Moving To California, or Fievel Goes West
Moving 2000 miles away is such a GIANT task, y’all. There’s so much to consider, from moving companies to the DMV. Here’s my little guide to thinking ahead for some of the items I encountered.
Ways to move your things
Moving from a shotgun space in New Orleans to a shoebox in San Francisco, I opted to get rid of the majority of my things and start over (Besides, finding new things to love from the side of the street is sort of what I live for). We opted for a U-haul U-Box. They drop off a pod, you fill it, they pick up the pod and ship to your new location.
If you’re bringing ALL of your items, you may want to try to UShip. It’s basically where you can load your things onto an 18-wheeler, possibly with other folks who are also moving, and get things moved far for cheap (think, splitting costs).
I read online that some people even rent space under Greyhound buses, but that must be for a few boxes of prized worldly possessions and your clothes. You can read about it on their website, here. It seems like this may take longer and is based on the space available per trip.
I got my road trip-loving friend to drive my car across country with my plants. He had a blast and I was pretty envious of the journey.
Neighborhood parking
In New Orleans, I had parking at my house. I do not have parking in San Francisco, and in my new neighborhood, there are 2 hour parking zones, so I had to think ahead about how to handle that as soon as my car got here.
In order to get a residential parking sticker, I had to:
change my insurance
get a smog check
register my car in California at the DMV
then, go to the SFMTA and show proof of all of the above for my sticker.
I read online before I got here and I couldn’t make heads of tails of where I needed to start first. Above is the order in which I had to do the tasks. If you’re here for help, you’re welcome.
Health Insurance
Since I’m self-employed, I usually used the Healthcare.gov to pick my insurance. I got to SF during open enrollment, but found that California has their own marketplace. It’s called Covered California. I have linked the website in case you need to check that out.
Forward Your Mail
To do so, go here. Also, update your bills, shipping addresses (amazon!), etc. that come to your house.
That pretty much highlights all of the nightmarish type things I went through. Next, is getting used to your new neighborhoods, areas, which I have been having a BLAST with. New happy hour spots, making new friends, finding your new routines and norms. It’s kind of a magical season for me. I use Yelp for most everything. San Francisco, y’all post a lot of selfies on Yelp HAHA. I love it.
Care for Yourself
One last little tip- don’t forget to be gentle with yourself, before AND after your move. I handled some things well, and a lot of things less gracefully. Change is hard, especially if you’re making changes that are bittersweet. Try to be patient with yourself and take a second to understand why you’re feeling the way that you are. Ask for help if you need it.
Will be adding a few blog posts of my new favorite spots soon enough.
