Moving to NYC

Every now and then, it’s good to shake things up. It’s easy to fall into routines. They’re comfortable. But when you’re comfortable, you stop growing, changing, and improving. If I’m honest, I’ve been comfortable for too long. I moved to Seattle in 2005. I’ve love this city – from its natural beauty, and cool, gray skies to it’s coffee culture, and ecologically, friendly idealism. I love that in mid-to-late June every year, the sun sets at 10pm. I even love the rain here. However, it’s time to move on.

I’m moving to New York City at the end of July! I’ll be leaving Seattle on July 17, for a short visit in San Diego with family, before heading to New York. I’m pretty excited! I’m really looking forward to exploring New York City.

Why New York City

When I moved to Seattle in 2005, I didn’t know anything about it – other than it rained a lot. I came here because a friend of mine said I’d love Seattle, and their was a job opportunity. I had never been to Seattle before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. What I discovered was that I loved it. My friend was right. I was seeing a part of the United States I had never seen before and I was in awe. I still love this area.

New York is different. I’ve visited New York many times during my life. I already knew I loved the city. But my previous trips to the city had always been for no more than a week or two. I always left feeling like I didn’t get to see enough of it. As a city, New York does a lot of things right – they have a public transit system that people from all groups of society use. In contrast, only poor people ride the bus in Los Angeles and Orange County, where owning a car distinguishes the haves from the have nots. New York also has culture of art and theater, people care about preserving the city’s history, and the buildings and places that came before. There’s also a significantly larger number of Spanish speakers than in Seattle. That’s a good thing, as I’ll have more opportunities to practice and develop my Spanish skills. I’m also trying to learn American Sign Language (ASL).  It’s an extension of my interest in accessibility. Also, I love skyscrapers, and city skylines – especially when they are lit up at night. Each one is different from the next, adding to the fabric of the city. New York’s skyline is world renowned.

In the back of my mind, I’ve always thought I’d move to NYC someday. I never had a plan for it though. The catalyst that triggered my upcoming move next month was my brother encouraged me to move to NYC. My current apartment lease in ending, and that aligned with the scheduled end date of my web development contract. So it just feels like now is the right time. Carpe diem!

Tips and Recommendations

While I can find my way around the city, I don’t have any knowledge about which borough / neighborhood to look at for finding an apartment. It can be difficult to provide tips or recommendations when you don’t have any context or if you don’t know them well. So allow me to tell you a few things about me.  Professionally I’m at PHP Web Developer. I’m learning Spanish and American Sign Language. I don’t drink alcohol. I’ll primarily be taking the subway ( but may use Lyft or Uber as a backup). I love going out to brunch, drinking coffee but drink it decaf, dim sum, walking around the city, watching movies, and reading books. Oh, and I love cookies.

So, dear reader, I’d like to know your recommendations to the following questions, and any tips you may have for a soon-to-be resident. Please include the borough / neighborhood in your answers.

1. What is your favorite cafe / coffee shop?
2. What’s your favorite Mexican restaurant / food truck?
3. Who makes the best black and white cookies?
4. Where should I go for Dim Sum?
5. Where should I watch retro movies? e.g. Back to the Future, Tron, Pulp Fiction
6. Are there specific places I should avoid?
7. Is there something you think I should know, that I forgot or just didn’t know. to ask?