Wrong coast…

Apologies for the long post but I would like to get some general life advice and hear from those of you that have pulled off a move from the west coast to the east cost during banking or to pursue a buy side opportunity.

For some background info I'm an incoming FT analyst at what most prospects would call a top tier SF / Bay Area tech group. During my IB recruitment I specially targeted tech groups because of my general interest in the space and the massive tailwinds for the industry overall. As of now, I'm interested in pursuing investing roles in the tech space but I understand that can change in the next year or so.

Since landing my SA internship about 18 months ago my family has decided to move to the north east and my long term girl friend recently landed a job in NY, where she will relocate to after graduation. Since spending time with these people is very important to me, after receiving a FT return offer, I asked for an internal transfer to the NYC office within the firm I interned at but was turned down several times. They made it clear that they openly prevent people from doing this at the SA -> FT level. I've since signed for FT with the group I interned at.

Although I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity I have to start my career in IB, I have started to think about ways I can get to NY in the next ~3 years as this is where I see myself long term. I'm also just not that excited to live in SF with everything that's been going on there recently, but understand it's the center of the tech universe. Additionally, I fear the distance will put a serious strain on my relationships with my family and GF, more so than what banking would have already done.

So in general, I'm a little frustrated with my situation purely from a location standpoint (I enjoyed working with the people in my group this summer) and would appreciate any advice from those of you who have found themselves in a similar situation. I would also like to hear about the buy side recruitment process from the west coast to NY based groups.

How difficult is this and can you still land at top shops if you're doing IB on the WC? Has anyone moved internally during their analyst years? How difficult is this? Is SF really that bad of a city to be a young person in? Can I recruit for other groups in NY even though I've already signed for FT in SF? Is it worth reaching back out to HR and the firm and see if I could be considered for a lateral role if something opens up in the incoming class?

Thanks!