A Tale of Two Cities: A Love Story.

My friend Melissa Levick is a lot of things: bravely blonde, USC Alum, hilarious, unapologetic, an NYU grad student, a traveling volunteer, Beyonce enthusiast, uber stylish, honest, wearer of tutus and advice giver to me. On the surface, it would appear that Ms. Levick (pictured above obviously) and I don’t have much in common (I mean, I much prefer Jay-Z, I continue to enrich my brunette roots and I don’t even know the dance to Single Ladies). But, we do have New York City, San Francisco and New York City (in that order) in common.

You see, Melissa and I both moved from California, to Manhattan, to San Francisco and back to Manhattan respectively, although she’s a few months ahead of me and had a trip to Africa in-between. Our experiences in each city (happiness vs. unhappiness) remain somewhat parallel.

So, naturally, I look to her for advice, a lot.

“Revolution: 360 degrees: all the way around. Return. Circles. Cycles. Seasons. It is the story of winter and of spring, too. For as Zora Neale Hurston insists: There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” - Kelly Diels

Anyway, Melissa had the above Kelly Diels quote on her blog a few weeks ago, seemingly perfectly timed with the second biggest decision of my adult life (thus far, I’m only 26 after all). Should I stay in San Francisco or take a chance and give New York another shot?

In taking a page from my tutu wearing friend’s book, I decided to (re) pack up my life and (re) move to the Big Apple. That’s right. It’s time for me to turn my world upside down until its right side up again.

Only 360 degrees to go and I get to leave the year of questions and San Francisco and jump into a year of answers and New York City.

So Jenna, what will be different about this move to New York City? It’s a good question, and I’m glad you asked. Below are a few points (a thought for each month I lived in San Francisco to be specific) on how I plan to make this cross-country trek worthwhile.

New York Part Deux’s Differences and Details:
1. I’ll have a boyfriend – Leaving (most) Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle references in 2009, where she belongs. Sub point: I’ll have more family on the East Coast this go-round: Barrett’s, Newman’s and Faller’s oh my.
2. New job – This was a tough one for me, but to start over, I had to really START over and it’s exciting. Sub point: Brace yourselves; I’ll be working for Tabasco, my spicy tolerance will be sky-high, and my dad and I have one more thing in common other than our preference in ostentatious eyewear.
3. I’ll be living by myself – Like all grown ups need to do eventually, right? Sub point: This new living situation means visitors will be more welcomed than ever. That’s you.
4. Happy Jetting – I have a JetBlue credit card and TrueBlue membership…Hello impromptu trips to California courtesy of air miles.
5. Make new friends, but keep the old – I have such an amazing group of friends in the city and I can’t wait to paint the town red with them. I’m also hoping to have my hometown friends keep me company; I believe my indoor pool, rooftop deck and doorman building will make all the difference here.
6. Broadway – Oh how I want to love thee. Ash and I made a pact to hold weekly date nights and see a show on a monthly basis. Bam. We just became more super sophisticated.
7. iChatting – I plan on implementing a Skype schedule so I can maintain my ‘best auntie ever’ status with my favorite nieces and nephew.
8. Fit, in the city – And I’m serious this time. Running in sub-zero conditions? Bring it. Sub point: If you can’t find me, I’m likely frozen somewhere on Jackie O’s reservoir, send help and a warm blanket.
9. Homesickness – Who am I kidding, I’ll be just as homesick as before. But I’m going to work on keeping in touch with my Californian counterparts more consistently. My family and friends are the hardest thing to leave behind.

My goodbye West Coast, hello East Coast smile (And those are Sof and Fab's 'we'll miss you so much' smiles).