The Digital Nomad Gets a Little Less Nomady
Maximo Park in St. Petersburg, FL
Reflecting on 2022
It’s been a while since I talked about my journey, and I figured the start-ish of the New Year might be a good time to do some reflection. I’ve certainly hit my stride with the whole digital nomad thing, and it’s been both incredibly awesome and incredibly frustrating. Let’s focus on the awesome first.
One of the things I was most afraid of with this lifestyle was that that I’d lose my connection to all the cool plants I knew back home. I was really starting to get good at plant identification with species around Buffalo, and part of me was a little sad that I wouldn’t have those same friends around. Instead, though, this journey has just introduced me to a fuck ton of new friends that I get excited to see whenever I recognize them. It started with loblolly pines in Raleigh in 2021, but it really ramped up last year.
The Spanish moss and live oak in Savannah were of course mesmerizing. I’ve seen them in most of the cities I’ve lived in this year, and I’m still nowhere near tired of or bored with them. While wandering through some hills south of Atlanta, I marveled over lovely light pink mountain azaleas. Then — and perhaps one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to me — I finally had my first paw paw in Richmond! I’ve been trying to find a paw paw tree for years and to have finally eaten some fruit was just the coolest. Sadly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the flavor since it tasted like a cross between an overripe banana and a mango. Still great bragging rights, though! Wilmington is where all Venus fly traps in the world originate, and I found a couple in the wild near a patch of pine. Here in Florida, I’ve been enamored with all the different kinds of palm trees.
Not only have the plants been great, but I made some pretty fantastic memories last year:
Wandering Savannah’s absolutely beautiful squares
Having the best fried chicken on the god damned planet (multiple times)
Resurrecting my grad school love of writing in coffee shops. Check out my short stories!
Seeing a face-meltingly good Nine Inch Nails show in Atlanta
Driving to Nashville to see Nine Inch Nails again the next day because the Atlanta show was so amazing
Catching COVID from a Royal Blood show in Atlanta and isolating in a hotel in Lexington, KY for days (I did get to binge a bunch of Elden Ring when I wasn’t febrile, though)
Spending a few weeks with family and friends back in Buffalo
Thankfully not getting Lyme disease after getting bitten by my first tick
Munching regularly on mulberries from the tree in front of my Buffalo Airbnb
Finding really good Indian food in Morgantown, WV. It was so good I actually had it twice in three days.
Having my mind blown by Tsherin Sherpa’s show at the VMFA. I almost considered going back for my MFA for a couple of days.
Making friends with the James River
Snacking on my first paw paw! I feel like such a big boy forager now!
Experiencing an absurd few weeks of bonkers synchronicities in Richmond. This is going to turn into another project I hope to finish this year.
Running through the streets of Richmond in flip flops and shorts to get Thai food in the remnants of a hurricane
Seeing the biggest fucking spider I’ve ever fucking seen at Airlie Gardens
Walking Wilmington’s riverfront boardwalk
Getting down on my hands and knees to spot wild Venus fly traps in Carolina Beach State Park
Exploring Charleston at night
Seeing a dolphin next to the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine
Visiting a slightly ridiculous museum and realizing halfway through that I pretty much paid to see a flea market
Spotting wild fucking parrots in palm trees in St. Petersburg
Getting to know a calming spot by the bay
It was truly a cool year.
A Pause in Florida of All Places
Despite all the super awesome shit above, this lifestyle is not without its challenges. In fact, it’s fucking tiring and expensive. The Airbnb thing in particular can really fucking suck. I spent the fall freaking out a bit because I was over-budget thanks to Airbnb’s frustrating lack of cost and price transparency. I’ve also encountered quite a few Airbnbs whose internet’s been kinda shit, and having to consistently advocate for myself around freaking internet access is getting very annoying. There are a whole bunch of other issues around Airbnbs, too, but I don’t want to bore everyone with the details. If you’re considering doing the digital nomad thing with Airbnbs, though, feel free to reach out and I can tell you what to look out for.
With that in mind, I’ve been debating taking a break from the digital nomad thing — and Airbnbs in particular — for a few months. My original plan was to sign a short-term, six-month lease in Durham this fall. However, I’ve found myself really liking St. Petersburg, Florida. Also, having to advocate for proper internet yet again pushed me to my breaking point. I’ve decided to call it quits for a bit earlier than I had planned.
On New Years Day, I toured the tiniest of houses for a potential furnished lease. It’s … so very tiny, but it’s nice! It’s also one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for things as I’ve been telling myself the goal of this digital nomad journey is to find a possible tiny-ish house to live in. I’ve been very consistent about the ish, but it looks like the universe wants to test my limits. The apartment is actually one tiny house in a collection of teensy bungalows, and they were all recently renovated. They’re cute, and they’re way fucking cheaper than what I’ve been spending on Airbnbs lately. The morning of the tour, a blue jay sang a lovely little song just outside of the buildings, and I took that as a good sign. I signed a lease for six months, and I move in at the end of January.
This is honestly a huge relief for me. Not only am I over Aibnbs for a bit, but 2023 has been an utter shit show so far. And we’re not even three weeks in! But the brakes on my 2022 Trailblazer failed on New Year’s Eve due to a software issue, and it took me nearly two weeks to get my car back. Work also absolutely exploded as of the start of the year. I’ve barely had time to breathe. I can’t even imagine having to move to a new city in two weeks considering I haven’t had time or a car to properly explore St. Pete. I’m sure that knowing that I’m here through the end of July has really lessened the stress and frustration of some already stressful and frustrating situations. I’d probably be curled up a ball crying in a corner right now if I had to move soon. But now that I’ve got months to explore, I’d like check out the Everglades, maybe get to Miami, and definitely check out Key West.
I think I’ve unconsciously avoided Florida my whole life because I didn’t want to fall in love with the place. Up until last month, I had never really been anywhere tropical. Unsurprisingly, the weather and ecosystem here are simply too perfect for me. Now if only I can somehow make the state a little less crazy.