In June, I wrote what was essentially an ode to the building where I rented the first “room of my own.” In this massive D.C. apartment complex—(the largest under one roof in the city!)—worlds collided. The mix of different ethnicities, genders, classes, and ages may not have meant true integration, but I still saw it as something rare, and of value, in a fast-homogenizing city.

This week, I moved out.

Transitions can be hard, but I’m hoping the next chapter is thrilling and revelatory—both IRL and…