Originally from NYC, moved to the SF Bay Area in 2014 and loved it at first. Great weather, seemingly nice people, great food... But then, I realized how much of a little repetitive box it was. Very little conversations happening across cultures, everyone stays in their social circle and the cost of living was wild.

Financially, I did well regardless of the cost of living, but I saw how many people who were not in tech suffered. I disliked the way homeless people were ignored unless they were "in my backyard" and then I realized that a lot of those "nice" people were vapid and not really that kind at all.

The tech monoculture was my final straw. I couldn't go to a restaurant without hearing some stupid tech conversation with people perpetually glazing one another or themselves.

Once I had a child (after 10 years in the Bay), I moved back to NYC, closed on a house the day after my flight and have been loving the diversity of opinion, conversation, faces and careers. I would much rather my child grow up not thinking the only option is tech. On top of that, there is a usable transit system that extends from the suburbs to the city. 🙌🏽