hello i’m Brandy Chao.

Brandy’s List was created in 2016 when I moved from Sunny California to Glamorous New York City. At the time, it was the boldest move yet of my life, leaving behind friends, loved ones, and everything that I have grown familiar with, setting out into a world of exciting unknowns that is full of possibilities. 

At the first inception of my intention to move to NYC, I started a list, Brandy’s List. A list filled with places I want to visit, restaurants I want to dine in, and activities that I want to participate in. Brandy’s List was the first thing I packed into my luggage, the only thing I thought I couldn’t live without as I set out on this new chapter. Nothing stood in between this girl and her dreams.

Living in NYC, I got to cross off many items on Brandy’s List. The sense of accomplishment and pride that came with crossing off Brandy’s list propelled me to add more to-do items to it! The list kept growing longer. When friends would visit NYC, they often sought my opinion on things worth doing and places worth going. I would then refer back to Brandy’s List and shared my experiences with them. Brandy’s List thus evolved into a guide for NYC.

UN and I got married in 2017, and because of his job in the Navy #GoNavy, we get to move from place to place every few years. While the prospect of leaving NYC was sad, especially when there are still so many things I haven’t crossed off, the invitation to explore different parts of this world that I have never dreamed of was more than this girl could ask for. Brandy’s List began its expansion!

Currently in San Diego, CA!