Hello from Connecticut

Hello all, I am new to all grain brewing, and I will have all of my needed equipment soon.  I'm making my own igloo cooler mash tun, and getting my kettle from a local shop.  I have access to tons of tools, and I have a vast chemistry, and sterility base of knowledge (I practice anesthesia). My questions would be...

If you were starting fresh again, what would you wish you had, or knew before you got started on brew day

Would you just go ahead and buy a keg with c02 instead of bottling?

Depends on your ability to keep it cold.

I have never bottled and would never bottle.  Like youe, I started with a greenfield environment and decided to go with kegged and have a chest freezer with external temperature control to store the beer.  I can keep seven 5G and two 3G kegs cold.  When I want to take a bottle or two, I fill from the cobra tap.  There are a couple simple techniques to ensure good quality fills with the right CO2 volume.

Bottling takes a lot more time and adds much more risk to infections.  Consistent carbonation is a common complaint with bottlers too.