My First Two Months In Reno
Wow, it’s been a while since I posted anything. It’s been just over two months since I moved here and on the eve of my 61st birthday, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the move thus far.
A little back story about my place. When I visited Reno back in November 2022, I went by one complex and determined it wasn’t for me so I went back to the hotel room feeling a little down; thinking this was going to be easy, I’d find a place I loved and that would make the decision to move here easy. Even though it was later in the day, I got back online and found this place called The Retreat. It is a new complex with 1 and 2 bedrooms and townhomes. It was only 4 miles from my hotel so I got back in my truck and made the short drive.
As I pulled up in front of the rental office, which turns out it’s the clubhouse for the complex, I knew this was it. The view was spectacular and the clubhouse had everything. Event space, gym, pool general entertainment area, work rooms, putting green, hot tub and barbecue area.
I looked at 2 one-bedroom units and they were what I wanted. All new; each having outdoor space and the price wasn’t that bad; of course, I was coming in from the Bay Area where the units I looked at would have been twice the price. On my drive back to the hotel, I felt great; maybe this would be easier than expected. As it turned out, it was I would sign up for a 2 bedroom; the 1 bedroom just wasn’t going to be big enough, no place for my workspace.
I chose the unit layout I wanted and made sure it was on the third floor; I didn’t want anyone above me; though as it turns out, I really don’t hear people, so there’s that and it was the same rent as I was paying in Berkeley, but more space and 2 bathrooms. Yes someone who never has guests needs two bathrooms; here’s hoping that will change.
I showed up in the afternoon of my move; the mover would be coming the next morning, with my truck loaded down anxious to see my place. As you can see from the main photo some units face the view, while others do not. Well, they took me to my unit and when I came in, looked around then went to my deck, my heart jumped; I HAD A FUCKING VIEW! I’ve never had a view before, how could I have lucked out?
Ok, being on the third floor has shown me how out of shape I am. It took me over two hours to unload the truck; it was packed in. I thought I was going to die walking up and down the stairs as well as breathing in thinner air; I guess I wasn’t 20 anymore, or even 30 or 40. I got everything in and couldn’t find the toilet paper; yes I made sure I packed food for the night, but couldn’t find the toilet paper. Luckily the shopping area was very close so off to Walmart I went.
A Place for Everything
My home in Berkeley for the past 12 years
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my cottage in Berkeley. I felt lucky to have found it and my landlords were great. I saw their kid grow to 4 and it felt like home. But as time went on, it stopped working. Working from home I think pushed it over the top; also I had a piano and a Peloton so the living room was split into four different areas. Also, the kitchen and bath needed lots of work and I found it overwhelming to maintain; I allowed my stuff to overtake my living space; in truth, I should have purged myself of all the stuff I purged since my move.
My new space has a place for everything, and I chose to get rid of tons of stuff either through selling, putting on the sidewalk, or bringing it to the resale shop for donation. On the last day of my move the sidewalk in front of my house was packed with stuff; I hope it went fast so my landlord didn’t need to deal with it. I should have taken pics.
Because my cottage was packed, I hadn’t had a dining area for 12 years, yes I ate on the sofa all the time, which probably was ok, being just me, but it became so I never had anyone over.
But now, I have a dining area, now I just have to find guests. My new space isn’t huge, but I find it’s just right for me and the flow of it works well.
And my piano has a lovely little space, not crammed next to printers and a desk.
I have a huge walk-in closet which is so nice to have; I’ve never had a walk-in closet. And though having a yard to garden, I look forward to using my balcony. I also have an office right to the left of the piano with a pass-through to that bathroom. I have so many cabinets in the kitchen space, I can’t even fill them all. It’s so nice having a place for everything.
Venturing Out
I’ve forgotten what it’s like being in a snowstorm; we’ve had a few since I’ve been here. The feeling when you get up, it’s snowing outside and you know you’ll be in for the day, like this past Saturday. I had planned to get out to a bar and as I was getting up to get ready, we got hit with a snowstorm so I grabbed a beer and settled in for the night; oh well there’s always another night to go out.
But as the weather starts to become nicer I’ve been venturing out to discover other parts of Reno. What I am amazed at, nothing ever is far away. Unlike the Bay Area where going 18 miles can take you an hour; we don’t have that traffic problem.
One of the things I’m doing to get out and about is looking at property; luckily Zillow and others post the address so it’s easy to go by and take a peek. Mainly looking for empty land for a place to park my RV, when I get him. There are areas that to me, seem reasonable, but then how much more would one need to spend to get electricity and water implemented? I guess solar is an option in the short term and my camper will come equipped with solar.
Anyway, this past weekend I went to look at a property and the drive was spectacular.
Once you got off the expressway, the road wound up the mountain. Reno is at 4200 ft and where I went was @6300, so another couple thousand feet higher in the sky. We had just had a light snowstorm the night before and so everything was freshly covered in white.
This drive showed me I made the right decision in moving here. As much as I loved the Bay Area and all its beauty, the mountains definitely uplift me differently, but will I think this in the summer when everything dries out and it’s brown? We’ll see, but then winter will come and it’ll be all white again.
So how have my first two months been? Well, so far so good. I still feel like I’m settling in, not quite home yet, but then I’m not sure I’m looking for my apartment to become home like my cottage was; time will tell. I love sitting at my desk and not being hit in the back of my head by the Peloton, or having to walk through the maze of my stuff to get to the kitchen. But mostly as I drive down the road in my four-wheeler truck, I feel I am right where I need to be at this moment.