Photo by Andrés Nieto Porras (CC BY-SA 2.0)
New York City is a city that is full of endless things to do, see, and eat. It is one of the biggest, most diverse and most lively cities in the world. It is also one of the most important global cities and has a big impact on various industries such as fashion, entertainment, technology, art, education and more. This type of atmosphere attracts the attention of people from all over the world. In fact, about 250,000 people move to New York every year.
If you’re considering a move to New York, there are a few things you should know in advance to make the move as pain-free and easy as possible. Take into consideration the following five things and you’ll be much better equipped to take on the fascinating and high paced life that New York can offer.
1. Put Some Time And Effort Into Choosing Your Neighborhood
In a lot of people’s minds, entire cities or even entire states have a reputation for what goes on there. In reality, every city has various neighborhoods that have their own distinct atmosphere and reputation, and New York is no different. In fact, New York is so big and diverse that each different neighborhood or borough is like its own city on its own. Before you make the big move to New York, you want to take some time to choose your neighborhood wisely. If you have a family or are looking for a quieter life, the Upper West Side could be for you. Younger people often gravitate toward the eastern neighborhoods of East Village, Chelsea, and Greenwich Village. You can check out the neighborhood guides here on RentHop to learn more about the neighborhood options in the city.
2. Prepare For The Noise
There is a reason why New York has been dubbed the city that never sleeps. During all hours of the day and night, there are things going on in the city. As a result, it never gets quite as quiet as you may have been used to in your hometown or the city you lived before coming to New York. Things like honking horns, jackhammers, sirens, are common and make silence a very rare commodity in the Big Apple. Soon enough you’ll get accustomed to the constant noise and maybe even begin to appreciate it. It is important you prepare yourself for those first few days or weeks of living there. It’s likely it won’t be like your quiet street back home.
3. Get Ready To Spend A Lot Of Money
While people know that New York is expensive and competitive, some people do not understand the extent to which this goes. Rent can fluctuate, but it is generally anywhere from around $2000 (for basically a closet) to thousands and thousands of dollars for bigger apartments. In addition to the high cost of rent, it is very competitive there as only about 2% of places have vacancies, which mean you might end up spending more. Unless you are already very wealthy and established, living with roommates is almost a must in New York City. In addition to rent, other costs of living such as food, amenities and such also will likely run you quite a bit of cash. However, if you ask a lot of the people that live there, the higher cost of living is absolutely worth the fact that you get to experience life in one of the best and brightest cities on the planet.
4. People May Not Be As Outwardly Friendly As Where You Came From
Now, this isn’t a knock on people from New York. The fact is, you’ll see hundreds and thousands of people walking down New York streets or sitting on the subway without even so much as looking at each other. This may lead to a big case of culture shock for a person who came from a place where everyone smiles, waves or says good morning. Now, New Yorkers aren’t like this because they’re rude, it’s just the way how things are there and have been for years. Some believe it occurs because everyone is so cramped and surrounded by people all the time, which they become fed up with it. In your smaller and more sparsely populated city, walking by someone may only happen every few minutes. As a result, it is still fresh to you, while people in New York are surrounded by others all day with no space for themselves.
5. You Will Have To Change Your Transportation Plans
If you come from almost anywhere else in the country other than the crammed northeast, you are likely used to getting around everywhere by driving. However, in New York, this isn’t really a viable option. Parking spots can often run your hundreds of dollars a month and the constant traffic in the city can make getting from point A to point B an absolute nightmare. Thankfully, New York City is one of the best and easiest places on the world to get around without a vehicle. There are many options like walking, taking the subway, getting a taxi and more that all have their own pros and cons. The best option is to give them all a try and see which works best for your life and schedule. Thousands of people take their infamous subway system and you can rent city bikes to get around and get some exercise to boot. While it may seem very foreign to you to not have or use a car, millions of New Yorkers do it daily, so it can be done.
