Exciting news: we’re moving!
When my now-husband and I first started getting serious, I sort of assumed (for better or worse) that we’d stay in New York City forever. He’s a born-and-bred New Yorker, and this is the city where we met and started our life together. But one day a couple of years ago–most likely in a snowstorm- or subway-delay-induced fit of anxiety–I grumbled how annoying it was that we’d never leave New York City. I was surprised by his response: he was definitely open to relocating, especially to somewhere with a better quality of life. And with that: the quest of where to relocate began!
We spent most of 2016 and early 2017 considering places to move. Our lease is up at the end of June, which nicely forced us into action–as much as we wanted to leave, it’s a huge, tough, bittersweet decision and I think we needed a little fire under us. We had three main criteria: better weather, more affordable housing, and a growing tech industry (aka jobs for us!). We visited Portland, Austin, Oakland and San Diego (and considered Denver). Although we loved exploring all of the cities–they all seem like vibrant places to live with a lot to offer–there was one that immediately clicked with both of us. Drum roll please…
We’re moving to San Diego! We were seriously so surprised by how much we loved the city when we visited: on our second morning there, David turned to me and said: We’re moving here, right? It was a bit of a last-minute addition to the consideration set (we didn’t book our tickets for our early May trip until mid-April!), but I’m so glad that we did. We were blown away by the wide variety of awesome restaurants, coffee shops and breweries in North Park and Hillcrest, how expansive and beautiful Balboa Park was, the gorgeous ocean sunsets in Pacific Beach. And in terms of our requirements: it’s an average of 70 degrees year-round, we can get a house with a yard for less than our rent in our Bed-Stuy apartment, and the tech scene is definitely on the rise. Long story short: we absolutely loved it, and we’re so thrilled to build our life there.
In terms of logistics: we’ll be leaving New York City in mid-July, with a stopover in Santa Fe (David’s sister is getting married!) and Sacramento (where I’ll be picking up my car).
Once we arrive in San Diego, it’ll be full steam ahead on finding a place to live (the dream is two bathrooms and a backyard, but I’ll settle for anything cute with space for a home office in North Park) and getting settled into our new life in Southern California. An important note: I’m super grateful that I’ll be able to keep my job with Gimlet and start covering accounts on the West Coast (and my husband is luckily able to work remotely for his job as well).
It’s obviously going to be a huge change from New York City, but I’m SO excited for a more laid-back lifestyle and a new part of the country to explore. Not to mention: heading back to my home state! If you have any recommendations for life in San Diego or weekend adventures in Southern California, I’d love to hear them. Yay for a new chapter!
p.s. I’m hosting a little meet-up in Brooklyn this Thursday! Would love to meet some New York readers before heading out to the West Coast if you’re around.
