226 | Love Letters: Why NYC?

We can't know the future before it happens.

And its unfolding can lead us to second-guess what's come before.

Especially when we're spending large amounts of money.

So to care for our future self - by reminding him what the past self knew at decision time and why he did what he did - we can write a "love letter" to him.

To be a warm hug when the future disappoints.

To be a good laugh when the future surprises.

To be a slap-in-the-face when the future makes us question.

To be an encouragement when the future gives us another decision.

Here is my love letter - to future Richard - about why we have chosen to spend July 2025 living in New York City...

Why NYC?

• So that Sara Brooke, Charlie, and Caroline (and both adults too!) experience a place that will astonish them, make them uncomfortable, expose them to a world they have never seen, see their parents fail and scramble to figure things out that we don’t know how to do, and so many other things that are hard to replicate at home
• It stands alone from any other city in its ability to mesmerize all ages
• Sam lives there right now and it is one of the few chances we have to live close to him for an extended time
• To reset the grooves that have formed in our minds and bodies around abundant space and convenience and transportation
• We have been to it before and (sort of?) know what to expect
• It is accessible by car

Why a month?

• To be able to experience the city in a daily-routine-kind-of-way and not a tourist-for-a-weekend-kind-of-way
• To experience a study abroad type setting as a family
• The cost of a week in an AirBnb was between $5,000 and $6,000 whereas a month is a little over $9,000 - at many properties the cost of a week is the same as what we are paying for our month - frankly, a month sounds less overwhelming and tiring than a week!
• It allows us to experiment with remote work and working independently
• It gets us out of our daily routine at home in an even more dramatic way than a week at the beach
• It allows us to invite family to stay with us and join us in our adventure

Why now?

• Sara Brooke and Charlie seem to be an age that they will be amazed and impacted and Caroline seems like she will be able to age up even if she won't remember it in detail
• Our family life (especially our summers) have not become as busy as our peers with other extracurriculars and this seems like an experiment in charting a new path away from typical busyness
• It feels like it provides some incubator space to allow RwM to continue growing via writing, website design, preparing for advisory council conversations, etc.

Why Brooklyn?

• It has a neighborhood feel that is different from most other places in New York City (we first discovered this visiting Sam in September 2023)
• The Brooklyn Promenade and Brooklyn Bridge are two of the most magnificent locations to experience the beauty of the city on a daily basis
• It is close proximity to Sam

Why our specific AirBnB?

• Three bedrooms allow guests to stay without having to pay for their own accommodations
• It has an outdoor space on the rooftop which feels vital as a post-bedtime escape from close living quarters
• It is extremely well connected to subway lines that lead into all of Manhattan without transfers
• The hosts allowed Sam to visit in-person and even give a FaceTime tour of the property so we could be confident before paying
• The hosts are three young folks - two teachers and a photographer - renting it out while two of them get married over the summer - way better to pay them than an anonymous person or business!