I've talked about it forever.

I promised myself after September 11, 2001, that I would wait at least a year before making a decision to move. For five years, I've struggled with the desicion of whether or not to leave NYC.

I've gone back and forth in this diary and others, debating a relocation to Philly, where I have some family.

I even quit my job once. The Spring of 2002, I think it was. Or maybe it was the Fall of 2002. And somehow, my work convinced me to stay for 12 weeks and I ended up staying 4 more years.

Here we are five years later and I'm doing it. NYC just doesn't do it for me anymore. I'm tired. I want a new life. I want to slow down a bit. I want my own place that it spacious and affordable.

I've found that in Philly.

This is my last week in NYC. Two more days of work, 2 days of packing and on Friday I move.

11 years. My whole adult life has been spent here. I have no idea what to expect in Philly. I chose an apt in a remote city neighborhood far from everyone I know.

It's going to be an emotional exit but I look forward to a new chapter.

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