Michael McLarnon ‘hit the limit’ with his development in Philly

This is Exit Interview, a weekly interview series with someone who has left Philadelphia, perhaps for another country or region or even just out of city limits and often taking talent, business and jobs with them. If you or someone you know left Philly for whatever reason, we want to hear from you. Contact us.
Michael McLarnon says he just needed to try some place out to grow.
The Media native graduated from Drexel in 2005 and worked with GIS firm Azavea from then until this past July. That month, after living in Philly permanently since 2006 (and living carless since 2007) he took the familiar trip north to the 67th ward.
McLarnon says he’ll be back, and we wanted to know why.

What are the primary reasons you left Azavea for NYC?
I’d been working at Azavea for five years and felt that I’d hit the limit of where I was going with that company, along with what I was learning and who I was meeting while working there.
Was there a specific event or moment that you realized you wanted to leave?
Nothing specific, but I decided to try out a new place instead of looking around for a different job in Philly.
Was there anything that could have been done differently to keep you?
I don’t think so.
Do you think you would return to Philadelphia under appropriate circumstances?
I plan to return to Philadelphia eventually.
When someone you meet in NYC asks about Philadelphia and its startup community, what do you tell them?
I am pretty proud of the Philly startup and tech community and glad to have been a part of it. I make sure they know what kind of cool things I’ve worked on and what I hear about other people doing.
What is the perception you most often find of Philadelphia?
Nothing very bad or good in either direction. I think NYC is too busy comparing itself to the West Coast tech community to care too much about Philly.
What’s the latest you’re up to that we can plug or look forward toward?
As a personal project, I’m working on a mobile app centered around finding out what beers are currently on tap at pubs nearby. Initially, I’m focused on the ability to crowdsource the information. Eventually the goal will be to make Netflix-style recommendations of beers you might like, based on ratings, as well as notifications of specials.