17 May Life Update: We Are Moving!
I always knew New York City wasn’t a “forever” place for me, but I still can’t believe I’ll be leaving the city after calling it home for 8 years. We are officially moving back to my hometown, Raleigh, N.C., at the end of May. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind between finding a new apartment, scheduling movers, buying a car, getting vaccinated, starting a new job remotely and trying to soak in my remaining time in the Big Apple.
I wanted to live in NYC ever since I was a kid and dreamed of working at a magazine. The day I finished my college finals at Syracuse, I packed up my car and drove straight to the city to get an apartment with my best friend. New York gave me the most amazing career opportunities that I could have never gotten anywhere else. Within my first few months, I landed at People StyleWatch where I achieved that dream of seeing my name printed on the masthead of a glossy fashion mag. Then came several fun-filled years at Us Weekly where my nights consisted of red carpets, fashion shows and after parties and my days consisted of furiously transcribing quotes and writing stories. I checked off so many bucket list items from meeting all three Jonas Brothers and interviewing Kim Kardashian to attending Met Gala parties and breathing the same air as Beyoncé. When I look back, sometimes I can’t even believe that was my life. This city also gave me my start in event planning, where I discovered my love for tablescapes and entertaining that I now share with all of you on this blog. I was lucky enough to plan parties at some of the best venues in NYC from the American Museum of Natural History to New York Public Library. It all led me to my newest role in Raleigh where I’ll be managing brand events and influencer marketing. Best of all, I get to work alongside my dad and sister and help grow the family business!
While the career highlight moments were great, the best thing to come from my time in NYC was meeting so many life-long friends and, of course, my fiancé. I’ve loved living near the Seaport District the last few years, and it became my favorite place in the city. Before we moved, I had to have some photos in our go-to spots, which I’m sharing here in this post.
While I will miss the culture, the fashion and endless things to do, there are so many things that we love about Raleigh. I haven’t lived close to my family since I was in high school, so I can’t wait to see them all the time. We’re also very excited to have more space after being stuck in a one-bedroom apartment throughout most of the lockdown. Our new apartment is double the size and walkable to a ton of great places. We are hoping to rent for a year until we get more settled in the area and figure out neighborhoods we like for a future home. Another huge plus is being able to own a car after enduring the subway all these years. We bought an SUV this weekend so we can drive it down to North Carolina!
It’s been so many mixed emotions during my last few weeks about closing this chapter of my life, but it’s also refreshing to start a new one. I feel so lucky to have spent my 20s in the greatest city in the world.
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