I was all ready to move to Los Angeles.

I'll be honest, Los Angeles wasn't always on my I Want To Live There List.

Most New Yorkers who see LA don't like it. And I was no different. "It's too spread out; everything's so far away," us New Yorkers say. Our spoiled sense of convenience isn't served by LA's congested freeways.

But after meeting a special young lady there, as well as some really nice people, I began to warm up to LA.

And for a few weeks, I psyched my urban self up for the idea of having to drive to pick up the groceries. After my lease ended in San Francisco, I stayed in Berkeley for a while. With its college culture and unique nightlife, it was a nice progression from city life to more suburban life.

Then I transitioned to Foster City. My Berkeley training served me well. I was all fine for the quiet suburbia that is Foster City.

After that, I figured LA would be a breeze. And happily, it was. It isn't as suburban as Foster City either, so it was a step nicer for me.

Then I got the fateful call. While packing my moving van, no less. A job offer in Sunnyvale. A dream job, a job too good to pass up.

Cautiously, I moved to LA anyway, not wanting to hedge my bets on a potential job until I got it for sure.

Then as luck would have it, I got the job! So back up to the Bay Area I went.

Now I've got a new place in Mountain View and am beginning another chapter of my life, albeit more economically cautious now. Housing is ridiculously easy to find and just recently, I've seen prices tank quite a bit.

In the back of my mind, I can't help but wonder what life in LA would have been like. Part of me also wants to return to NY with my family. But I predominantly am damn happy that I don't have to leave the Bay Area anymore.

I suppose that when I return to NY one day, I'll be cool with a really metropolitan nightlife or a casual suburban lifestyle. All part of the educational "rounding out" process of life, it is.

. . .

Where have you lived?