Introducing, A New Yorker Goes West

Big life update loading...

I thought I was going to live in New York forever. Manhattan, specifically.

I had zero intentions of ever leaving. Maybe just a little further uptown, deeper into Morningside Heights. Maybe downtown Manhattan, where I was born. Maybe Brooklyn one day. Maybe.

And yet here I am — across the country in San Diego. With no return flight booked.

Come along as I chronicle my new life in San Diego. I’ll be sharing how I got here, and what I’ve been learning (about the city and myself.) I’ll also reflect on my time in New York - now that I have some much-needed perspective.

Weekly essays from ‘A New Yorker Goes West’ will be exclusive to paid subscribers*, and free subscribers will receive occasional photo diaries.

*If you sign up for an annual paid subscription to A New Yorker Goes West or Wild Cozy Free by September 4th, I’ll give you paid access to both newsletters for the price of one!

And if you’re already a Wild Cozy Free paid subscriber (as of right now when I’m sending this announcement), you’ll get access to A New Yorker Goes West for free. Nothing to do on your end :)

---

As for what to expect here at WCF while I start up A New Yorker Goes West…

• Wild Cozy Free will remain mostly free, except for extended podcast episodes and the occasional song/poem.

• Next week, I’ll be rolling out the very first Wild Cozy Free Roundup - where I’ll detail what you can expect each month (from ‘What Authenticity Means to Me’ podcast conversations, to what we’ll be discussing during Authenticity Office Hours - formerly known as Authenticity Tuesdays. )

  These roundups will also include sections on what I’m listening to, watching, and reading (on substack and beyond!)

  I’ve wanted to do something like this for quite a while - and I know it’s going to be a great way for me to stay organized over here while developing A New Yorker Goes West. Shoutout to

  Mika
  for helping me flesh out this idea for the Roundup!

  (Another unrelated but much-needed shoutout to

  Kristi Keller
  who has been so deeply supportive during this transitory time. Congrats again on your one-year substack-versary, Kristi!!)

• While I’m not entirely sure what my personal essays and song/poems will look like over here, or what the frequency will be. I do know that I’ll still be writing them! Whether it’s a reflection on what the podcast episodes or authenticity office hours are bringing up for me, or musings on something that’s not directly related to my move + new chapter in San Diego.

  On that note…are you enjoying the podcast but missing the personal essays and poems/songs? It’s been a minute! I’ve got you covered.

After this went live, I got in touch with an old friend from the church mentioned in this essay. I had no idea she was having similar struggles that I was having back then. Sometimes we’ve gotta love the power of social media for bringing people back together!

I caught up with the same friend I mentioned above last night (to debrief her incredible wedding) so it seemed like a perfect time to share this song again. The sentence that inspired it all is “I know I’m working hard and sometimes I can see it.” Always a good reminder.

In the voiceover for the essay above (in a riff towards the end, not included in the written essay) I say “The whole point of Wild Cozy Free doing things before I’m ready.”

Am I ‘ready’ to chronicle my life in San Diego in real time as I live it? Not entirely. Am I sure that I want to do it, that I need to do it? Without a doubt.

---

Okay, that’s all for now. If you haven’t listened already - I highly recommend the recent What Authenticity Means To Me episode with Sonia! You can listen right here on substack, or wherever you get your podcasts (links in the post below)

And if you’re listening on a podcast platform, maybe leave me a 5-star review while you’re there? It would mean a lot!

PS It was kind of fun revisiting and commenting on old essays here - maybe I’ll do this more often?