Making the move

Many years ago, when I first moved to San Francisco from Texas (by way of Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and Redondo Beach), I knew I’d never leave the Bay Area.  I made many friends and slowly but surely, everyone started moving away to “their” own “spots”.  I think it’s a heart’s desire type of thing, trusting yourself to find the best place for YOU to settle down.  Once I moved into the City, I never thought I’d leave.  San Francisco offered everything I thought I loved in a place to call home:  culture, diversity, warm, friendly people, lots of fun restaurants, easy to walk around, easy to navigate.  I quickly settled into my own scene and called San Francisco my “home”.

As the years went by, my life priorities shifted and suddenly, I had a family and dogs and activities that didn’t involve  my late night dining in China town after a night of dancing!  Simple things became more daunting as I circled what once was “Bell Market”, searching for someone to hurry up, leave a parking place so that I can park myself, grocery shop with my small children and then get home to make dinner , feed the dogs, get the kids bathed and to bed before the strike of midnight. Wow, what a change!

At the time, my sister lived in Mill Valley and I spent some time getting to know the community and when the subject came up, it seemed a nice spot to explore living as well.  I discovered the schools in that community (and many other cities in Marin County) are top notch.  After much soul searching, and consideration, we moved to Mill Valley.  We didn’t explore too many other areas, because that one just felt right at the time.  I have since learned all the towns in Marin County, the benefits to living here are many and I know a great number of the secret spots for others to explore who are considering a move. 

Marin County is a wonderful place filled with great schools, wonderful people with interesting ideas and willingness to share thoughts and experiences, fantastic outdoor life from hiking (www.marintrails.com/Hikes/7hikes.html) to kayaking on a full moon off the beach in Sausalito (www.seatrek.com ).  Taking my kids to the store is no longer daunting except when they melt down (which happens), and parking for soccer and ballet is easy. 

If you or someone you know is considering a move from somewhere else in the Bay Area to Marin County, I am happy to share my experiences and show you how to best explore the areas to see if this is a “fit” for your lifestyle.  I can tell you from my own experience that our community is second to none for Film festivals www.cafilm.org , farmer’s markets http://groups.ucanr.org/GIM/Farmers_Markets/ , children’s activities, including an amazing store dedicated to LEGOS and building www.play-well.org , playgrounds galore www.justplaygrounds.com ,coastal views, “Green” life appreciation, and a whole host of outdoor festivities!  Since moving to Marin, I have completed a Marathon, a half Marathon training (www.teamlola.com), two Triathlons (www.trifiniti.com) and now I want to explore training for Trail racing.  Really, why not?  Marin is a wonderful place to live with or without kids!   Maybe it’s time to be a kid yourself!