GO Fest 2023 – The Year I Claimed My Seat at the Table

New York City is loud. It’s layered. It moves fast—and it never waits for you to catch up.

That’s why it was the perfect backdrop for my first-ever GO Fest with fellow content creators.

After years of traveling alone, I finally found myself surrounded by people who understood the heart of what I was doing. We split costs. We shared stories. We made each other laugh when the subway got confusing and our AirBnB had fewer beds than promised. We even joked about calling it “The New York State of Grind.” And it was.

We stayed across the river in New Jersey, which made getting around more difficult—especially since I was really out of shape. But every train ride, every sweat-soaked walk under the bridges of NYC, felt worth it. Because in the middle of it all, something happened:

Someone told me they listened to my show.
And they liked it.

I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t, really. It felt awkward—but meaningful. Like maybe all the quiet hours editing, interviewing, scheduling, trying… were actually worth something. It was the first time I truly felt like a content creator who belonged.

Meeting guests from my podcast in real life was surreal. We laughed. We signed a Pokémon DVD I brought—my way of keeping a physical memory for the voices that had filled my journey. At night, we’d sit and talk for hours, just enjoying the kind of friendships that didn’t exist when I first started this adventure. Online friends had become real.

Not everything about the event itself was great. Randall’s Island was too far from the real heartbeat of NYC. The park felt out of the way, and honestly, you wouldn’t have even known a Pokémon GO event was happening unless you were already looking for it. The city was just too big to feel unified the way Seattle or Chicago had.

I also got completely lost in the NYC transit system. More than once. I had no idea which way to go or which train to take, but I learned to laugh through it. Because every wrong stop, every confusing tunnel, just added to the memory.

Gameplay-wise, nothing stands out. The real joy came from being present—with my friends, with myself, with a version of me that no longer needed to prove I belonged.

And yes—the food lived up to the hype. NYC pizza? Incredible. New Jersey meals? Equally strong. The photo we took under the bridge that day? I looked like a sweaty mess. But I was smiling. A lot.

💡 Tips for GO Fest Attendees in NYC:

• NYC is massive. Pick a few places you really want to see and build your gameplay around that. You won’t see it all—but you will make it memorable.

• Travel smart. Don’t walk alone at night. Be aware of your surroundings, especially in sketchier areas.

• Find your people. Whether it’s friends you know or creators you admire, GO Fest feels different when shared.

GO Fest 2023 didn’t teach me how to play better. It taught me something bigger:
That I wasn’t just dabbling in podcasting.
That I wasn’t an outsider looking in.

I had a voice. I had a presence. I had a seat at the table.