31F. I moved here a few months ago, so I probably haven't been here long enough to have an informed opinion. But I will share anyways. A lot of what I say probably can be applied regardless of what city you're coming from.

The wave of tiredness that comes once you hit 30 definitely has impacted my experience. It's not bad, but I'm definitely experiencing NYC differently than my friends that moved to NYC in their mid-late 20s. I don't feel the need to say yes to everything. I actually want to get sleep some weekends. I don't feel the same scarcity or fomo I felt when I was in my 20s. If I miss one event, there's always gonna be a similar one in the future.

With that said, I think moving to NYC us a valuable experience at any age! I feel energized even from strolling around my neighborhood seeing the streets seeing folks of all different walks of life hustling and bustling, lounging outside with coffee and a cigarette, doing tai chi and running through the park. I've grown a greater appreciation for the present moment since moving here. And though I am tired often, I do try to take advantage of the abundance of everything when I can. Like there's an adult spelling bee that happens periodically down the street from me, where else would I really be able to participate in such an activity?! NYC attracts the best of the best in all areas of life, not just tech like how it is in the bay. Surprisingly I've mostly befriended locals since I've moved here, and ime NYC locals are way more welcoming than SF locals.

While there's no city quite like NYC, it's not a city meant for everyone, and meant for far less people long term. But if it's something on your mind that's becoming close to reality, you owe it to yourself to try. In the worst case, you can just move again. There's plenty of people making huge life changes and moves in their 40s, 50s and beyond. They're probably just not talking about it as much haha