Why New York?

Well, apparently there was a call for first introductions last week and no one decided to give me a heads up.  I mean I basically live with the people but that’s cool.  So allow me to introduce myself.  Hi, Im Brandon Birdi and welcome to our website.  I know two Brandon’s can be confusing, so you can call me Birdi (even though I was born first).  He is my Brother and we are basically the same person, except entirely different.  Rayna is my best friend, life coach, and financial advisor all at the same time.  Together we are The Three Musketeers!  Just kidding (that was my pitch for the name… obviously didn’t work out), together we make OnBrand.  (Mom, stop smiling.)  Now I wanted to make an introduction of myself, so I laid down in bed and thought about what makes me, me.  I realized (as I looked at all the New York pictures on my wall) that everything I do is to ultimately to get me to New York.  Whether it be major choices, career paths, or even where I want to be buried, the answer is always New York.  So, I asked myself a question that everyone has always asked me, why New York?

My love for New York probably stems back to my dad and started at an age that I can barely even remember.  2003 was the first time I visited New York City.  I can only recall bits and pieces, the three story Toys R’us filled with all a child could dream, the Empire State Building soaring as far as I looked, and the twin tower memorial.  Except it wasn’t a memorial yet, when I went only two years after the attack it was still a base full of dirt and rubble.  The next time we went was New Years 2005.  My dad’s former business partner had bought a beautiful penthouse in the middle of Time Square and had invited us to come over with him.  I remember trying all the amazing New York food for the first time.  A classic cheese pizza from Ray’s, a mouth-watering cheesecake from Junior’s, and a cannoli that melts in your mouth as you bite it straight from Carlo’s Bakery.  From the penthouse we had a perfect view of the ball drop and at twelve we all erupted with excitement.  I watched out the window down below as the thousands of people on the ground were cheering and celebrating (even though it was like 20 degrees outside) and I thought to myself, I will be one of those people one day.  2007 was the last time I visited New York with my family and for a while. We took my grandmother with us for her first time.  We went sight seeing in taxis, visited the surrounding islands (I got lost on Ellis Island),  and ate an incredible amount of pizza.  When we left I knew it wasn’t so much a goodbye, but more of I’ll see you soon.  

Fast forward 10 years later and my love for New York only grew.  My room had New York pictures hung all along the walls, I was going to college for a degree that would get me to New York, and I was on a career path that would get me ready for the city.  I was hired at Ted Baker London in 2018 and within a year had risen from part time sales associate to a key holder.  Almost a year after that I was asked to be apart of a new store opening in San Francisco, where I would help train new employees and transfer to that location permanently.  I hesitated at the job offer at first because of the distance and the time it would take to reach San Francisco 5 times a week.  My 30 to 45 minute commute one way would easily turn into a 2 sometimes 3 hour commute, half in a car and the other half on the BART train. However I was so eager to get anywhere near a city, and having store opening experience would look pretty good on a resume, so I took it and it quickly became one of my favorite experiences of all times. The whole adventure was a success and one of the proudest moments of my life.  I enjoyed every part of the City while working at Ted, from the constant bustling of the streets anytime I left the store, having the option of to try a brand new food culture daily, and just constantly seeing such different walks of life every where I turned. This only amped my need and want to live in a City and New York only seemed to grow closer and closer. 

Now picture this. It was February of 2018 and Brandon and I had just recently reconnected once again throughout the holidays. I was still pretty fresh in the group, and Rayna was not the most keen on me at the time (she hated my guts). You can only imagine my surprise when I looked down at my phone at 10am and saw a FaceTime call from Rayna. Honestly I thought something had happened to Brandon. When I picked up the phone, she immediately said “Hey I found some pretty cheap flights to New York for the day after Thanksgiving, are you in or you out because we need to buy them right now.” At the time I honestly thought she was insane, but now being her best friend I know for a fact that she is definitely insane. A ton of thoughts rushed into my head. How was I going to get the time off for Black Friday while working in retail? Were my parents even going to let me go? I don’t even know this girl. But my gut told me that this was a huge opportunity and how was I going to pass-on visiting my favorite city, so I said yes. I didn’t know how, but I was going to do what I had to do to get there, so we started planning. 

I knew my first obstacle was work.  Black Friday is the biggest day of the year for retail, requesting it off isn’t even allowed.  Recently I had started to get into PR for the company and was still in contact with Emily, the head of PR in New York, so I got to typing.  I typed out an email explaining that I was going to be in New York for a week and would love to shadow her in the PR workplace and get some experience.  To my surprise she responded with a yes and I knew my way of getting the day off.  I reached out to my area manager to request the day off, selling the fact that that while I was New York I would meet with Emily, so she can help me grow my knowledge of PR back for San Francisco.  There was a chain of emails back and forth but eventually I was able to make a deal to open the store that Friday morning and get on my flight after, even though I knew it was going to be close I couldn’t have been more excited.  After getting work down, my parents quickly agreed to the trip since it was still containing my career.  The next couple months we started planning.  While Rayna began to look into locations and Airbnb’s, I started looking into activities and food adventures for us to do around the city.  This was Rayna and Brandons first time to the city so I wanted to make sure they got the whole experience.  After I got a solid list of ideas down and a good map of the city, my next thought was “what am I going to wear?”.  By the time November rolled around our itinerary of activities was planned in the city, one of Rayna’s friends was joining us on the trip, and my wardrobe was just about perfect.  After all my preparation the only thing left to do was wait. 

Through these blogs you will come to find out that me and flights just don’t mix well, and that was no exception for New York.  After getting off at 1 and our flight being at 3 (like I said, cutting it close), I rushed over to the airport.  Even with my luggage flailing behind me, BART being delayed, and the long security line, I made it with 10 minutes to spare (Rayna was about 30 seconds away from murdering me but still good timing). Once we arrived in New York it was non-stop bliss and happiness for six days straight. From the time I stepped foot off of the plane  and arrived at our awesome airbnb I immediately felt like I was home. Since we arrived after Thanksgiving, every street exploded with Christmas and everything felt like the holidays. Times square lit up with huge lights advertising any product you can think of, there were thousands of restaurants everywhere you turned which arromanated with the most amazing smells, and whenever you wanted to do any kind of activity it was merely a cab ride away. In total we watched three broadway plays; Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and Aladdin. My best friends and I all finally got our first tattoo for my Brother’s Birthday. You wouldn’t even believe how dazzling the food is from the fun menu at Serendipity 23, to the infamous street dogs on every corner, and I finally was able ton try White Castle for the first time. The days I walked to Ted for my business meetings I walked through the borrows and was able to watch the City run through its day and all the walks of life that came with it. I just absolutely loved every experience and this trip truly showed me that I belonged here and there was nothing that was going to stop me. 

Again I ask my self the question “Why New York?”.  Is it because it really is the city that never sleeps?  Could it be more the business aspect that really attracts me?  Or maybe its the stores and fashion that really intrigues me.  In reality it's all of that, but also none of it.  What really calls me to New York is the fact that everyone there, is there for a reason and a purpose.  Everyone that goes to New York has a dream they want to pursue, whether it’s writing, directing, getting into fashion, or opening up their own business. Everyone is there trying to pursue a dream. Like Frank Sinatra said, “if I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere”.  I want to be one of those people with a dream and the drive to make a name for myself, and I am determined to get there.  It wasn’t easy (trust me it really wasn’t) but Brandon and I finally convinced Rayna to move to New York for a year.  Our goal is August 1,  2021, only two weeks after returning from our new and improved Europe trip.  

Now for someone who loves and has dreamed of New York for their whole life, it's hard to imagine only living there for a year.  My whole life I have worked towards the goal of moving to New York, and living there for only a year just didn’t sound fulfilling.  We began traveling more and more throughout the years.  Some destinations range from Bali to Chicago to New Orleans, all new and different places with rich cultures of their own.  I realized that with the amount of places in the world there are, why hold yourself down to only one place?  Before traveling, New York was a place I only intended on staying for 6-10 years before coming back to settle in California.  Now I’m not even sure if I want to live  in the United States for the rest of my life.  Why commit to a location when you can travel until you reach the perfect spot for you. We as humans tend to get too comfortable at times and forget that there is an entire world out there for us to explore and learn from.  Change is scary but without change there is the growth.  This year alone has made me sure that you don’t always need to have your entire future planned out because you have no idea what could come and change it.  Now if that means moving around the world month to month and eventually settling in Canada then hey, sign me up.  Only you make your future, so live it how you want to.  

“In New York you can be a new man” - Lin-Manuel Miranda

With Love

Birdi