Every day, people from around the world fulfill their dream of moving to New York City. However, one of the planet’s most popular and coveted cites is not all that easy to live in. After all, Frank Sinatra said, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere” for a reason.
This city is for the strong, the talented, the dreamers, and the ambitious. It doesn’t matter how strong, talented, or ambitious you are though; you’ll need some helpful advice to survive. Putting these five tips to use could be the difference between officially calling yourself a New Yorker or retreating back to where you came from after a few months.
Make Sure You Have a Nest Egg
If you are one of the few fortunate folks moving here with a job already lined up then you won’t need quite as much money as everyone else. Otherwise, you should have enough to comfortably live on for at least two full months. This includes rent, utilities, groceries, transportation, and your daily caffeine fix.
There are a lot of jobs in NYC, but it could take you a while to find the right one. You may even find you need to work a few small jobs in the meantime. You don’t want to have to leave this amazing city just because you’re a little short on cash.
Hire Movers
Ask anyone who has made the move, and they will likely tell you that the last thing you want to do is deal with a moving truck, parking, and hauling furniture on these congested streets. It will literally make you lose your mind. You are not going to find a parking space in front of your building, which means you’ll have to carry everything a long distance. You’ll also have to lock up the truck with every trip, unless you have a spare person to stand there and babysit. Not to mention, many buildings don’t even have elevators. Do you want to carry your furniture down the block and up three flights of stairs? Do yourself a favor and spend the money on the movers. We recommend FlatRate Moving. It will be one splurge you won’t regret.
Pro Tip: Once you finish moving, check out cleaning services in NYC to make your new home really yours.
Use External Storage
When you hear or read about the matchbox-sized apartments in NYC, you don’t really appreciate just how small they are until you can take one giant step from your couch to your kitchen sink. Not to mention, if you learned anything from watching “Sex and the City,” you should know the closet space will make you cry.
MakeSpace makes it super easy to store the things you don’t need on hand. We deliver heavy-duty, high-quality plastic bins to you. You fill them with everything you want stored. We pick up the bins when you’re ready, and bring them to our facility where we create a visual catalog of all your belongings. When you need something you order it back, and we deliver. You can store clothes, shoes, tools, sports gear, etc. We store oversized things, too!
Learn the Subway System
Many people waste a ridiculous amount of money on taxis because they fear the subway system. Don’t wait until you’re broke and living on ramen noodles to figure out how it works!
The subway is one of NYC’s greatest assets. Is it intimidating? Absolutely! However, the routes are brilliantly created. There are red, blue, orange, green, and yellow lines. All you have to do is look at the map. There are even subway apps you can access from your phone. Don’t wait until you have a job interview to tackle the system for the first time though. Give yourself a day to just ride around and get used to transfers. You’ll feel like a pro after a few hours, and tourists will likely be asking you for help.
Identify Landmarks
Carry a notepad in the beginning and make note of landmarks that will help you recognize where you are. Here’s a little hint: look for the Empire State Building or One World Trade Center to determine if you’re walking north or south in the city.
There are a ton of NYC mobile apps available to help you find your way around. Whether you’re looking for a bike route or the closest bookstore, an app will help you get there. There are even apps that will map a walking route to your destination. (We recommend Google Maps!)
