Why we moved to NYC from San Francisco
Kelly Kreth | Brick Underground
After their daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, Bob and Lynn Pearson left their family home of several decades to live closer to her in Brooklyn. Now renters, they discovered they prefer it to owning. Here’s their story as told to Kelly Kreth.
I was born in Kansas but grew up in Northern California, primarily in Santa Rosa, where I met and married my husband, Bob. Most recently, we were living in San Francisco, where we raised our two children.
Our home was Edwardian-style, which is common in the area. We bought it in 1988 for slightly under $300,000. It was originally 900 square feet with two bedrooms and one bath on a large lot. We added two floors and expanded it to 3,700 square feet with five bedrooms and three baths 10 years after we bought it. It had a backyard and garden.
Our neighborhood, Mission Terrace, is very quaint and we knew all our neighbors. We were within walking distance of a swimming pool that we used every day to get our exercise. I loved the hills, the views, and the mild weather in San Francisco; being close to the Pacific Ocean and the bay was amazing.
The neighborhood is filled with great ethnic restaurants—wonderful taquerias like Guadalajara and El Farolito. And of course there are lots of great Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai restaurants. Some of our favorites were Beijing Restaurant, Pho Day, Chase Luck Bakery, Jo Jo’s, Beep’s Burgers. We often met up with friends at a wine place called The Check-In Lounge. We loved our Italian deli Calabria Brothers and the local sandwich shop Roxie Market.
But of course, San Francisco is known for great restaurants so was easy to take BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] downtown if we wanted fancier dining options.
There was a Safeway and Whole Foods within walking distance and we shopped every Saturday at the Alemany Farmer’s Market. We bought fresh bread at Arizmendi Valencia Bakery on Valencia St. and fresh fish at Sun Fat on Mission Street.
I’m retired from a career in advertising. Bob is also retired. He was a tool and die maker, an occupation with which most Americans are unfamiliar. It’s like a machinist but more highly skilled.
We had a car, but we were also near the BART, the Muni streetcar, and multiple bus lines.
We enjoy babysitting our granddaughters, Alina, three years old, and Inez, 16 months. My husband and I love museums; I take piano lessons and I am involved in various Italian language groups, including a book club and a conversation class, both conducted in Italian.
Why they decided to move
We decided to move to Brooklyn to be closer to my daughter after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
We knew we wanted at least two bedrooms, two baths, a patio, gym, and pool if possible. We didn't really have a budget. We wanted space since we are used to living in a large house.
It all happened very quickly. We only saw one property. Our daughter lives in Carroll Gardens so when I saw the apartment at 499 President St. in nearby Gowanus, it was perfect. I walked in off the street and we did the application later online.
