Farewell New York City

Seven and a half years ago I woke up from a crazy dream, that I had moved to New York City, with a fashion dream, and suitcases full of winter pieces I'd never gotten a chance to show off in LA. I saw myself walking through Soho, going to brunch in Harlem, and ending out my summers at the "Everyday People" day parties in Brooklyn. 

For the next six months I planned out my impromptu move across the country, and without any major obstacles in my way, I packed my entire world into four suitcases, shipped off my car, and put the rest in the hands of a moving company, hoping these things would remind me of my world I was leaving behind. 

0-100 Welcome to New York.

My first two weeks in New York were an emotional rollercoaster. Leaving out of LAX was super surreal,and upon arriving in JFK I was like, this is it! I initially gave myself a goal of 3 -5 years of staying in New York with a plan to work in someone's show room or fashion house, magazine fashion closet, and at least one NYFW show per season.

One of the major anxiety triggers for me wasn't the fact that I knew only two people in the entire state, but more of how the fuck was I going to learn how to use this transit system, and not only use it, but how was I going to NOT get lost.

I obsessed learning the train lines from Brooklyn to "the city" aka midtown Manhattan for the first few months. The 2 uptown to 42nd street Times Square, the 4 or 5 express trains, the Q train to 42nd street. The Red line , the orange line , the yellow line, it sounds like a game of twister but it's really key to life in a metro city. As I mentioned I also shipped my car, but it wouldn't arrive until 1-2 weeks later, and I was starting back to work within a week of arriving.

Initially coming in, I was lucky enough to be able transfer right into a leadership role for the brand I had been working for over the past 5 years prior. This advantage helped make my Initial decision to drop everything I knew and move a lot easier to digest, and somewhat gave comfort to my new normal.

One of the things that I always loved about NYC is the fast pace, on the go mentality ,and adrenaline rush that I felt when I came to visit. It made me feel like I was rushing off to my high profile job, dressed effortlessly chic, and connecting with other likeminded creatives. You see it in the fashion movies/shows, Mob movies, and stories of the lone artist who traveled to NYC to find their purpose in their life. This was also always a fantasy I had. In fact fresh out of high school I came to New York, in hopes of going to The Fashion Institute of Technology to further my degree but was too afraid of the big city back then, and traded that in for the LA version of the same curriculum without the distance. 

So fuck it, I'm here now, and I'm going to make up for the time I was being a scary little minion, putting my future on hold for comfortability. Upon getting settled into my new living space and starting my first day, I decided to try this out this train thing, Trying to determine just how much time it would really take to get from Crown Heights Brooklyn, to busy af Midtown during rush hour. My obsessive Virgo traits kicked in high gear and I decided to also stop into Times Square and meet my new coworkers as well, good intentions but bad outcome. This is when my list of the best and worst things I've learned and experienced since moving to New York City began. 💜