Everything Can Change in a New York Minute

Even though I had visited 48 of the 50 states in the US by the time I was 14, I still have yet to visit several major American cities, but the list of such cities I need to visit has definitely shrunk a lot in the last couple of years. I can’t tell how serious I am about moving. A big part of me is really excited about possibly moving. Another part of me still feels like a Georgia boy, terrified to leave the state that has been my home for nearly 25 years.

I sort of feel like all the little weekend trips I’ve taken since I’ve been living in Warner Robins have been kind of test drives to see if I’d like to make it my next home. While many of the trips have been for bridge, many have been just to “visit” friends. Over the last 3 years, I’ve taken weekend trips to Boston, NYC, Washington DC, Dallas, Las Vegas, LA, San Diego, San Francisco, Nashville, Seattle, Saint Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh. Boston, NYC, and San Fran definitely stand out as my favorites but I don’t think I want to move out west anymore. Maybe I was influenced more by who I was with when I visited (Mila, Megan, and Dana), but those 3 cities have a lot of character and seem to cater very well to single 20-something males. I have been told Vancouver and Montreal are great places, too, and it is kind of surprising that I haven’t been to Montreal. With the heavy French influence in Montreal, I should like the place. That’s tentatively on the calendar for an August visit but I may have to move it up sooner than that.

Don’t get me wrong. Macon/Warner Robins is actually quite a great place to live. I could totally be happy settling down here if I had someone to settle down with. In the mean time, I want to go exploring, even if it means being miserable a lot and starting my social life over, which may actually be harder in a big city where friendships may tend to be less intimate. At least I already have a few friends who live in the places I am looking to move to but who knows how long they will be there.

I hear about some of my other friends, 3 or 4 years removed from getting their undergrad degree looking for a new adventure as well – some starting their own business, going back to grad school, taking a sabbatical, or just changing jobs – it makes me not think I’m so crazy for entertaining these thoughts so much.