next to me was nice and didn’t care that I kept getting up to use the bathroom.  MB just slept the whole time.  He’s one of those people who conks out immediately when getting on an airplane.  I, on the other hand, can never sleep.

I had my good book to read, but spent the whole time playing the anagram game on the console (addictive!) and watching an American’s Next Top Model marathon, all of which I’ve seen multiple times.  Both of those activities did an excellent job of passing the time.

We landed on time, about 10 AM, and grabbed a cab to our hotel.  I was surprised at how quickly the meter escalated, but in the end it was about $40, which is less than what it would have been in New York ($45 flat fee + tip).

Where we’re staying is lovely.  A smallish Japanese-styled place in Japantown, which I’ve never been to before.  Actually, it’s been over 15 years since I’ve been to San Francisco.  It’s browner than I remember, and hillier, though that’s like duh, of course SF is hilly.  The weather’s been gorgeous so far – warm in the sun and chilly in the shade.  I heard New York is suffering the three H’s – hazy, hot, and humid.  Sorry New York friends!  (Wah-wah-waaah.)

MB’s interview and my appointment to look at an apartment were at 2 and 2:30, respectively, so we had time to grab some food.  Being in Japantown we are surrounded, of course, by Asian restaurants, but MB was craving bacon and eggs.  We asked the front desk for a breakfast place, and he said that since it was 11, most places had stopped serving breakfast, but there was a place next door that served great $7 bento boxes.

We headed over there, but then MB spotted an American restaurant across the street.  Lo and behold – “We serve breakfast all day!”  Wha???  Why didn’t the guy recommend that?  Maybe he was commissioned to drive customers to that bento place.

The place was absolutely empty, but the food was very good.  Then again, how can you go wrong with bacon and eggs?

We were totally sleepy after eating so we took a short nap before heading out to our respective appointments.

Both apartments I looked at were in Nob Hill.  Holy cow, walking those inclices really worked my butt muscles.  Anyway, both places were very nice.  The first one was listed as a two bedroom, but really it was a one bedroom.  It’s a two bedroom if you don’t have a living room.  The kitchen was quite big, and it was very quiet.  However, it was more run down than I was expecting.  I asked if it was going to be redone, and the guy hemmed and hawed about it.  I mean, it wasn’t crappy but it definitely looked worn.

The second place was absolutely beautiful.  Immaculate and with all new bathroom and kitchen fixtures.  The area was really gorgeous – you could look down the street and see it slope down to the water.  But it was probably smaller than the other place, despite the cool little alcove off the front room, and the kitchen would not be able to fit a table.  Plus what would be the bedroom is off the kitchen.  How weird would that be to walk through your bedroom to go cook dinner.

Anyway, all of this is moot because I didn’t apply for either.  When I got my place in New York, they asked for a lot of paperwork, but as long as you had good credit, a job, and money in the bank, you were fine.  The way realtors verify your job in New York, at least in my experience, is with a copy of your hiring letter.

Here they seem to be a lot more strict.  True, I wasn’t exactly honest, saying, Yeah sure I’ll still have my same job after I move to San Francisco, but they actually wanted a phone number in HR to call and verify employment.  (Like  my company’s HR would even call them back.)  Plus MB was still up in the air about a job here (although his interview yesterday with his first choice went extremely well).

So what we thought was maybe he’d get a sublet for a month or so, and once he’s been working for several weeks we’ll be able to get an actual apartment.  Whether or not he’ll mention me, who will be most likely unemployed by the time I get here, is questionable.  It might be better for him to get a place himself, and then I just show up a little while later.

I hate the idea of being apart for a month or so, but it seems to be the only way.  Plus I wasn’t feeling good about the lying, despite the fact that I could totally afford both apartments I saw yesterday.  And it’s another excuse to take a little vacation and come visit him.

After MB got back from his interview, which was more like hanging out with the guys who work there to see if he was a good fit, we attempted to go out to the Mission district for good tacos.  However, my directions were bad, or we just totally missed the turn off and gave up.  It was already almost 9 and we were pooped and starving.  Ended up eating at this random little Italian place on Gough.  It was very basic but good.

Back in our room, we crashed in front of the Discovery! channel before losing consciousness totally.

Today MB needs to go back to the company from yesterday (good sign!) and I will be doing some exploring soon.

This morning it seems cloudy, but maybe that’s just that fog everyone talks about.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 11:07 am and is filed under san francisco, travel. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.