Hmmm? The bottom line got down to......wait for it.....the money! The NYC position paid almost 3x what she was getting at her current Los Angeles suburb job. There's a lot of things she's contemplating but in the end, she is a definite planner and wants to put a good stash of cash away for her future. Can't blame her, makes sense. So tonight I googled "What one should know before moving to NYC" so I could throw a few things at her next time she rings me. Any of you who've thought about moving to The Big Apple, think the following over first...What one should know before moving to NYC....
A few of my favorites taken from a Yelp Talk New York Review Discussion.
- That air conditioners leak on you if you walk too close to the buildings...it took around five times of getting dripped on for me to learn my lesson.
- Don't look people in the eye
- Mystery odors
- is under construction always
- Donald Trump will try to kill you
- You have to actually pick up your feet when you walk...the pavement and sidewalks aren't always flat.
- separate downtown and uptown train entrances, that somehow become apparent only after you swiped your metrocard
- cabs -- when the number on top is lit up - it's empty, when it's not - someone is in there, and when the whole thing is on - it's off duty
- you will live in a shoebox and/or pay a smal fortune in rent
- New York City is divided into five boroughs: -Brooklyn -Queens -Staten Island -the Bronx -and the best-known of all, Manhattan.This is where you will find most of the citys top attractions, such as the Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square, the Chrysler Building and more. And ferries to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island depart from Lower Manhattan. And for the best views of Manhattan go to the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Centre.
- when a subway car is significantly emptier during rush hour than all the others, it's for one of two reasons: there is a smelly bum stinking up the place, or the AC is broken
- that 5 dollars for a pint of domestic beer is totally reasonable
- people will molest you if you fall asleep on the train - and sometimes even if you don't fall asleep
- you can know what part of the corner you are standing on and what direction you exit the subway from, if you pay attention to the SW-NW-SE-NE directional signs near the exits. Saves time staring up and down the street trying to read the street signs before taking off in a particular direction.
- Forget umbrellas. Get a raincoat.
- that this city will humble you but make you stronger as well.
- You need an ipod and a good playlist
- don't ask the person looking on the subway map if they know how to get where you're going.
- bring something to read or look at while you're on the train.
- The even numbered streets go east, the odd numbered ones go west.
- There is no such thing as a cashmere scarf/gloves/hat/anything for $5 or $10.
- That there are plenty of parks and places to exercise and bike and run outside. That though manhattan is an island, it's large enough that you won't notice and won't feel claustrophobic. I had imagined the city as a but of a cement prison/pressure cooker before i moved here..
- you will think it's totally normally to have to visit your storage locker every two weeks to get that outfit you stored there, or the other vacuum cleaner, or your good hiking shoes, and you will pay $150 a month in some dodgy area that requires a $15 cab ride to get to
- Your upper-middle class childhood home in Michigan will seem like a sprawling mansion after moving to NYC for the first time for your first job... I practically live in a shoebox.
- If you weren't materialistic before you moved here... you may become materialistic and brand-oriented after.... All I see when I go home are GUCCI, CHANEL, PRADA... and it makes me feel oh so poor.
- Don't expect the same prices for groceries as you'd find outside of the city... $10 for a baby watermelon!?!? Are you kidding me!?
- Walking everywhere is not as bad as it looks/sounds. 10 (street) blocks is not a lot. Even 20 blocks is not a lot. It sounds a lot, but don't be fooled... or you could be out of shape...
- do NOT economize on rent. you're not smart. you will get mugged. i personally know 3 people who were mugged. now they pay 200-300 dollars more. (unless you've somehow managed to pay 600 for a room in great apartment on 7th avenue, p slope - like someone i know, but then you are very special and exceptional and it's not even fair)
- try to be early rather than "on time" - there WILL be a problem with the trains.
- people you don't want to talk to you won't if you don't look at them.
- people you WANT to talk to you won't.
- do NOT wear flip flops beach shoes in the city far from home base. it WILL rain, you will slip on the slippery sidewalks, your feet will be NASTY when you get home. the rain is relaxing, therapeutic in other cities. in nyc it's disgusting.
- taxis are not easy to find when it's snowing and 3 am and you're wearing party shoes. on a sunny afternoon in july, they are everywhere.
New York Taxis - if you say "hello" and "goodbye" and "thank you" people will ask you if you're from the midwest.
they like it dirty. "it's supposed to be dirty. it's nyc." - DO NOT TURN RIGHT ON RED.
For that matter, do not bring your car. All you'll need is a metrocard and maybe a bicycle. - I love NY. I wish people had told me how great a solo sunny Sat afternoon can be when walking around Chelsea to all the galleries sipping deli coffee, then stopping at better burger for lunch before hitting up Reminiscece to pick up some fun retro/funny/awesome crap I dont need but love.
- I still say "Hello" and "Goodbye" and "Thank you" and even "Please" because I am civilized. I don't care if it indicates I'm not from New York--in that regard, I'm a proud Okie.
- the very few things that are free are the the best the city has to offer like a movie caught at the piers during the summer, concert in central park, a walk along the FDR.
- The city really changes by the seasons. Even the squirrels get fatter come winter time.
- Groceries are really expensive.
- Everyone wants / expects / demands a tip. The city is run on money.
- That no matter how many people are around, and how busy this city is all the time. It can really be a lonely place.
- The city is the epitome of change. You will walk down the same street today and come tomorrow it'll be different.
- You'll be in a subway car with 30 other people from 30 different nationalities / ethnicities / religions / races and it will seem perfectly routine.
- People from the world over will move to NYC and lose any sense of manners and niceties ("please", "thank you", "excuse me") because they think that's what makes a New Yorker.
- You will become suspicious of the sound of silence.
- Bring it. Bring your A-Game.
- If you can make it here, you really don't give a shit if you make it anywhere else.
- You're not the smartest, funniest, prettiest, coolest, or greatest one here - that's what motivates you.
Central Park - The Sunday paper can give you a hernia - lift with your legs.
- Golf umbrellas belong on the GOLF COURSE, not on the NYC sidewalk.
- Also: walk on the left, stand on the right.
- Be assertive (not bitchy, just assertive) and you will usually get better service at the crowded deli for lunch.
- People here care more about how you look in your clothes than out of them (as opposed to L.A. or Miami). Dress to impress, baby!
- You pay for what neighborhood you live in, not what kind of apartment you live in.
- I definitely think that stand on the right, MOVE on the left is some of the best advice you can give to anyone coming to NY.
- Paying the premium to live in a neighborhood where you feel safe at any time of the day/night is unbelievably worth it.
- Girls, when you meet a guy, one of the first questions you should ask him is what part of town he hangs out in. You'll learn a ton about him (if that hipster-looking guy says he hangs out in West Chelsea, he's either an uber-poser, which is lame, or he likes men, which is cool but means he's not going to date you).
- that 70% of the restaurants in Brooklyn (and random places in Manhattan) are cash-only
- Refills are not free.
- i moved here about six months ago and i've noticed 2 things repeatedly. 1 - no one takes credit cards and 2 - there are no public bathrooms anywhere! i live in fear of not being able to make it to home/work/school without almost peeing my pants.
- Construction is everywhere all the time as is scaffolding and with the scaffolding its sometimes for no apparent reason.
- A southern accent has helped tremendously as people let down their guard a bit ,thinking you are not that smart and then they spill their guts and show you who they really are, which can be either good or bad. Interesting but true.
- If you come here and don't like it, leave. Whatever you do, don't talk shit to a native New Yorker about NY
- You Should Tip your Super and Doormen - ONCE a year - at Christmas, you do not need to tip them daily/weekly, just ask a long time resident in the building what the usual custom is.
- IT IS ILLEGAL FOR CABS TO NOT ACCEPT C.C. if they have the machine!!!!!
- also, until 2 years ago no one had told me about flushing a toilet with my foot, and no one had told me until last summer about pressing elevator buttons with a knuckle instead of my fingertip. Mind-blowing, but oh so sanitary.
- You will always be broke. Always.
- Roaches. Oh the roaches. And the rats in the subways are bigger than cats.
- There is such a thing as people traffic. It can make you late for work.
- New York is extremely easy to navigate. Manhattan is divided into numbered streets from north to south and avenues from east to west making it very easy to get around. Buses are handy for getting around Manhattan, as can the subway, which is also the best mode of transport to the other boroughs. And at some stage you’ll definitely use a yellow taxi. When hailing one, try and get one on an avenue that’s going in the same direction you are. You’ll end up saving yourself time and money. And always remember to tip the taxi driver at least 15%.
- Cab rides can make you fear for your life.
- Don't mess up the system. If you aren't sure how to order in the restaurant or get into the subway stand back, learn, and then proceed.
- Oh, and when getting off the subway, people WILL NOT let you off first. Excuse yourself and KEEP MOVING. Works like a charm every time.
- That there is no way in hell you can get a 1br apartment in the West Village for $1250/month.
- If possible live with roommates that you know and trust. It's cheaper, more fun, and safer.
- Once you come here, you can never, ever leave- for the sheer fact that everywhere else sucks in comparison.
- Look up everything on Yelp before you do it. It's on there, even if you wouldn't expect it to be
- And here in NYC you can get amazing Chinese food 24 hours a day.
That alone is worth staying for.
So whatta think? Worth it for the money?
haha, well I highly enjoyed all the pointers and opinions!
