as i have been prepping and planning for this move over the last few months i have often been asked why i chose new york, so i figured today was as good a time as any to share how i landed here.

when i first began thinking about moving i considered a number of cities, including boston, chicago, and seattle, but in the end i realized new york was where i ultimately wanted to be. below are all the things i took into consideration when selecting my new city.

walkability. man i have missed living in a walkable city. my neighborhood in memphis was walkable but on the whole it is not a city to traverse on foot, and that was a major factor in where i landed next.

public transit. another thing i have sorely missed in recent years. i love being able to get on a bus or train and get to my destination without having to worry about other drivers or figuring out parking. my current place is two blocks from a train stop and walking distance to multiple bus routes and i could not be happier.

major airport. obviously at the moment travel is up in the air, but for a long time i have wanted to live near a major airport that doesn’t require spending extra money on layovers and that offers better flight options. at the moment i’m on the bus line to laguardia and look forward to the opportunities that will afford in the future.

access to the outdoors. a big priority was being somewhere within driving distance of hills and trails so i could explore new weekend hiking options, and i already have a list that i will begin tackling soon.

a new dating pool. look, i know dating is hard everywhere, and it only gets worse as you get older. but i am very much ready to see some new faces around town and on the apps and to have some new conversations. and hopefully fewer pictures of men holding fish [fingers crossed].

opportunities for regional travel. i wanted to be somewhere that affords options for weekend trips, and i’m getting that in spades here. between flights, trains, and my car, the entire northeast is within reach.

a city taking the pandemic seriously. the toughest part of being in memphis the last 8ish months was the city’s apparent decision to pretend we were no longer living in a pandemic. in spite of the low vaccination rate, many restaurants and businesses stopped requiring masks or implementing social distancing requirements and it got to the point where i often didn’t feel safe being out in public. i know new york has its own issues, but i am grateful to be somewhere that is continuing to exercise caution.

the opportunity to be anonymous for a little while. i like being able to go places and not see anyone i know, and i am excited to be anonymous again for some time.

and finally, why not? i’ve always been intrigued by the thought of living in new york, and i feel much better equipped to take on the city at 38 than i think i would have been at 23. i know the city fairly well, i have a great network of family and friends, and i have a much better concept of money and what i want to spend mine on than i would have had i moved here 15 years ago.

it is sure to be an adventure, and i look forward to seeing how it all plays out.

xx