5 things to consider before moving to NYC
With all the buzz circling around NYC fully reopening on July 1st, many people in America and abroad will be planning their big move into the Big Apple this summer. The months before departure will be highly exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Since I’ve lived here for 8 years (from the midwest), I’ve picked up some lessons learned along the way. Below are some pointers to help you with your move and what to expect!
1. Budgeting
First order of business before your big move is to make sure you plan out your budget. Don’t make the mistake of what I did when I first moved by coming into the city with only a few grand to my name. That easily evaporated after I realized I had to place down first month’s rent AND a deposit. So keep that in mind and ask the right questions of every cost associated with your move-in. All new leases with a landlord will ask for deposit, but sometimes friends will want it as well so make sure to ask beforehand. The good thing about this year is that there’s so many deals available. Due to the pandemic and people moving out last year, there’s a lot vacancies in all 5 boroughs. You’ll find offers like free deposit, 3 months free rent and some buildings paying for your moving costs. Even with the incentives, a good rule of thumb is to have at least 3 months rent saved up before you move.
You may be able to skate by with less than that if you’re transferring jobs here or in my case I was able to land a job in 40 days. It’s fairly easy to find jobs here as long as you have your resume ready to apply. Other factors when it comes to budgeting is have a number you’d like to spend each week on the social fun stuff like bars and restaurants and try to keep it at that number or below. It can be easy to get wrapped up in the fun and be dining out too much to where you realize you spent half your rent in one week! Food, drinks and practically everything in NYC costs more so know your limits. People tend to think NYC is so hard to afford but in reality it’s just shifts in what you spend your money on. For instance, you won’t have a car payment or insurance. It definitely can be expensive though if you don’t know how to control your weekly spending. Try to incorporate free activities rather than always hitting up a new restaurant. There’s parks, museums and house parties you can meet your friends at instead that’ll save you hundreds.
2. Safety
Let’s address the elephant in the room, yes NYC has seen an uptick in violent crime this past year like many other metropolitan cities. Do I still feel safe living in NYC, east Harlem to be exact? Yes I do but I’m also more precautious. A friend gave me the best advice when I first moved here, always have your headphones on. Even if you don’t plan on playing music on your commute. It’s an easy way to ignore some crazy yelling at you and if they see you have them on they’ll stop trying to get your attention. Most of the random attacks have been associated with mental health and it is a problem that I hope NYC can fix in the next year to get these people the proper care they need where they’re not wandering the streets looking to hurt someone or themselves.
Try to focus on what you can control, which is to always trust your gut. If your gut is telling you to cross the street because the person walking next to you looks like a threat then cross the street asap. Even if it comes off as abrasive and rude, your safety should be priority. There’s been many times where I saw something fishy a few blocks up and decided to switch streets. Or I left a subway car to sit in the next one to get away from the weirdo yelling at everyone. This will sound strange as well but holds true, don’t try to make eye contact with whoever is acting out on the subway or streets. If they see you’re looking at them there’s a good chance they will try to walk towards you to get more attention, which is ultimately why they’re acting out in the first place.
Some other things to consider while traveling on the subway. It may be smart to not ride the subway when it’s too late out. Not saying this is an absolute rule, just my take on being safer. For me if it’s past 2am I’m not going to take that long subway ride home as you’ll see that most attacks happen late at night around that time or after. So for me I feel it’s worth paying that possibly expensive uber ride home for the comfort of knowing I’ll be safer taking that then public transportation. A few things I do as well is I’ll always stand up in the subway with my back against the doors. At least it gives me a better defensive stance rather than sitting down and trying to fend off a potential attacker. On the subway platforms I make sure to stand in the middle with my back against a sign or wall. Just so I’ll know no one can sneak up behind me and push me without knowing. These are things to consider but don’t let it discourage you from traveling on the subways or buses. Most of the time you won’t even encounter problems, just always be aware of your surroundings.
3. Time Management
As the saying goes and what you’ll quickly realize when first moving here ‘New York Minute’ is really holds true. Time seems to fly by here and if you don’t fit in a regimented schedule like Tetris it’ll be hard to adapt to the city. A lot of it has to do with the fact you’ll mostly be traveling by subway or bus. Best app to get is Google Maps, I still use it to this day to figure out how long it’s going to take me to get from point A to point B. Before living in NYC it was much easier for me to get around since I had a car. I could come and go as I please and stock up on groceries once a month, or head to the gym when I got off of work and had a snack at home first. Small activities like that need different angles to approach. For example, instead of trying to go to the gym afterwork I pushed in quick 45 min workouts on my lunch breaks and ate my lunch while I was back at the office. I made sure my gym was either really close to my work or home because if it wasn’t and I needed to take a subway to get there I’d be less motivated to go. Then instead of making so many trips home whatever I needed to take care of after the gym I did so. Like trips to the grocery store. Your friends that live here can agree, once you’re back at home you’re more than likely home for the night. So living in the big apple has a way of making you better with your time. You’ll be forced to map out your schedule in the beginning of the day or week to get the best results.
4. Networking
In a city full of people stacked on top of each other you’d think it’d be easy to get new friends. What you’ll notice is the opposite, NYC at times can make you feel alone. Big lonely ass city is what I often refer it to, but don’t be let that nickname discourage you just be keen of how the city operates to find more fruitful connections. This is also coming from a guy’s perspective and may be different for women. One thing you’ll notice right off the back is the difficulty in getting into some places. When I lived in Ohio, my whole squad of guy friends could get in anywhere we wanted to go. Here it’s more like a 2 guy maximum especially for nightlife in the meatpacking district. It’s wise to get reservations beforehand weeks ahead as places get filled quickly. Try to link up with friends from the opposite sex so it evens out your group to be able to get into places easier.
Once you get a feel for the nightlife it can be super fun and a great place to network. Try attending events that you know you’ll find like minded individuals. If you’re into fashion attend NYFW afterparties. If you’re into painting make sure to hit up the art galleries showcasing new artists (Time Out always has a good list: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/art/this-weeks-best-new-ar)t. Checkout open mics around the city if you love comedy (https://www.freemics.com/ is a great site to find some weekly). It’s pretty easy to meet people here from ideas I mentioned above. The hard part is keeping meaningful friendships here. As you’ll soon find out, since most of your friends will be living in different boroughs and have conflicting schedules. Extra effort will be needed and don’t get too upset if plans get rain checked. It’ll happen more than your home state, but don’t take it personal. Just try to have your friendships go in with a 50/50 effort. You each try to make time for each other to hangout and schedule fun things to do. You pick a cool spot to go to one week, the next time you hangout they find one. All this will go with my conclusion that in order for you to truly enjoy the city and what it has to offer as far as great networking, you’ll have to put yourself out there more than you ever had before. Not that it’s a bad thing to be an introvert, but I think it’s best to challenge yourself to be more outgoing. Go out of your way to introduce yourself at parties or happy hours. Who knows you may be rubbing elbows with your next employer or investor!
5. Side Hustles
Side hustles are synonymous with New York City! While it’s nice to have a promising 9–5 job with 401k and benefits, it’s also a smart move to have other money makers. Just in case of a…I don’t know…a once every 100 years pandemic that sweeps the economy or whatever financial hardship that comes up abruptly. Over the years of living here I found a few side hustles that helped buffer my savings like as a host for Airbnb, selling old clothes and shoes on Depop and Grailed, buying stonks and crypto on Robinhood. There’s so many ways to make extra money in the city like driving for ride-share apps, Door Dash and Task-Rabbit. One of my friends earns anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to a thousand off of Task-Rabbit weekly. If you have a good set of tools you’ll see how easy it is to get jobs from people who don’t have the time to install themselves. Are you more of a pet person than a people person? Great! Get paid to walk people’s dogs, from what I heard they make bank here. Whatever way you choose to side hustle you’ll find comfort in knowing you can do it with things you’re sort of good at or passionate for.
That wraps up my 5 things to consider when making the move to NYC. I wish you the best on your journey! As you may feel hesitancy in actually doing it just know it will be the best decision socially, professionally and personally. The first few years will be where you’ll be tested the most. But trust me after that things will fall into place and you’ll love it here. The city is gritty and a lot to take in at times, but it’s also so beautiful from the people that live here and the places you can explore. Feel free to share specific questions below about moving or if you want to share how your move was to the concrete jungle.
