Hey,
i`m prolly a bit younger than you (19), but i had a similar situation. I finished high school in germany in July 06 (~2years of college) and just wanted so see something new. I love to travel and because i have a dual citizenship (american,german) i said to myself: Go to Big Apple!
So thats what i did and i really enjoy it here. There is so much to see and its never boring here.
NYC is not the only city i could recommend you, but its worth a thought, since your familiy is not to far away and a weekend visit etc isn`t that big trip (in comparison to other places).
As i moved i could have had a problem with jobs. Since its hard to earn a living out of my semi-pro-hobbies (chess and piano), some chess-friends introduced me to poker a few months ago (but they dont play it)...Now i have a job
...
hopefully a 20year old could give you some ideas
...Since it seems like money isn`t the thing you are worrying about,(if i were you) i would just visit NYC and/or other cities for a weekend or two and look how life is there...
Personally I planned to stay for a year in NYC and see how far i can make it in poker. After that year i`ll have a decision to make
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Do you have anybody in your family or friends, who know a bit about poker?
I for example don`t have anybody to talk about poker, since i am the only one of my friends who does it. (Nobody to listen to bad beat stories *lol*). I think its a big advantage to have friends who play poker...
Whatever you decide to do...gl and tell us