Moving to a New City

Moving to a new city is hard. Making new friends, finding new places (grocery store; dog park; to bike; to run; mall; library; favorite restaurant; favorite coffee shop) and getting a new routine is hard. I moved to Dallas from Minneapolis with my brother in August 2008. It was a difficult transition but I had my brother and 15 plus coworkers in the same age bracket with somewhat similar interests. It still took me 6 months to stop hating Dallas. In Minneapolis I was very family oriented, I hung out a lot with my sister, parents, grandparents, and aunts. I only had two close friends. Then that was all gone. It got better, I made friends. Lots of friends. My focus from family moved to biking, running, trying new restaurants, trying new recipes, and hanging out with friends. After 3 years, I really liked Dallas, dare I say, loved Dallas. Life, and the economy, happened and I am now living in Cleveland. It’s different this time, no brother or co-workers with similar interests. I never hated Cleveland like Dallas, just more neutral feeling. It’s been a little over 7 months, it has not been easy but I am starting to feel a little settled. I truly believe when moving somewhere new, you have to be active. Even if the situation is temporary, make that best of it. Below are some ways I found that helps with the getting settling:

Volunteer: I volunteer A LOT. Lately, I have volunteered with HandsOn Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Marathon, Ingenuity Festival, West Side Market Parade & Festival, West Side Market Centennial Gala, Cleveland Public Television, Beck Center Theatre, and the Ohio Vineyard Run. It’s a great way to see different parts of the city, meet new people and hear about new things (like Cleveland International Film Festival). I also think being a part of the community helps to make the new city feel more like home.

Meetup: I love meetup. I am in thirteen groups, only active in three and assistant organizer in two. It’s a great way to meet people and see what’s going on around town

Yelp: Yelp is a great way to find new restaurants and events. Here in Cleveland yelp even hosts some events, there is a Cleveland International Supper Club that meets once a month. Lately I have been trying out chai tea the high-rated coffee shops. My next ‘project’, I’m going to go around to the different Vietnamese restaurants to find the best pho and Vietnamese coffee.

Twitter: I follow restaurant and groups in my area. That’s how I found out about Beer Week (October), Restaurant Week (November) and different festivals.

Putzy-ing around the internet I found: Science Café meets once a month at Garden Market; astronomy lecture at Baldwin Wallace one Friday a month and at the Museum of Natural History one Thursday a month; The Happy Dog has authors come in to speak, classical music, and physics lectures; most cities have community classes, I’m taking a Lebanese cooking class and majority of people are in my age bracket; most Lululemon store have free yoga classes on Sundays; Pet-ique has monthly yappy hour during the summer; Museum of Contemporary Art has lectures, coming up is about ‘Just what makes contemporary art so appealing’. Just to list a few.

Do you have any suggests of what to do in a new city? 

“I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth, then I ask myself the same question.”

- Harun Yahya

knowing something and feeling it are very different

This time last week I was driving around Cleveland getting odds and ends for my new apartment, my first full day in my new ‘home’ state. Today I am sitting in my new office at my new job thinking about my stuff I FINALLY get out of storage and moved into my new place. I am excited to explore the new city, try new restaurants, explore the surrounding areas (Buffalo, NY; Toronto,Canada; Philadelphia, PA). Last night it just hit me, I’m feeling alone. I have only been here for one weekend,not even 7 days. I knew this was going to happen. It took six months for me to actually start to like Dallas. (sigh) Knowing something and feeling it are two very different things. Lately, long dogs walks (5 to 7 miles daily) and lots of time. I am starting to find things to do, it will be a slow process.

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

~ John Lennon

"What's the world's greatest lie" the boy asked.

"It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate." said the old man (The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)

"As soon as anyone starts telling you to be ‘realistic,’ cross that person off your invitation list.”

- John Eliot

"After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe.

Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."

- Sophia Loren

"The mind is everything. What you think you become."

- Buddha

"It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret."

- Jackie Joyner- Kersee

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."

- Anthony J. D'Angelo