Miles grew up in the charming town of Media, Pennsylvania. After grad school, he headed west to join IDEO, chasing his dreams in SF’s buzzing creative world.

Holly’s journey began far from there, in Juneau, Alaska, with a port down the road and brown bears occasionally threatening her cat in the backyard. At 11, her family moved to Topeka, Kansas, where she stayed through college. West Coast always had her heart however. As soon as she could, she struck out for California, a place that felt like home even before she arrived.

And there they were—Miles & Holly—in the same city for years, yet unaware of eachother. Finally in 2019, they met on Hinge, a dating app where lots of people meet, but few people expect much to be made of those meetings. After bonding over the tragic lack of Dunkin’ Donuts on the West Coast, Miles suggested a dinner date. Who asks for a dinner date these days? Holly thought. But it was a welcome, if unconventional, change. They met at Monk’s Kettle, a cozy gastropub close to Holly’s place—conveniently located in case the night called for an early exit, as sometimes happens when you meet strangers online.

Where the Story Began

But an early escape was unnecessary. They stayed until Monk’s Kettle was closing, then headed across the street to Kilowatt for the strongest drinks known to man, and to hang at what’s now their favorite dive bar.

From then on, their worlds started to blend. Miles introduced Holly to his IDEO and MICA friends with bar trivia nights at Vinyl Wine and Coffee Bar, and long ski weekends at Marco’s place in Tahoe Donner. Holly, in turn, introduced Miles to 369—her housemates Brenna, Julia, Kat, Sam, and others who shared a stereotypical SF house and threw the best Halloween parties and Dolores Park get-togethers. Holly was also in a band with her friends Jason, Meredith, Sean, and Starla.

Who’s in a band these days? Miles thought, how rare and cool is that? He loved the creative chaos at Great Highway shows, where Holly sung on stage.

Still, they weren’t “official” yet. In San Francisco, many couples stay in what’s known as a “situationship” until they sign a lease together in the face of sky-high rents. They then either get married or break up within six months.

Though they didn’t move in together just yet, their relationship took a turning point during that year’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival. Sitting on a grassy hill, overlooking the Iron & Wine set, they decided it was time to call themselves “boyfriend and girlfriend.” Before long, they’d booked Thanksgiving in Seattle with Holly’s brother, Jeff, and sister, Amanda, and flights back to Pennsylvania for Christmas.

In Pennsylvania, Holly met Miles’s high school friends—Ashley, Sam, Melissa, Tom, Elizabeth, Rachel, and Joe, affectionately known as the Octo Crew—and experienced the warmth and chaos of a Holenstein Christmas at Aunt Jen’s. Holly fit right in, watching anime with Miles’s brother, Dylan, and bonding over Chinese food with his sister, Alice.

The pandemic hit in 2020, bringing them closer together in all the best ways. They finally signed that lease in early 2021, then bought a condo on Orange Street in 2022. Nowadays, you can find them at a local trivia night or barcade, where Holly is most likely crushing Miles in Mario Kart. Othertimes, They will be traveling with their friends, or at home DIYing. They enjoy spending time with their cats, Luna and Serena, named after characters from Sailor Moon, and exploring the Bay Area, their home for the foreseeable future.

As for what comes next, the story continues…