I rented month-long Airbnb stays in 6 different cities before settling in San Diego. Doing a test run in each city made my decision easy.

Sun, 08/27/2023 - 07:05

Sophie London in Toronto. — Sophie London lived in Airbnbs in six different cities for a year until she found one that truly felt right.
Sophie London

Sophie London is an associate creative director who is now based in San Diego.
She tried living in six cities: Nashville, Austin, Chattanooga, Montreal, Toronto, and San Diego.
Living out of a suitcase was tough, but doing test runs gave her confidence to know when a city truly was a fit.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sophie London, a 30-year-old associate creative director at Team Lewis from San Diego, California about her relocation. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Since the age of two, I've called Massachusetts home. I loved Boston. In a way, I took pride in my ability to say I was from Boston —it says you have some pretty thick skin.