Welcome home !

With these kind words, the immigration officer at the airport in San Francisco greeted me. Even though I have permanent resident status, I have to go through passport control, just like everyone else, including citizens.

For over a week, Dean and I have lived together San Francisco. My first impressions have been very positive. We live in the city, but our new neighborhood is relatively quiet.  There are a construction sites around us, but it is still a lot quieter than our Bellevue apartment.

Right by near us there is a huge baseball stadium. I have no idea which famous games took place here, but I quickly recognized that this is the same stadium on which Kanye West himself proposed to his famous chosen one ... :) Dean tells me that that is where the San Francisco Giants won the 2014 World Series baseball championship.

Our high-rise is also situated by the port of San Francisco. From a close distance we see impressive cargo ships.

We also have a wonderful marina and a boulevard by the Bay - great for long weekend walks or bike trips. On the streets you can see also my favorite palm trees, and listen to seagull squawks. We also can't complain about the weather; almost all the time it is around 20 degrees Celsius.

There don't seem to be many smaller shops or kiosks here. To my surprise, there are not as many Starbucks cafes around. But there are a lot of buses and even trams, and not only ones for tourists.

I always wanted to live by the water and now I can say that my dream has come true. Dean also seems very happy with his new job, to which, surprisingly for American standards, he can walk.

And here are some pictures of our district, Mission Bay: