New York is like no other place in the world and you have to be there to understand it. If you’re coming from a big city, it might take you a little less time to get comfortable, but you’ll have to be prepared for a shock. New York can be enchanting, frustrating, and downright scary all at the same time. However, once you understand some of the basics of making it in the city, you’ll slowly start the process of becoming a New Yorker yourself. Here are some main factors to consider when moving to New York.
Get Familiar with Public Transit
New York is not a car city. Even if you love your car and want to drive it, you’ll find out that it’s just inefficient in a city like New York. Not only will you be able to get to where you need to be much faster without a car, but you won’t have to pull your hair out trying to find some parking in the city.
This is why you will need to get yourself familiar with the subway map of the city because it is huge and chances are you’ll end up using it a lot once you’re there. The good news is that it’ll take you virtually anywhere in the city in minutes, so you won’t miss your car too much. We would also suggest that you get a card for a Citi bike, so you can relay from the subway station to where you want to go without spending too much or taking the bus.
In addition, do not feel restricted by public transportation. You might feel like having to stick to a fixed itinerary gives you less freedom, but it’s actually the opposite. You can get virtually anywhere you need in about 45 minutes, and you don’t have to worry about driving yourself back home after a long night. Once you get familiar with it, you’ll wonder why you ever owned a car in the first place.
Great City for Artists
If you’re an artist and moving to New York, then this could be the best decision you’ve made in your life. The city is still a big center for entertainment, especially music. This means that you should have no trouble finding tons of places to record if you’re a recording artist, which will give you the chance to shop around.
If you’re looking for a New York music studio, the city has tons of great studios like these New York recording studios from Pirate.com that you could try. They are very big on accessibility and make any type of artist, big or small, feel comfortable. This is the New York music studio to go to if you’re on a tight budget but need something that sounds professional.
You should also know that the biggest studios in New York are not necessarily the best. The most important thing is the quality of the work that is produced there, so make sure to get samples and listen to projects that were produced there if possible.
You May Have to Find a Temporary Spot
You should also know that the rental market in New York is brutal, and you will have to play smart once you get there. We assume you won’t be hauling your furniture all the way from across the country, so look at a few furnished apartments there before you move in. These will have everything that you need so you can get situated and start your search for apartments.
One thing you will have to be careful about when looking for a place to live is to not fall for landlord scams, which are rampant in New York. First, you have to make sure that any listing you see online is pointing to a specific address. If it doesn’t, there’s a real chance that a scammer has created it.
You also want to verify any listing you see even if you have an address. You can run a search for listings on a site like StreetEasy. You can compare if the listing you found matches what they have there, and if it doesn’t, then it’s a major red flag.
Have Fun
The last thing is to remember to have fun. New York can be a tough city, and it can get expensive, but remember that you’re in New York! There are tons of great things to do in the city, many of them free. We would suggest you get familiar with the beaches in particular and the tons of free events that are taking place in different neighborhoods around the city.
So, if you want to enjoy your time in New York and not have too much of a shock, make sure to remember these few things. This will allow you to hit the ground running and make the most out of the experience.