As some of you know, the alternative weekly paper that I work for has been sold to
these guys. As part of the new order, the production department of which I'm a part is being shut down, and production will be done in Atlanta from now on. When I asked the new CEO how much longer production will remain in DC, he wouldn't give me a definite answer, but it doesn't sound like we have longer than 3 months. So I might very well be leaving DC in much less than 6 months. I still have the job at the restaurant which is going okay, and I might have an opportunity to teach ESL a few days a week, so I'm not too worried about running out of money too soon. But the sooner I can leave, the better. And instead of my original plan of saving lots of money for living expenses and looking for a job after I've moved, I think I'd like to have a job lined up first, unless I move to Baltimore where living is cheap, moving expenses will be minimal, and my money will last longer. But it's still very hard for me to commit to a new city, because I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I need out of a city. Mainly, I want to live in a city where creative people thrive and I have at least a few friends on who I can rely. These are the options I'm weighing:
Baltimore
Pro:
It would be an easy move
It's cheap
Two of my best friends live there
It welcomes quirkiness and creativity
People are generally down-to-earth
I'd still be near a few other major cities where I have friends
Con:
I just can't get very excited about it. I feel like its quirky charm is overshadowed by a depressed economy and desperation, and I don't envision my two best friends staying there much longer, or anyone with high ambition for that matter, unless that person has plenty of close friends and family in the area and has already been lucky enough to find great success. I'd like my next city to be a place that really feels like home, not just another stepping stone.
San Francisco
Pro:
It's an awesome, beautiful city with plenty to offer to people like myself.
I've overcome the differences I had with a couple of my friends there, and I have a few other friends there too. One of them has been a close, fiercely loyal friend since high school, and it would be great to be reunited with him.
I miss the highs I had when I lived there. I had some of the worst lows of my life living there as well, but many of the good times were very good. And most of the lows were more self-inflicted than anything else.
Con:
It's just as expensive as DC, if not more so. It would be nice to finally live in a city where my money goes further.
As much as I value the friendships I have here, I have considerable differences with a few of those friends - I'm just not as in tune with them as with the friends I know in this area. I've matured since living there, and I realize those differences are relatively trivial and not grounds for burning bridges, but they can be frustrating nonetheless, and I don't want to relive many of the same problems I had 5 years ago, based on these differences.
Austin
Pro:
Several of my friends from high school live here
It seems to have all of the positives of the south and very few of the negatives.
I would be in reasonable driving distance from my parents and the rest of my family
Car friendly
It's a progressive city.
It's very affordable.
Con:
I haven't stayed in close touch with my friends here. I don't know where they are in their lives, I was never very close with most of them, and I don't know how supportive any of them would be.
Austin is in the middle of nowhere.
I haven't spent much time at all in Austin and really only know it by reputation. I would need to make a visit before deciding to move here
I have a lot to think about.
