California Girl
Once and Always
This is a love letter, a goodbye, and a reminder that some places don’t let go of you even when you leave.
California was never the plan.
I was in a snowy city, far from palm trees and sunlit coastlines. But something pulled me west. I packed my belongings and landed in a place that felt like a dream I didn’t even know I had.
The air smelled like the Pacific.
My childhood was on the other side of the ocean, but somehow, California felt familiar. I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge in a red convertible, wind in my hair like a movie scene. I wandered Muir Woods, stood still in Yosemite Valley, spent slow weekends in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Wine tastings in Napa and Sonoma.
City charm in San Francisco.
Mountain calm just a drive away.
Boba runs. Dim sum dinners. Asian fusion in everything. California was where East met West, and I was right at home in the middle.
These sights I’ll miss: Karl the rolling fog. The view of Twin Peaks at night. Gelato in North Beach. Farmer’s market mornings at the Ferry Building. Secret dates in the Japanese Tea Garden. Saturday music at Dolores Park. Sunset at Ocean Beach, surfers still in the freezing water. That golden hour glow.
I came to California chasing light.
I stayed until I learned my own.
I raised two cats and a dog. Built four companies from scratch. Designed nearly a hundred buildings. There were countless hikes, beach days, rooftop cocktails, and stylish brunches with fresh-squeezed orange juice. $15 avocado toasts. Street parking triumphs. Foggy mornings with Blue Bottle coffee. Warm friendships and impossible sunrises.
But not everything was golden. Some things were stolen. Some things broke—people, promises, even parts of myself. There were the best days to remember and long drives down Highway 1 trying to forget. Growth doesn’t come without friction. California held the best of me, and it tested me, too.
Still, I stayed… until I’m leaving.
I’ve outgrown what this version of California holds for me. But I’ll be back. For Boba Guys. Tartine Bakery. Burma Love. In-N-Out Burger. For walks through Marina. For all the memories tucked into corners only I know.
I’ll never stop being a California girl. Even when I’m somewhere else.
No place can stay a dream forever—
the dream is inside of me now.