Two Weeks at Playdom, and Living in San Francisco

Leaping in front of Coit tower. That's the Golden Gate bridge in the background. Well, I’m here. The past week has been a whirlwind of work, play, discovering the city, meeting new people, seeing old friends. I could write 10 pages on everything that has happened but instead I’ll just give some highlights. - There is no “Seattle Freeze” here. Whenever I opened a map up this weekend, people stopped and asked me if they could help. The first time I thought I was lucky, but after the third I realized the culture is just different here. - The hills are unbelievable. I lived on a crazy hill in Seattle, but on this morning’s run, I went up at least 6 that were longer and steeper. This makes biking and walking around the city trickier than just knowing directions via Google Maps. - Not having a car is great and liberating and frustrating at the same time. There are over 12 different types of public transit here, and it’s very confusing. I’m so glad not to have parking issues and I’m getting lots of exercise on my bike. But at times I wish I could hop in a car to get to work. I’m now signed up on Zip Car though… so at least weekend trips are an option. - There’s a crowd in Seattle who are hipster-liberal. People in San Francisco take it to a different level. - Work is awesome. I’m working in games, focusing on bringing our current games at Playdom onto the iPhone. I’m getting great responsibility, and the growth potential and mentorship is exactly what I was hoping for. - I’m psyched to be in touch with so many old friends. Jacob Rios, Chris Warner, Craig Fratrik, Katia Savchuk, Hadley Leggett, Lee Linden, Kim Swanson… Not to mention my cousin Earl… There’s literally someone in this city who has known me through every stage of life. Pretty cool to be back in touch. The house hunt has just begun, and my future roommates (Neema and Joel) and I are trying to navigate the maze that is San Francisco housing. I’m really hoping we end up with a great place that satisfies all our requirements. If I’ve been out of touch, I apologize. I’m barely able to keep up with my new life here, and I’m hoping that once it settles down in October I’ll be able to be in closer touch with my friends and family that I miss so much. -->