I moved 8 times in my 20s and absolutely loved it but I’m getting pretty tired of it now

I think I’m entering my nesting phase soon. Maybe it’s starting now.

I crave the experience of having my own space and furnishing it. Curating art for its walls. Bringing in plants. Having a pet cat and golden retreiver.

First, I lived in New Jersey while working in New York. I went into the office in Midtown Manhattan while still living out of my father’s house in New Jersey for the 2 years I worked at my first tech startup job. I’d wake up every day at like 5:45am, catch the 7am bus to Port Authority on 40th then walk a half mile to the Sprinklr office on 35th street by 8:30am. Of course, me being me, I never went home after work so I would often be on the “late” bus from Port Authority’s 3rd floor or calling late night Ubers home. I do not miss the commuter life.

And so I was off to live my west coast life

Ok so this ^^^ was a picture I had saved in my IG vision board

And this is literally the furnished kitchen in my first Santa Barbara home, TELL ME I didn’t MANIFEST THIS. I started to dream bigger and paint larger visions after this came to be.

Then I moved to Santa Barbara with only my summer clothes and skincare stuff so I needed to find a furnished bedroom. I used Craigslist and landed a spot on Anapamu which was perfect because I had no intention of getting a car and it was close to everything. I’d bike to the beach like 3-4 times a week and walk to the local farmer’s market on the weekends.

It was a cute little house with a gorgeous view of the palm trees and big sky but it did not feel like home.

I lived in a 3BR, 2BA with 4 roommates in a house off Los Olivos, tucked away from the main street and my room was all the way upstairs, away from the rest of the house. I loved it :’)

So 6 months later, I moved again within Santa Barabra to another house around Los Olivos. I loved it there. My bedroom looked like something out of a storybook and I enjoyed furnishing it. Although it was California, we had a fireplace in the living room. Jesse would intentionally buy the crackling firewood so it felt super cozy at night. It was a bit further from the main street but I enjoyed the walk. My roommates were some of the kindest, funniest people I’ve met. In the mornings, I’d take my coffee outside on the porch and watch the bunnies race across our front yard. I often imagined this is how Oprah must feel when she’s sitting outside with her thoughts in her home in Montecito. 

Returned back to the bustling NYC

My tiny, minimalist little bedroom in Hells Kitchen

A year later, I sold all my furniture and packed my suitcase to move to Seoul

I felt too restless and moved back to New York. I lived in Hell's Kitchen with two lovely roommates, both who enjoyed cooking and baking so coming home after work meant I was met with the smell of delicious cookies or Italian pastas. Linsey was big on Christmas and while the apartment was small, she still managed to pull out loads of decorations from a tiny little closet and deck out our place for the holidays. My bedroom had a fire escape which is where I spent most of my days, especially during the pandemic, which is when I put a lot of thought into the “job” of my apartment and the purpose of living in the city.

The startup I was working for decided to not renew our WeWork lease so we got to essentially WFA (work from anywhere).

Work from anywhere, why not Seoul?

The night view from my house in Haebangchon. This is about the time I’d start working 8pm KST / 9am EST.

The sunrise view from my AirBNB in Gangnam. This about the time I’d finish up work, 5am KST / 6pm EST.

(Pardon the mess, it took some time to settle in)

So I moved to Seoul. For a while, I stayed with my family in the apartment. Then, I moved to Haebangchon in a shared house with 2 other expats. I lived in a house on a hill and my morning alarm clock was the vegetable truck announcing what was for sale over the megaphone. 

Then I moved within Seoul. For the rest of my time in that city, I decided to venture on my own and rent a long term AirBNB in Gangnam. I loved living on my own. It was a cute little office-tel style place with a lofted bed and plenty of sunlight. Here’s a tour I filmed for you. I was near the subways and bus stations and very close to all the dermatologist offices as I got facials regularly. 

I quit my job while in Seoul and without any plan, I moved back into my father’s house in New Jersey. I had no idea what I wanted to do but I had this faith that I’d figure it out over time.

Then to the West Village on 10th and Bleecker

My view from walking home after work during my first week. :)

I landed my next job and wanted to be within walking distance to the office. I moved into an apartment in the West Village with two roommates, one of them being cleaner than I was, which was huge. I’m typically the cleanest. I enjoyed the neighborhood, particularly in the fall with all the cute coffee shops and jazz bars around me. We had a private backyard and while the building was on 10th and Bleecker, it was eerily quiet in our unit, which was a blessing considering how loud it was on the street with the nightlife and everyone on their stoops.

Then to the Upper East Side, 3 blocks from Central Park

The first day I moved in

Two nights before I moved out, with my hair in a bun, honey mask on my face, and my roommate’s dog in my lap

I broke my lease early to land my next place in the Upper East Side. This was my first time moving within New York and with furniture. I texted a moving company I saw on Facebook and they were 2 guys that essentially moved all my stuff - bed, luggage of clothes, and 1 drawer. I lost my standing light during the move because one of the guys put it outside the freight elevator where the recycling door was and when we watched the security footage, I saw a woman grab it. “Welcome to your NYC apartment,” I thought. I lived with two roommates here and one of them got a puppy shortly after we moved in. While I only had cats in previous apartments, living with a dog brought me so much joy. Having something to care for and always happy to see you makes such a difference. :’)

Now, where to???

Today, I’m out of my Upper East Side place and back in New Jersey until I figure out my next play. Very grateful to have a temporary landing place close to New York.

The dream is to settle down somewhere eventually

Long term though - I have no idea where but I’ve got faith I’ll figure it out soon. Maybe it’s a couple more stops until I decide to really put down roots and call a city my home for real while.

I’m excited to do that though, to have a place that’s mine, a community I’m part of, people outside of work who I see weekly, a routine I walk daily with my dog, a grocery store I go to regularly, a running club I’m part of, an annual block party I help host, and to be the place that gives full size candy bars on Halloween.

That’s the eventual dream.