New York State of Mind

As most of you know, we’ve been living in LA since early 2016. It’s been a wild adventure, with many ups and downs, but ultimately it’s been really fun. We’ve explored this city like no other pair of Aussies could without a car. Have we done road-trips to other parts of the state? No. Have we experienced the thrill of speeding around the bends of Mulholland Drive? Only in the back of a Lyft, and not too fast. We’ve discovered great food, interesting shops and photo-ops by walking literally everywhere we go.

There’s so many little stories I could tell about LA, what it’s really like to live here and how to get by. Probably best to save that for another post.

For now, I want to officially announce that we’re moving to New York in less than 2 weeks! This has been a few months in the works, with secret trips, exiting a role of nearly 5 years, visa renewals and confiding in close friends and family. When you live in a [foreign, lol] country, nothing feels too permanent. And that’s OK, that’s what we like. But we also didn’t want to jinx anything by telling everyone too soon.

So where are we at today? We’ve sold half our furniture, put a deposit on an apartment to rent in Brooklyn (still need to finalize the lease), and we’ve got flights and short-term accommodation organized. We’ve also started getting rid of crap and boxing it up. You know the drill.

So it seems like a fine time to announce it. Alex even has a transfer lined up at a new cafe location opening in Manhattan late September.

We can’t wait to explore New York and the East Coast in general. A totally different climate, four real seasons. Yes, I’m apprehensive about Winter, but weirdly excited about buying a giant puffa jacket and snow boots. We’re both also incredibly excited about being back in a city with decent public transport that people aren’t ashamed about using. We will continue our car-free lifestyle and be within a 9-minute walk of 3 different train/subway hubs.

For now, it’s back to packing and scouring the internet for the perfect couch.