In the early spring of 2023, I took my flight from Zurich to New York.
I hopped off the plane at JFK with my rugged mullet, a juiced-up social battery, and seven polos of assorted colors in my carry-on.
I wrote down my NYC goals in the spring and I will share some of them in this post.
Try something different. The nomad experience is unique, and while I’ve been on and off for it for years, I wanted to literally and figuratively park my belongings in one place
Learn from and network with the best in software
Experience New York City. Slow down to enjoy the process and enjoy the journey. People all over the world can only dream of living there
Rekindle old friendships, plus build a network
New York Was Never on the Radar
I am reflecting on the overall journey. If you had told me I’d be living in New York 10 years ago, I would have thought that was a little random just because I never thought of it as a city for me.
Maybe it’s the Sagittarius in me, but I’ve always believed some of the best situations end up happening unplanned and when we least expect it. The best example I always like to give is my experience in Brazil. I was supposed to move to Shanghai for work in Spring of 2020 before Covid hit. I had to pivot, so I decided on a whim to buy a one-way ticket to Brazil later in the fall. I stayed there for 6 months while working remotely. I learned Portuguese and looking back it was really random, but the overall experience turned out to be one of my favorite memories of my lifetime to this date.
I am drawing a comparison from that to how I see my experience in New York panning out similarly for 2023 and 2024. I say that because New York City was admittedly never on the radar while I was growing up in the midwest. It was always California.
The California dream was cemented in my mind and I always made it a goal of mine to live in San Francisco. I always had this vision of working in tech and surfing after work. That dream was fulfilled yet will never die at the same time. I had the privilege of living there 2017-2019 before I sacrificed that for my full time nomad stint.
But a series of events have lead me to be open-minded to experience the charm of New York and I was there to take full advantage of that opportunity.
Easy Decisions, Big Decisions
Two of the most important decisions you can make in your lifetime will ultimately shape who you are and who you become.
The first is choosing who is your lifelong partner.
The second is less obvious.
It’s where you decide to live.
I did the exercise of “design the person you’d like to be in 3-5 years” and determined the only place in the world that could mold me into that future-state Wilson was New York City.
And I already made a commitment to myself to dedicate 2024 to New York City - Year 2.
I can’t take credit for that quote, but I think that makes complete sense. A career. An impact. Friends. A Community. All of those things also shape who you ultimately become, but they are dependent on top of the place you live in.
Friends. They’re the Best.
Speaking of choosing “who is your lifelong parter”, I think my favorite overall memory of this year was Michelle’s surprise engagement party that David K (her now fiancé) organized, threw, and flawlessly executed. It was a big deal because Michelle is my childhood friend, and our friendship has thrived for multiple decades and counting.
Moments like these make me slightly regret not attending some of my friends’ weddings from previous years.
When I reflect on the closer friendships I’ve made in New York, many of them originated from friends of friends - Michelle introduced me to Hans and Jeff who introduced me to David L. Bianca introduced me to Colleen. Anish introduced me to Zia and Aaquil who introduced me to Ashwin. The list goes on.
I really appreciate the “my friends are your friends” mentality and I hope to provide the same “platform” to others.
I specifically wanted to call out this section because over the years I have identified Friendship as one of my top four core values.
“The Flatiron Penthouse”
After a one and half month sublease ended in Williamsburg (thanks Andres for the space!), I still remember deciding among four options:
1. living alone in a studio in East Village
2. a shared, not-too-alluring-but-gets-the-job-done place in Kips Bay
3. a shared place in Williamsburg
Or 4. the Flatiron Penthouse.
I had an entire pros and cons list that I still review and find funny after-the-fact. I met my three prospective roommates, and after I “accepted”, I felt like Chad Smith joining the Red Hot Chili Peppers when they needed a new drummer. We ended up blending in very well and I couldn’t be more appreciative of their warm welcome.
Thank you for the memories Tyler, Connor, and Lawrence. (PS - Connor’s father is the G-est father of them all.)
And from there, the Manhattan Boys were born. Connor invited me to his lake house in Tennessee, which was an incredible experience. They started becoming my really good friends and we had countless heart to hearts under the disco ball, nights out, and hosted events where we busted out the typewriter to remember our guests.
Let’s Replay the Highlight Reel.
Some of the big events in chronological order from New York City - Year 1
Reuniting with Jasper and Natalie
Hosting my first tech event in Williamsburg
David L’s birthday at Batsu! and Fleur Room
Being scientists at Brooklyn Bridge Park with Bryan and Carlos
The Dinner Table event - the first one was my favorite because a) it was friends only and b) it was hosted at the Flatiron Penthouse
Michelle’s surprise engagement party that David K organized, threw, and flawlessly executed
Vintage Culture sunset boat party overlooking the statue of liberty, then Brooklyn Mirage the same night
Michelle’s bday party at Wiggle Room (rip the espresso martini’s)
Bills at Jets Monday Night Football game at Metlife Stadium where Aaron Rodgers tore his achilles but the Jets won in OT with a walk-off punt return for TD
Colleen’s birthday in k-town then Den Social lol
“Oklahoma takes NYC” reunion at the Flatiron Penthouse
Halloween Weekend: Michelle’s, McKenzie’s (and EV after), and Saturday at Flatiron Penthouse and EV part 2
The last weekend: my send off party, Talia’s bday, Lawrence and everyone else running the NYC marathon
Not Always Rainbows and Sunshine
People tell me I’m a really positive person, and I would say I am 80% of the time, which is usually the only part that I project in social settings.
In regards to the theme of friendship, when my friends are struggling, I’ve tried to make a bigger effort to reach out and offer to be somebody they can talk to and not expect anything back. There were tough situations I also went through throughout the year like a personal relationship and restructuring at work.
This was an important aspect that I think would be disingenuous if I left out, and I’ve started to put more emphasis on constructive negatives because it makes me real and it makes me human. There are things for me to work on for the future that I’m grateful New York City - Year 1 taught me.
I Wanted Different, and I Got it
There’s an “edge” to being a foreigner. Nomading in different places made me feel like I’ve conquered the place.
New York City - Year 1 made me feel close to the opposite of that, and it was fun to experience it. I was not successful in outgrowing New York nor will I ever be. It will never be Wilson 1, New York 0. Lastly, one full year means I am very new.
There Seems to Always be a “Part 2”
I like to think of the journey as a multi-part TV series. There are episodes that are longer than others. There are different chapters and stages. Recurring characters. Recurring themes. Times that make you laugh and times that make you cry.
My network of friends and professionals has increased significantly and I’m thankful for the people I have met this year.
The mullet is gone, the social battery is drained, and the luggage is polo-less and a wardrobe portfolio diversified with more than just Banana Republic-only stock.
Thank you New York. Thank you friends. You made me better this year than I could have imagined. On to the next adventure before the tapes start rolling for New York City - Year 2.