After a week in Sequoia surrounded by nothing but trees and quiet, we swapped the forest for a five-bedroom house in Concord, California. That is van life for you.
This was actually our last scheduled house sit through Trusted Housesitters (for now, at least). We have been doing house sits all over the country and they have been an incredible way to explore new places, save money, and give the babies a change of scenery. But we are taking a break from scheduling them for the summer so we can have more flexibility with our route. We will still do sits in Minneapolis when we are back, but for now, the West Coast has so much public land that we want to take advantage of the freedom.
The Concord house sit
The house was gorgeous. Five bedrooms, a big patio, a hammock, and a heated pool, and we happened to be there during perfect weather for all of it. The animal lineup was no joke either: two indoor cats, Sadie and Lulu, two dogs, Massie and Bandit, and one outdoor cat named Gogo Lemon. Add in our zoo and it was a full house.
Mav and Goose stayed in the van because that is where they are the most comfortable. They have their setup, their routine, and honestly, they prefer it. Rooster on the other hand got to hang out inside the house with Massie and Bandit and had the best time. Those three were great playmates. Sadie and Lulu were sweet and cuddly too, especially when the dogs were not inside.
The neighborhood was great. We had everything walking distance or a quick bus ride away, so we did not even have to move Charlie the entire week. That is always a win.
A day in San Francisco with Lori
The whole reason we wanted a sit in the Bay Area was so we could finally visit San Francisco, and it did not disappoint. We took public transit into the city and spent a full day with our coworker Lori, who lives in the area. Lori also works for Abundo and we have met up with her before at team gatherings (the Abundo Wealth team gets together once a year), but this was the first time we got to see her on her home turf. We love making time to visit coworkers when we are in their part of the country, and Lori had an entire itinerary planned for us.
We started at Blue Bottle Coffee in the Ferry Building, which was the perfect way to kick things off. From there we walked to Maison Nico near the Transamerica Pyramid for lunch, then over to Molinari Deli in North Beach. We hit Stella Pastry after that because you cannot go to North Beach and skip dessert.
After eating our way through the city we headed to Tunnel Tops Park in the Presidio, which has incredible views, and then made our way to Ocean Beach. We finished the day at Battery Spencer, the lookout point for the Golden Gate Bridge, and yes, we got to cross the bridge too. The whole day was one for the books.
One of the best parts of working remotely and traveling full time is that we get to turn coworker relationships into real friendships. Lori is someone we genuinely love spending time with, and getting a full day together exploring her city was special.
Would we do it again?
Absolutely. San Francisco surprised us with how much we loved it and we are already planning to go back. The Bay Area is expensive, no question, but between house sitting and public transit we spent way less than we expected. Concord was a great home base and the sit itself was one of our favorites.
We loved the city, we loved the animals, and we loved the week. Sometimes the best van life weeks are the ones where you are not even in the van.
Have you explored San Francisco or done a house sit in the Bay Area? Drop us a comment, we would love to hear your experience.
Wandering with Charlotte 
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