Two Years in NYC
I have been in NYC for over 2 years officially now. I have survived 2 winters and 2 summers. The summers here are much worse than the winters. A lot has happened in 2 years... we lost our Charlie a few months after moving here to pancreatitis. We have since adopted our Ella, who has definitely become "my" dog. :-) . I have worked on several projects and have worked at two different companies. I have walked to work as a daily commute, and now I get to ride the subway and believe it or not, I really do enjoy it. It is fascinating the people you see.
I have switched from C# to Python as my primary development language. I have switched from PC to Mac, but that is not by choice, I still love Windows. I have coded in Xamarin, Python, and even Go. I have created a mobile application using IoT devices with an amazing team at Huge.
I currently have the best job I have ever had, yes even better than ShareBuilder and SerialsSolutions. I love the team and I learn new things about the finance industry everyday. It is quite an interesting industry.
I have been to several shows, Nutcracker (NYC Ballet), Rockette's Christmas Spectacular, Chicago, Aladdin, Hello Dolly (twice, Bernadette and Bette), Groundhog Day, Waitress, and a few more. It was quite a bit of Broadway.
Ok, let's talk about NYC. There are a few things that (ok a lot) that make NYC an amazing place. You can live here and truly never own a car. You can walk and subway anywhere you NEED to go. You can order food through Seamless 24 hours a day. I'm not sure that is a good thing, but it is a fact. Things stay open later than anywhere I have ever been, except maybe Vegas. It is amazing. You have access to everything you could want, art, music, food, and if you want to get involved in a cause, they have all of them here. You can meet new people everyday, even if you don't want to. Whatever the weather is, you are IN IT. It isn't hop from A/C home to A/C car, but hop from A/C home (probably a window unit that only cools 1/2 of your place) to 20 minute walk in 90 degree temps to the subway. You will live in a smaller place than you have probably every lived in before, except maybe college.
I am thinking of stopping this from being a solid tech blog and want to write more about life experiences that I have learned. It is funny to watch kids today who think they have it all together and what is important and what isn't and they can't have a face to face conversation for 20 minutes without texting, snapping, or checking their random device for something.
I have learned that FOMO is a real thing for people here in NYC and it is almost debilitating to some. They are driven by it. I realize when you miss out on a lot of things you get to be present in what is happening in your life.
The thing I have learned most about 2 years in NYC is everyone in the U.S. should live here for at least a year. You should experience it all and then go to where you love, and you may find out that NYC is where you love.
I have lived in Georgia, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, New York, and some brief time in Oklahoma, California, and Texas. They all have their special qualities, except Lawton, OK, that place sucked. But you need to figure out what is REALLY important, is it the weather, the culture, the people, the space, the seasons, the traffic, the opportunity, the political biases... what is important? I love spending time with my wife and dogs and love walking around random places.
All in all, life is amazing here and I found my work home. I found my dream job, and some great food. I would say great restaurants but well, Seamless, so not sure about the actual restaurant but the food is great. If you don't know Seamless... if you move to NYC, you will.
Things to invest in before moving here:
- Good waterproof shoes/boots
- Good scarf, you'll need it for no apparent reason
- A mini umbrella that is easy to carry 24x7
- A good apartment - we got so lucky.
- Check water temp and pressure (sink, tub, shower, kitchen)
- Check A/C unit or options on how to install one
- Walk your commute during rush hour at least once.
- Check your distance to bodega, grocery store, and laundry
- Get an MTA card (hopefully your job will cover it)
So that's my experience in NYC so far. I love it. I love leaving it briefly... but love so much coming "home". I think I will always have a love/hate with this city forever now. It ruins you but can make you a better person. You need to remember that the "grind never stops" but that doesn't mean you don't have to stop. Enjoy your moments, they are very special and memories last much longer than things.