And Just Like That, Six Years In San Francisco - 16 comments
On March 24th, the sixth anniversary of my big move to San Francisco, the day of our Green:Net 09 conference, I got to hang out with the Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom. Looks like he is headed to Sacramento and could very well be the next Governor of California. He delivered a speech and then stayed at the conference meeting cleantech entrepreneurs. He is pretty serious about turning San Francisco into the epicenter of green technologies. (See first his speech & then an interview with our team.)
On a more personal note — I didn’t really want to stay in San Francisco, but now reluctantly am on my way to becoming a native. I vividly remember the day when Josh Quittner, then the editor of Business 2.0 met me on a cold rainy day in Manhattan and offered me a job to come work for him. My then employer, Red Herring had just shutdown. I instantly liked Josh, but the idea of moving to San Francisco wasn’t quite appealing.
I loved my life in New York. Two of my best friends in the whole wide world lived in New York. I had a real life “social network” that actually was wider than my current Facebook network. There were chefs, artists, bankers, journalists, authors, novelists, deejays, club kids, and just average New Yorker.
More importantly, I loved New York – its vibrancy, its rawness, its challenges, and its absolute coldness. I love its ambition, I love its rudeness, and I loved the fact that it would be there long after we are all gone. Its hugeness and my nothingness made New York special. New York is the world.
And yet, with the turn of the door knob, you could leave all the buzz behind and enter into a quiet place called your apartment. I loved Tamarind, Steak Frites, Scratcher and dozens of places where over a decade of memories were formed.
San Francisco & I have had a love hate relationship. I love the sheer beautiy of this city. I am enthralled by the fog, the constantly mutating weather. The romance of the fog horn at 4.30 in the morning cannot be described by words. The idea of living in the same town where one of my favorite American writers, Dashiell Hammett, crafted his best work is enthralling, to say the least. I reluctantly moved to the city. First few months were hard so I let Business 2.0 become the center of my life. Reporting & writing — that is all I did. Before you knew it was three years and I left to start my own company. The relationships became firmer and stronger. A new network emerged and started to grown. I haven’t found my place in the city, but I have found my people in San Francisco. Not a day doesn’t go by when I don’t feel blessed to know all of them.
My startup and my most awesome team, my partners at True Ventures, my real social network of old-and-new friends and most importantly my doctors at UCSF have made me embrace the city by the bay. After Delhi and New York, this has become my third home town. Perhaps now in addition to The New York Yankees, I will also cheer for Oakland Athletics. (A little less for the Yanks because they have A-Fraud.)
Yet, unlike Tony Bennett, I left my heart in New York. And that is where it will stay.
Photos by Joey Wan
Hello to you from New York. We have a common friend in Sree.
I have read many of your tech pieces. Feels really good to read this. Your human side.
Nice piece Om. It’s gonna be nine years for us in a few months. Time flies…
Left your heart in New York did you? Glad SF shrouded you with her fog, and captured you with her beauty not to mention more down to earth citizens. I used to be employed at UCSF, and I have been treated for 2 conditions there. Nothing but compassionate, and on the leading edge doctors and nurses. Now we have to do something about choice of baseball teams here to follow….cheers
Om, glad you are happy in San Francisco. I loved my time there. But any time you want to come back, we’re here for you in NYC.
Thinking of it though, those of us who’ve lived primarily in NYC and SF are so lucky. Two of the most incredible cities in the country and we got to call them home.
Miss you!
True. Lots of great cities on this planet and NYC surely is one. SF is one.
I’m confident you will continue to build your own special version, OM. And that’s good enough.
sounds like you need to celebrate your 6 years with friends over dinner
!
Great story to share Om. I too am contemplating leaving NYC for different reasons than yours – not sure honestly yet but it’s running through my mind every day. I still hope we get a chance to meet sometime.
Om, San Francisco is fortunate to have you. Congrats on six years!
Thought this might be one of the 2 comment zones where I note some new folks who may be wandering into GigaOm. Because my favorite newspaper – on or offline – the International Herald Tribune is now fully merged online with its owners, the New York TIMES.
Type in “IHT” in the address bar, you now go to the TIMES and 1st visit, you choose Global or US edition.
Haven’t tried the domestic flavor; but, choosing Global – and they remember your IP address – click on Technology in the LH Column – and among other choices, you’ll see in mid-page a listing for GigaOm headlines.
Har. They know the right place to look.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/technology/index.html
[...] a 42-inch plasma screen TV in 2002, only to sell it on Craigslist for a third of that price when I moved to San Francisco in March 2003. It taught me a valuable lesson: Televisions (and most consumer electronics) lose value really [...]
Thanks – well it is just a matter of positioning – on main site only tech stuff and for everything else, i have this site.
I do agree… Time Flies. Not sure where it goes. You are part of that amazing social network I have formed in Silicon Valley.
Shri
That is why coming to NY is so much more special. I shall see you soon and yes, it is going to be like old times.
oh no doubt about that. actually looking forward to that
yes that is indeed the way to go… build one image of the city that befits you. i love it. thanks edward.
It has been a lot of fun. Six years and six hundred new friends. How can one regret that. Jeffrey, meeting you has been part of what made past six years worth it. Thanks