Some quick updates on my personal status and whereabouts for Q1 2019!

Today marks my return to air travel after landing a new job – I’m heading eastwards (blessedly, after the recent polar vortex has subsided…) and will be spending a lot of time away from home and family. The later half of my itinerary isn’t yet set in stone, but it looks like this:

  • Flying to Chicago today (Sunday, February 3rd) to spend a work-week onboarding at my new job, whose headquarters is in the River North district of downtown.
    • This is only my second ever visit to Chicago, and I’m hoping to see slightly more of it than my last overnight visit – though I’m sure most of my energy will be consumed by the stresses of starting the new gig, being jet lagged, and being cold.
  • I then fly to NYC on Saturday (the 9th) to spend another week getting to know my soon-to-be-local satellite office, based at the top end of Madison Square Park (that’s the Park, not the Garden).
    • My housing is in a corporate apartment in Jersey City’s Newport neighborhood. It’s an area I’m relatively familiar with, and makes a good apartment hunting base – see below.
  • The following weekend and partial work week, I’ll get to see my wife again, as she’s flying out to join me in seeking an apartment. (We’ll be looking in New Jersey, because that’s how we roll.)
  • After she returns to California, I spend another week and a half ramping up at work, still living in Jersey City and posted at the NYC office.
  • Most likely, I’ll then fly back to Chicago for the first two weeks of March to catch my company’s periodic “here’s how this place works” firm-wide series of meetings.
    • A side option is to stay in NY, start setting up my anticipated new apartment, and videoconference to the Chicago folks – but I’m not the handiest person when it comes to installing furniture, and it’d be nice to get more face-time with the bulk of my new team.
  • Finally, I expect to return to California for the last half of March, working remotely and finalizing our move – capping it off with a week+ drive east to get my car, cats and valuables to New Jersey.

If you’re an old friend who lives in Chicago or New York, or live there and want to become a new friend, hit me up – just in case I have some energy left over for you. (No promises!)