New York | Becoming Part of the Conversation

n the middle of May, we produced the HL | Milestone Series — New York at Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx. It was our third HL event in the New York area in two years.

Our relationship with New York did not begin with this particular trip. In fact, each event and visit has given us another opportunity to meet people, strengthen existing relationships and better understand the communities we are covering.

After the Milestone event, we stayed a few extra days in Manhattan. There wasn’t much of an agenda. We grabbed a slice at Joe’s Pizza, did a little shopping, got caught up in the excitement surrounding the Knicks’ playoff run and spent some time sightseeing along the Hudson River. We had such a good time that before we left, we were already talking about coming back.

What I didn’t anticipate was how different the next visit would be.

During Milestone New York, our colleague Nelson Ramos of Wells Fargo had introduced me to one of our panelists, Lucy Wu. That introduction continued beyond the event, and by the time I returned to Manhattan, Lucy had helped put together a remarkable series of experiences that allowed me to see the city from an entirely different perspective.

This time, Manhattan wasn’t simply about sightseeing.

We stepped inside a residence valued at approximately $65 million, explored a new development along Billionaires’ Row, shared an unexpected lunch at Estiatorio Milos and attended a gathering of New York real estate professionals and industry leaders. More importantly, we talked about business, real estate, family, entrepreneurship, New York, California and where people are choosing to live and work.

Conversations Worth Remembering

NAHREP Upper Manhattan Event: (Left to right) Moderator David Schechtman, Danijella Dragas, Jose Ramirez, Alexandra Marolda, and Andrew Berry attend the NAHREP Upper Manhattan chapter event in July

Among the people I had an opportunity to meet were Sandhya Espitia of the Real Estate Board of New York, Devin Maher of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and David Schechtman of Meridian Capital Group. Schechtman moderated a panel discussion that particularly caught my attention.

One theme I took away from his discussion was the interconnected nature of Manhattan’s commercial and residential real estate markets. Drawing on market trends and information discussed during the panel, he spoke about a strengthening office market, employers bringing more workers back into the workplace and how those changes can influence where people ultimately choose to live.

A five-day commute changes the calculation. Time, traffic and quality of life suddenly become part of the housing decision. For someone who moved farther away during the work-from-home era, living closer to Manhattan can begin to look attractive again.

The broader idea stayed with me: commercial activity, employment and housing do not necessarily move independently. One can begin influencing another.

Another idea raised during Schechtman’s discussion connected California’s role in developing artificial intelligence with New York’s role as a marketplace. My takeaway was that while a great deal of AI technology may be developed in California, New York can become an important place where those ideas meet customers, capital, business and the realities of going to market.

That made this Californian stop and think.

After the panel, I introduced myself specifically to tell him that I appreciated the directness of the discussion. Some conversations reinforce what you already believe. Others make you reconsider what may be coming next.

Those are usually the conversations worth having.

Pictured in the photo at the  NAHREP Upper Manhattan Event: Sandhya Espitia, Chief Operating Officer of REBNY, and Jacqueline Plaza, past NAHREP Manhattan Chapter President, attend the chapter’s “Built to Grow” event in July.

Showing Up Matters

I’m a California native, and California is my home base. But I have a passion for traveling, meeting people and developing professional relationships throughout the country and even internationally.

Over the years, I have learned that you cannot meaningfully cover what is happening in New York while sitting in an office in Southern California.

You need to be there.

The same would be true for someone attempting to understand California without spending time here.

There is an old expression that showing up is half the battle. In a time when a video meeting can connect us almost instantly, I still believe there is something important about being in the room.

At a conference, business meeting or networking activity, you experience things that do not always translate through a screen. You see how people interact. You hear the conversations happening around you. You get a better sense of someone’s sincerity and begin developing the trust that can eventually lead to a working relationship.

The more often you show up, the more those relationships have an opportunity to develop.

Eddie Batiz, owner of Ebatiz.com, attends the HL | Milestone Event in the Bronx.

For a while, I’ll admit that I didn’t completely understand the idea of regularly commuting back and forth across the country for business. After watching Eddie in action seeing the relationships he has developed, the people he knows and the way he moves comfortably between both markets  I understand it much better now.

Maybe it is the people I have met or the relationships we are beginning to develop ourselves, but New York no longer feels quite as far away.

I get it now.

There is another part of relationship building that should never be discounted: a trusted introduction.

When someone you respect introduces you to someone they respect, you enter that conversation with a degree of credibility already established.

Nelson Ramos introducing me to Lucy Wu is a perfect example.

That introduction led to a relationship with Lucy, which has since opened the door to additional people, experiences and conversations.

Our relationship with New York has developed over several years, through events, return visits, introductions and conversations. Each time we come back, we reconnect with people we already know and inevitably meet someone new.

What feels different now is that those individual experiences are beginning to connect.

Becoming Part of the Conversation

This was my second visit to Manhattan in three months.

Another visit is already ahead.

What is changing is the reason for returning.

New York is beginning to feel less like somewhere we occasionally visit and more like a place where we are developing relationships, participating in conversations and discovering stories worth sharing.

For someone reading from California, the Midwest or anywhere else, perhaps that is also what makes New York more manageable. You do not have to understand the entire city at once. You can experience it one neighborhood, one meal, one conversation and one relationship at a time. Perhaps that is how you become part of the conversation.

You show up. You listen. You build relationships. You return.

Maybe that is when your relationship with a city begins to change. You stop simply recognizing the landmarks. You start recognizing the people.