The Hustle and Bustle of Relocating: 10 Things to Remember When Moving to New York
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So you’ve decided to take a chance on moving to the Big Apple—are you prepared?
To some, it is a daunting challenge to become part of the dynamic hustle and bustle of this famous concrete jungle of skyscrapers, dazzling lights, and busy people. We’ve asked several people who moved to New York from a while back to give us some advice. What do people who’ve done what you are still about to do, have to say to New York movers? These are the top ten things to remember when moving to New York:
1) Bring a map – yes. You may ask around but you definitely cannot do that all the time.
2) Hypochondriac? It would be good to have a bottle of hand sanitizer with you. This city is filled with different people who have different habits. What’s clean for you might not be the same to the perception of cleanliness of the person next to you.
3) How much cash to bring? Bring lots of it but below $10,000 though. If you bring more, you could be held for questioning, thus causing unnecessary delays. This is because $10,000 is the limit set by federal law. If you bring too much cash, you would raise suspicion among the authorities.
4) How much will you set aside for rent? That depends on how much you would like or able to spend for it. You can get a decent apartment for about $500-600 per month. You could cut costs if you have someone to split it with. There are also places that are a lot cheaper but the usual cost that people shell-out is more or less $500.
Skyline patio dining in Manhattan
The casual lunchtime in New York
5) Food during lunchtime in Manhattan could go for $10-20, however, if you are adventurous enough to find great but inexpensive food spots, you could get good food for $6. Should you decide to go for a nice dinner for two, you could get these at $75-150.
6) Let’s talk weather. Weather in New York is a balance of extremes. Winters here are really cold and summers are as imaginably sultry. Rains make New York City hot and humid. This would give you an idea on what clothes to bring–which brings us to the next thing to remember.
7) If you want to blend in, black is a safe color of choice for clothing. Make sure you have enough clothes to wear for the different seasons. You would not want to catch pneumonia or freeze your toes off because you are wearing inappropriate clothing.
8 ) The fun is in finding your way in and out New York, so you’d make things easier and better for you when you settle in. Do not be afraid to take some time to “get lost” in order to know your way around. Just be sure to heighten your senses so you will not get into any unpleasant surprises. Should you really get lost, you can always go to the subway and get a subway map. Subway maps are free and you can get it from the subway booth. Of course, take some time to read your map and be familiar with it.
New York’s primary mode of transportation – the subway train
9) For transportation, the subway runs 24/7, the whole year. You should get a monthly swipe card called the metro card. It costs $89 and you can use it for 30 days. You might want to bring an iPod or a music player, because some destinations take up to more than an hour (for example: you are working in a company that is an hour and half away from where you live) and you might want the company of your playlist to break the boredom.
10) Last but not least, bring a camera. There are so many things to see and do in New York and what better way to document your thrilling beginning than shooting the sights with your handy camera. Of course, you have to know camera etiquette when you decide to be trigger-happy in a city that is a melting pot of people coming from different races. You would not want to deal with people who would get mad because they are thinking that you are taking their pictures.
Moving to any new place needs careful planning. New York movers have to learn to be street-smart and be able to think on their feet. You should already have an outline or a general idea on where you should go, who your contacts are, and everything on this list would then be useful to you, once you get to New York.
Moving to New York is a big and exciting decision—and you can make the most out of it while having fun.
