The Big Move

A couple days ago, I checked out a book from the library, and the due date was after the day we're going to move. It really brought home how soon we're going to uproot ourselves and head for the east coast. I've been thinking a lot lately about life in the Bay Area, and how happy I am to live here. It's definitely going to be hard moving away from all of this, although I'm excited about the new opportunities we'll have in Vermont. It's been a challenge to conceptualize life in Vermont while we're still living here. In honor of the nine years we've lived here, here's a (by no means comprehensive) list of things I'll miss about the Bay Area. (I promise a "things I'm looking forward to in Vermont" in a future installment.)

My neighborhood
I can walk to just about everything I need, including two great groceries, three coffee shops that aren't Starbucks (and one tea shop), a movie theater, and Fenton's ice cream. There's even a cobbler.

Diversity
I'm moving from Oakland to a state that's 98% white. 'Nuff said.

Ethnic cuisine
Which goes hand in hand with ethnic diversity. Thank god for our copy of "1,000 Indian Recipes."

Live music
To be fair, it's not hard to find live music in Vermont, but I think live jazz or hip hop are going to be hard to come by. I guess I need to get into jam bands.

Running at Mountain View cemetery
I don't even like running that much, but it's a pleasure in a place that was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

The UC Berkeley library
I think Harvard is the only university in the US with a bigger library.

The setting
It's become a cliche to say this, but San Francisco is really a beautiful place to stick a city.

The Parkway
The best movies theater in the world.

Oakland
Most diverse city in the nation. Home of the A's, Raiders, and Warriors. Birthplace of the Black Panthers, Gary Payton, and hyphy. And my home for the past nine years. As if you couldn't guess, I hella love Oakland.