A possible change of scenery
Derek Tahara | He/Him/His | Home Temple: Mountain View Buddhist Temple | Current Location: Bay Area, CA
October 15, 2022
For most of my life, I’ve been a homebody. I just like the comfort and warmth of being at home. However, my mindset changed after high school when I went out-of-state for college, with a curiosity to explore. Since graduating college a few years ago, I have had a sense of desire to explore new places and travel.
I’ve wanted to move to a big city for quite some time now. I’ve only lived in small cities my entire life, from growing up in the Bay Area to going to Oregon for college. To where, that’s the biggest question. I have been to Seattle a few times and I love the city every time I visit. Now, for the first time as an adult, I went on a vacation to New York during the last week of August.
Last year for my annual vacation, I went to Las Vegas with one of my college buddies. This Vegas trip was different because I was there to have fun and did not think of Las Vegas as a place I could relocate and reside in.
This year’s New York trip was also about having fun, but special because I wanted to get a sense if I would be able to live in the Big Apple because of the pace of life, diversity of cultures and people, and never-ending places to visit and explore.
My college friend resides in Brooklyn and we were able to hang out for some of the time I was there. During the times he was working throughout the week, I had the opportunity to explore on my own. I learned how to use the subway and which trains go to various places; for example, to get to Washington Square Park, I could take either the Manhattan-bound J or M train, exit off a particular street, and take the uptown F train.
Taking the subway was not as worrisome as I thought it would be, as most people were glued to their phones with their headphones in just trying to get to their destination. On my own, I got to see many different attractions including The Met, MoMa, Washington Square Park, Madison Square Garden, Times Square, and several others.
My friend and I got to go to Central Park, Top of the Rock, and a comedy show. And I met several of his comedian friends at parties, dinners, and other gatherings, even meeting up with one of my childhood friends for dinner one night.
The hustle and bustle of New York City in some sense is like that of the Bay Area, depending on what part of the Bay Area you live in. Could I see myself living in New York? I think it’s hard for me to judge after spending only one week there. However, the subway was easy enough to navigate, the parties, bars and diverse group of people I met would ease a potential transition to New York.
Whether I move to Seattle, New York, or another big metropolitan city, I think the mindset for me is clear: to grow and explore, meet new people, experience different cultures, foods and other luxuries the city has to offer. I just need to make the leap and take a chance.
