Where to live?

Upon arriving in DC after being in San Diego and Chicago in just a two-day span, I was definitely in awe at the different environment. Granted, I was in the Georgetown area of DC with a ton of cutesy little buildings and nice shops, but I started to think….where do I want to move after college? In what city do I aspire to get my dream job in? I never really saw myself as a die-heart New York City fan, so as Kara and I roamed DC, I would think and verbalize thoughts about the US cities I could see myself living in. I already decided that I want to be in a large city and not a rural area, or somewhere far from some necessary things (example: Columbia, MO and a good airport) so here are some of the pros and cons about towns I’ve desired to live in and if realistically, I’d like it there.

• San Diego- I could cross the border often and go to Mexico for whatever and whenever I want! Cheap groceries, nice beaches, mission work, visiting St. Innocent Orphanage, working at Project Mexico…the options are endless! And when you go into downtown San Diego by the harbor, it is beautiful. There really are no cons to San Diego. Except maybe proximity to family….but Hannah and Anna already want to move there with me so yay! This is a very realistic option :D.
• Washington DC- Roaming DC with Kara was one of the best things I’ve ever done. This exploration gave me a feel for what it is like to live in any major US city, and I could definitely live there some day. Everyone that you meet has bigger aspirations than you do, and there is no one shooting for less, so this determination is something I like. They also hold a work hard play harder kind of perspective sometimes…something you don’t realize when you go on that 8^th grade trip (DC nightlife=insane!). I’m very compatible with DC in terms of the attire…or at least the Georgetown attire….sundresses, business casual, and constant dressiness. I could sit down and rate people’s clothing ALL DAY…sad? Maybe. But the cutesy town in a big city area, adorable clothing, touristiness availability and night life options definitely make DC a viable option!
• New York City- I’ve always wanted to study in New York, especially with a business minor now and going Strategic communication, but I’d need to explore a little more before seeing if I’d want to live there again. There’s always plenty to do and see, a ton of events and people around, and it’s essentially the nation’s capital of everything media...so we’ll see if I study there.
• Los Angeles- Some aspects of San Diego remind me a lot of LA, but it doesn’t have the pro of being so close to the border. I would definitely move back to LA though after returning to California and realizing how much I loved it. And now that I’m pretty fluent in Spanish, I’d get by even better than I did in 1^st through 4^th grade!
• Boston- I visited Boston for the first real time senior year and being in DC reminded me a lot of it. The whole city with a cute town feel to it gave me flashbacks and I’ll hopefully get to go visit sometime in the next few years, because I really like that town-feel. Plus, there’s always a surplus of attractive Greek Orthodox men, and yes I did just say that. HA. But really, I like the idea of being in a big city that still feels town-like.
• Chicago- I always thought that I’d love to stay in the Midwest/Chicagoland suburbs area because it’s such a great place to raise family and still have nice schools, and this summer was the only time I started to reconsider that. Nonetheless, Chicago is always an option of a perfect place to live/work and has the benefit of being around childhood family and friends. I absolutely love the idea of living on the same street/in the same suburb as a ton of friends and having time to go out to dinner with them, and that will always be alive so we’ll see what happens : )

I know it can be daring to say this and I don’t know what’s ahead of me…but I’m never living in New Jersey, I can tell you that much. And hopefully, I’m never living anywhere that’s not on this list. The end!