As  I sit here in the airport reflecting on the epicness that was NFT NYC, I realize that it has got to be the most transformative experience in my web3 journey so far.

 

I’ve been in the space for a while: lurking, trading and writing anon since 2018; doxxed, publishing actively and involved in a few projects since 2021. From farming foodcoins to slinging monkey jpegs, I’ve done all kinds of degenerate activities. But it left a sense of unfulfillment as I longed to be a part of something bigger.

 

So I decided to take the trip to NYC to see what it’s all about. An 11 hour flight across the pond and I was plunged into all kinds of sights and sounds I never imagined. Walking through the streets of NYC was quite literally like seeing a Broadway show around every corner… you never knew what to expect.

 

It’s not that I’ve never seen a big city before — I’m originally from a small town of 10k in Canada but have lived in all kinds of crazy cities like Istanbul, Moscow, and Delhi. But what makes NYC unique is the raw energy. Add that to the exuberance of the fledgling NFT industry and you’ve got lightning in a bottle.

 

What I found most interesting was the stark difference between sentiment on crypto Twitter and in NYC. CT was rampant with doom, gloom and controversy while people at NYC were immensely optimistic about the future.

 

Perhaps a bit too optimistic given the current macro environment (we are in desperate need of a miracle to get out of this bond market ponzi poor monetary policy has brought upon us after all). I spent some quality time during the week with a very-skeptic-of-web3 angel investor to temper my enthusiasm—always good to get other perspectives.

 

Because I could not possibly be everywhere at once, I had to tap into the collective memories of the greater good in order to give you a glimpse of the different events. Here’s a brief rundown of the highlights with some help from other MVHQ members: