Tips For NYC Newcomers

Tips For NYC Newcomers



New Yorkers yell out of politeness. It’s not that they are trying to overpower you. It’s that they’re trying to communicate quickly and succinctly over a continuously moving body of humanity. Accordingly, their default communication setting is “loud”. If you meet a brash, loud New Yorker, that’s a consequence of the city’s reality. You’ve got to speak up to get noticed.

new york city minimalist photography Tips For NYC Newcomers

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So say you’re in New York City for the first time exploring Manhattan Island and you ask somebody for directions. Don’t go up and say: “excuse me, please, can you tell me where Times Square is?”

This will likely get you cussed and laughed at. What you want to do is say: “Hey, you in the shirt. Which way to Broadway?”, and they’ll say: “Go up the street, hang a left, you’re there,” then walk off without saying anything else.

nyc subway Tips For NYC Newcomers

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Now, this is an overgeneralization, but it’s meant to give you an idea. If you’ve never been to NYC before, you need to realize that it’s a hub of activity from around the world. It’s one of the planet’s largest metropolises and growing bigger every day. Accordingly, this has an effect on residents. Just as too much tech is bad for the brain, living in this urban jungle affects personality.

High-Priced Housing

Another collateral effect of New York is expensive housing, but it’s something you should be able to contend with given the generally larger wages paid out. It will depend on your community, and what sort of resources you have. If this sounds like an area where you need to be cautious, it is. It’s very important to know what you want in housing, and what sort of budget you’re dealing with.

nyc high rise apartments Tips For NYC Newcomers

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If money is no object, NYC high rise apartments have the best city views—not just in the city, but in the world. If you’ve got the resources, you might want to check out the financial district. What’s so cool about this area? This link answers why you would want to live in the Financial District.

new york city by tamara peterson Tips For NYC Newcomers

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Brooklyn will generally have some more affordable living solutions, but of course, it depends on the neighborhood. The same may be said about Queens. You’ve got to look into multiple areas and keep in mind the commute.

Some Perspective On The Area

NYC is not a place where you want to drive if you can avoid it. There’s exceptional public transportation in the form of subways and buses. Also, in places like Manhattan, most things are within walking distance. Just for some contrast, San Francisco is just under 47 miles square. Manhattan Island is just under 23 miles square.

busy nyc street Tips For NYC Newcomers

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Here’s the thing: San Fran has 884,300+ people. Manhattan Island has 1,665,000+. So it’s half the size and twice the population. Now San Francisco is a parking lot. Manhattan Island? As the New Yorkers say, forget about it. It’s packed. Seas of people. You can’t drive between the hours of seven in the morning and seven or eight at night, and good luck parking.

Public Transportation Gives You Options

It’s a lot better to co-opt public transportation, and that requires determining the schedules of the subways and busses. Once you’ve got that figured out, your choices in where to live will open up considerably. Accordingly, you will be able to find residential options that are affordable.

upstate ny Tips For NYC Newcomers

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While it’s not uncommon for basic apartments to be $2k to $5k a month, depending on location, you can find units for under $1k outside of the city’s central areas. Again: know your budget, know how to travel, and know the best way to approach these things.

brooklyn heights by tamara peterson Tips For NYC Newcomers

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NYC is The Big Apple. It’s a city that doesn’t sleep. It’s packed, and a global center of commerce and culture. The place is a jungle, but you can be successful there; just got to plan ahead.