Cody on Living in New York (blog 3)

How to Not Suck at Living in NYC

This blog post is not remotely funny. For those here for laughs, that’s your parental advisory warning. Growing up in a small town, I acquired preconceived notions on life in bigger cities, specifically places such as New York City. I assume many younger people unfamiliar with big cities have been given lectures/lessons from older people (i.e. parents) about the dangers of living in an urban area. For anyone curious about living in New York City or anything bigger than where you come from, here are a few things that I have learned that may put you or your parents at ease if big city life is what you crave.

1) Transportation isn’t completely terrible

For those afraid of closed spaces and the close proximity of strangers, this one may be a deal-breaker, but travel is incredibly easy around the city thanks to maps and smartphone applications. A quick tip for those travelling by subway, plan your route with an app and load it before you enter the subway, as there is usually no service, and you’ll have preloaded your travel plans without needing reception. For those without a smart phone, a really cool way to remember streets and roads in Manhattan is this: • If you’re on an avenue, you’re either always heading north or south. • For street numbers, they will always increase as you move north. • For avenue numbers, they will always increase as you move west.

2) Plan ahead to save money

For the tourists reading this, planning ahead can be vital in saving you some money. I’ve found that booking anything transportation-wise in advance can get you a better deal, but looking up discounts for Broadway shows, concerts and even food. For the concertgoers, if a venue has an available box office, going to them directly for tickets can save you money otherwise spent on online “service fees” from ticket websites. For someone really into live music such as myself, it pays to go out of your way to get cheaper tickets. For food lovers, websites and smart phone apps are perfect for looking for cheap and better alternatives to eating quality food while in New York. I may be stating the obvious, but I’ve had apps give me some of the best food I’ve ever had for some pretty mind-blowingly low prices.