Digital Nomading. Never Again.
Never again will I not explore and wander through different cities and countries for extended periods.
As exhausting as the transitions from one place to the next can be, the thrill of discovering each city, developing your new routine and meeting new people (primarily at the dog park) and connecting with people from the past or friends of friends and family is something I’ve always known I loved and now it’s become a way of life (and fortunately, my partner is on the same page).
The official 12 month digital nomad adventure with my life partner, Michael Hoffman has come to an end. The goal was to decide where we’d land for a more extended period and the location is (drumroll)…Los Angeles.
Here is list of where we lived & worked before landing in LA:
Baltimore (September)
Aspen (October)
NYC (November)
Baltimore/Chicago/Honolulu (December)
LA — Mar Vista (Jan.-Mar.)
New Orleans (April-May)
Chicago (June-August)
We discovered and learned a lot about what works for us and what doesn’t — 1) 1-month is too little for us giving we were driving from place to place with a dog and a Jeep packed to the brim, 2) having one of us go to a shared office space is key to the health of our relationship, 3) making an effort to meet people and find a workout routine keeps us sane, 4) it’s hard to beat NOLA’s food, 5) we like urban but also like the mountains, beach and being outdoors.
The reason we landed in LA came down to several factors:
- Weather, weather and weather
- Pickleball community (in Santa Monica)
- Housing (we found a great opportunity on @SabbaticalHomes.com where a Prof. was heading to D.C. for 9 months where the timing and layout of the house was ideal because there’s two home office set-ups)
- Urban & walkable neighborhood
The major con so far is that the crime rate and homelessness is very present and it’s tough to see people down and out and feel like you can have little impact while at the same time, being hyper-aware of your surroundings (we had two incidents the first week we landed where a guy got shot in front of our house from a fight that started in a nightclub nearby and the other was an armed man who ended up hiding in a garbage can and overdosed but luckily survived).
That being said, there are lots of positives — 1) A women’s networking club that I’m part of (@Chief.com) has offices 2 miles away, 2) there is so much to do in the neighborhood — this week we got last minute tickets for $18/ticket and we walked to the Hollywood Bowl to see Lang Lang perform, went to Happy Hour at https://mamashelter.com/ and biked from Santa Monica to Redondo Beach to explore the area.
What’s Next
Still a bit up in the air but we’re flirting with the idea of staying in LA and exploring different areas — Santa Monica or Hermosa Beach or nearby neighborhoods. Mostly it will come down to finding a furnished place within our budget.
If you’re considering doing a Digital Nomad Adventure or you’re on one and just want to connect, please reach out!
