I’m sure just as many people called you crazy as called you genius when you started talking about moving to New York City.
There’s no shortage of reasons for moving to the Big Apple. But when you’re moving to the busiest city in the country, you really should know what you’re getting yourself into.
Before you start packing, you need to read this list of the 4 things to know when moving to New York City.
1. Public Transportation Can Be Your Best Friend… but Also Your Worst Enemy
You can get just about anywhere in the five boroughs, at any time of day, by bus or by train. Choose the best MTA plan for you depending on your use.
If you commute to work by public transit you might save money with a monthly unlimited plan. But it still won’t be cheap at all.
Also, make sure to plan for the difficulties you will come across. Delays and service changes are common.
Always leave a little early in anticipation of train delays, it’s the only way you’ll consistently be on time. And stay well informed of planned service changes for things like track maintenance.
And if you’re thinking about keeping a car in the city, get more info from the NY DMV website.
2. Life Is Hard but Many Services Make It Easier
You’ll definitely be ordering food more than before, and probably doing a lot of your other shopping by delivery as well. But there are many other services to consider too.
I know, you thought once you moved out of mom and dad’s house you’d never have another person do your laundry again. But when the laundromat is four flights of stairs and three blocks away from home you might just use their drop off service like the other 80% of their customers.
Next thing you know, you may even start using one of the dog walking services. You can take it a step further and consider using a service like TaskRabbit to help you get just about anything done.
3. Your Two Neighborhoods: At Home and Work
Yes, it’s true that everything is just about a train ride away, but the reality is that when you move to New York City, you’ll be spending almost all of your time in these two neighborhoods.
That’s about a ten block radius around your home and the same with work. When looking at furnished apartments in NYC look at the neighborhood too.
Life is a lot better if you have things like restaurants and entertainment venues that you frequent close to home and close to work.
4. Be Prepared to Walk
Your old life, when “going out” meant moving from inside your house to inside your car, is about to change. Now going out will entail actually traveling on your feet.
If you were counting your steps in the past you’re about to break your step counting tech.
Always be sure to dress for the weather: warm clothes, comfortable walking shoes, rain gear, etc.
You are definitely going to kick yourself the first time you step out of your building into a sea of umbrellas and realize yours is hanging on your coat rack 14 stories up.
These Things and More to Help with Moving to New York City
Take these tips with you when moving to New York City, but don’t stop there.
Read more on lifestyle topics to help with your move and more.