Boston vs Bay Area

Walden Pond

Marin County has a lot of beautiful towns that I couldn't afford, so I narrowed my search to San Anselmo and San Rafael.  SA had a very upscale feel, with good looking, trendy types having lively conversations in outdoor cafes.  SR felt a little grittier, funkier, and more real.  Both towns had an actual downtown, which is totally absent from Lincoln.  At that time (2003) Marin County was about 20% more expensive than Metro West Boston.  There were many other obvious decision factors like friends, work, etc but in the end I became weirdly focused on one thing- where to swim.  I'm not a big swimmer, but one of my favorite activities is floating on my back in a pond looking at the clouds.  I was surprised to learn that there is no place to swim in Marin- the ocean is too cold, there are no ponds, and the Russian River is a pretty long drive. The luxury of going to Walden Pond for a quick dip started to seem pretty important.   It also seemed like a bigger deal to get into the city from Marin than it is from Lincoln.

Greene and Greene House

Another reason I considered moving to CA was the abundance of contemporary architecture, and therefore more clients who wanted me to design a modern house.  I was surprised to find that modern houses in Marin  are actually pretty rare.  Craftsman, Bungalow, and Victorian houses seemed to be far more common.  So the idea of uprooting to a new place and building a contemporary house that most people wouldn't like was starting to seem like a questionable plan.

an Eichler home

Just when the decision was pretty much made in favor of Lincoln, I found an Eichler house that needed work.  It was at the end of a dead-end street bordering a Eucalyptus forest, way up on a hill with a distant view of the Civic Center!  Though small, it had lots of light from the glazed gable-end and interior courtyard.  The post and beam construction was very similar to a Deck House, but it had a lighter feel which I found much more appealing. I was excited, and scheduled a return visit the next day.  On my return I brought some coffee and settled down on the rear deck to enjoy the sun and view.  I was surprised to see that my neighbor was able to keep a horse, despite his lot's small size and steep grade.  It was all falling into place when I noticed the sound.  It had been there all along, but I suddenly became aware of the drone of "the 101" down in the valley.  Would I get used to it?  People say you do, but I'm pretty noise-sensitive.  Then I struck up a conversation with the neighbor, who told me that the Eucalyptus forest burned about every seven years, and had come very close to consuming his house the last time.  It was only about fifty yards away, and it was not hard to imagine tall flaming trees landing on the roof.  I began to wonder if these might be factors in the house's appealing price.

Driving back to my motel after another exhausting day looking at houses, I was coming through the tunnel with the great first view of the Golden Gate when my phone rang.  My realtor in Lincoln said that they had finally accepted our offer on the dream home with the beautiful pond and buildable (?) lot.  So, it was finally decided.  I verified with the realtor that the owner had finally determined that the lot was buildable.   Well, actually not.  Verbal assurances had been given, but no one was willing to put it in writing, which was concerning.  This was getting crazy, I needed to make a decision and was tired of living in a motel.  We decided to make an offer on the other Lincoln house, and after a little back and forth, it was accepted.  We were moving to Lincoln!