New York City and Me

Oct 14, 2006

You know, I really like New York City.

When I was living in Los Angeles, I didn’t really like it. I tolerated it. I knew some people there, my job was great, there were certainly things to recommend it. But the city itself wasn’t of any interest to me. I didn’t like the average Los Angelino, I didn’t like the traffic, I didn’t like the weather, I didn’t like the culture. I accepted those things because I had people and stuff there I did like.

In New York, though, I actually like the city. New Yorkers are pretty cool. Snow and seasons are pretty cool. The subway is ridiculously cool. The culture is fun. The fires of hell that New Yorkers call summer are absolutely not cool, but as far as downsides go, that’s an acceptable one.

I also seem to fit better here. Over the past week, I’ve eaten meals with a total of 20 different people, I’ve seen a Broadway show, I’ve spent multiple hours on multiple nights just chatting with folks, and I’ve been in 4 different states. I never did that kind of stuff in LA. I’ve made more friends here in a little over a year than I made in LA in five.

Between everything I’ve mentioned and having moved something like 8 times in the past 6 years, it’s probably not surprising that the prospect of leaving to go back to LA is not exactly one I’m looking forward to. That’s been my plan for the last few months, though, and the time of departure is fast approaching.

So, to cut a long story short, I’ve decided that I’m going to try to stay. I had a friend of mine that works at Google throw my resume into the referral pile, and I’m going to investigate other companies I might work for. I’m loathe to consider leaving my job in LA, but if that’s what it takes to stay here, I’m willing to do so.