Satellite Office vs. Main Office (NY vs. LA)

*posting this from a throwaway and changing some details for anonymity*

I’m in my mid-twenties and have been working the past several years at a buyside firm HQ’d in San Francisco. At this point I’ve gotten pretty tired of SF, and while I like the firm I’m at and plan on staying for the foreseeable future, I’m not planning on being in SF once everyone returns to the office.

We have additional offices in NY and LA. I’m from the east coast originally, most of my social circle is in New York, it’s closer to family, and it’s a city I also really enjoy. The downside is it’s really a satellite office for us, with only a handful of people. On the other hand, our LA office is much bigger, but I don’t have much of a network in the city and I’ve heard it’s a harder place to meet people with a very different culture than I’m used to, although I do think it would be an interesting fresh start.

Overall I’m leaning towards New York, but my big concern is the lack of facetime with senior management and IC affecting me as I go up for promotions, etc. Curious to see if anyone knows how important this generally is or has been in a similar situation and could weigh in on choosing a location for career (LA) or for personal preference (NYC).

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