BBC News
By Natalie Sherman
image copyrightAndrea Wilhelm
image captionAndrea Wilhelm left New York and is now road-tripping across the US in search of potential new hometowns
Andrea Wilhelm gave up her New York City apartment in August - and she s not sure whether she will ever return.
The 30-year-old software designer loved living in New York - attending Broadway shows, frequenting dog parks, and the serendipitous walks of daily life. For nearly five years, she willingly paid the city s premium rents and taxes, while commuting to work in another state.
But the pandemic wore her down. I was like, The city s going to come back. By July, it s going to be ok. But it just kept not being ok, she says.