Tips for moving to New York City

[REPO Man]

I'm hoping to move to New York City in the near future (my current departure estimate is after Christmas but before New Years Eve).

Now, here's some sites I've been to on the subject:

* http://consumerist.com/2007/01/how-to-m ... broke.html
* http://www.hollenback.net/index.php/NyMoveTips
* http://www.ehow.com/how_2159435_move-new-york-city.html
* http://www.wikihow.com/Move-to-New-York
* http://www.allisonj.org/2008/03/12/so-y ... ve-to-nyc/

A few details about me:

* At the moment, making $9.50, working 30-hour weeks. Me and family are trying to move to Orlando. I plan on working my ass off on multiple jobs in Orlando to afford to relocate to New York.
* When I relocate, I'm just taking my laptop, iPod, PSP, DS cellphone and clothes. Though I may replace my TracFone with an iPhone and a wireless plan and my laptop with a netbook.
* Once in Orlando, I'm gonna try to get a job in a temp agency that both A) has a location in New York City, and B) will allow me to transfer there, so as to have a job waiting for me
* I plan on living in Brooklyn, since it's a bit less expensive than Manhattan
* I'm not looking for an apartment, just a room. My limit is $700 a month OR $175 a week.
* In tandem with my full-time job, I'm gonna try to get a few part-time jobs. Since I don't have friends and just wanna spend the first year surviving and scrimping, I won't be going out much.

Now, all I need is some advice for anything I may have missed.

Ask questions in case I didn't cover enough here.

All I ask is no negativity. I already get enough of that from my parents, who seem to think that New York is still the same dystopian hellhole it was back in the '70s. I mean, they know that what I wanna do with my life (filmmaking while branching out to other opportunities, including writing books, fashion line, et al) would be a lot easier in an area with the resources that can facilitate those opportunities.

[REPO Man]

Oh, and another alternative I've been pondering is being a live-in housekeeper. I hear that with some people, they give you room and board in exchange for service (i.e. no rent).

And one ad on Craigslist mentioned that the housekeeper's duties would only comprise 15-20 a week, with the rest of the time free to the housekeeper. So that's about the better part of 3 hours a day, leaving the remaining 13-15 hours (if sleep is 6-8 hours, making 24-3-[6,8]=[13,15] and yes I used matrices) for part-time jobs.

Also, what's the supermarket situation like? I've checked out a few places on Craigslist and used the Google Maps link (if applicable) to search for nearby supermarkets and more or less it's been kinda 3-star at best. And what's the food prices like? If you want, I'll include a list of typical grocery items with prices from my local Food Lion, indicating brand and whether or not it's on sale.

[REPO Man]

And what's the crime like? I know that it's actually safer than in any of the other major metropolitan areas, particularly LA and Miami.

[Limewater]

I haven't been to NYC in several years, but here are some kind-sorta tips.

Don't forget to budget for utilities and transportation (and possibly a bed).

I can't tell you for sure, but NYC grocery prices are likely 30-50% higher than those where you are now. It really does vary a bit by item. If you're concerned about saving money on food, consider changing your diet, and learn to cook beans and rice.

When packing clothes, remember that it's cold a lot more of the year up there.

As a new person, you'll probably be excited to see the area and meet people, et cetera. These things will make you a target for panhandlers.

If someone approaches you on the street seeking help, no matter what they're seeking help about, 95% of the time they are trying to scam you and will eventually reveal that there is a way for a large quantity of money to be the solution they need. Surprise!

Due to the above, it's not a bad idea to get used to looking depressed, unfriendly, or deeply introspective while walking down the street.

[weaponepsilon]

Question: if you want to be a film maker, why are you moving to NYC? Orlando has a market for film students. I went to school for Video Production and was supposed to work at a TV studio. It didnt happen, but I was told to go to either Cali or Florida for that business. I was also told the same thing by a professional voice actor. NYC everything is a lot more expensive and hyper competitive.

Especially when you think in terms of population density. the job market would be a lot tougher in a place with a billion people scrambling to find the same jobs as you, when unemployment rates are take into account.

[o.pwuaioc]

You're moving from my hometown to the place I'll be living in less than two months.

You also might want to consider Queens, which is where I'm moving. It's apparently becoming much cheaper to live there than Brooklyn.

[Ziggy]

Due to the above, it's not a bad idea to get used to looking depressed, unfriendly, or deeply introspective while walking down the street.

Lol. It's pretty much true though, you gotta get your game face on. There's a certain New York etiquette you'd have to learn or people will walk all over you. But the pizza is delicious!

[REPO Man]

I haven't been to NYC in several years, but here are some kind-sorta tips.

Don't forget to budget for utilities and transportation (and possibly a bed).

I can't tell you for sure, but NYC grocery prices are likely 30-50% higher than those where you are now. It really does vary a bit by item. If you're concerned about saving money on food, consider changing your diet, and learn to cook beans and rice.

When packing clothes, remember that it's cold a lot more of the year up there.

As a new person, you'll probably be excited to see the area and meet people, et cetera. These things will make you a target for panhandlers.

If someone approaches you on the street seeking help, no matter what they're seeking help about, 95% of the time they are trying to scam you and will eventually reveal that there is a way for a large quantity of money to be the solution they need. Surprise!

Due to the above, it's not a bad idea to get used to looking depressed, unfriendly, or deeply introspective while walking down the street.

Budget, check! How often do mattresses appear on Craigslist under the free section?

I'm currently buying ramen at about 6/$1, and Yakisoba is about 69cents. By your logic, that's about $2 for six packs of ramen, which is enough for three nights (I eat two at a time), so that's 66cents/dinner. I also heard about Jack's 99c Store and Jack's World. What can I never expect to buy there?

So pair up my T-shirts with longsleeve T's, ditch my shorts and get long pants, thank God for my myriad of outerwear, especially my Zombie vs Shark hoodie.

And I already look like I don't know what's happening, so now I just gotta work on my ninja reflexes. Oh, and I'm already trying to keep my wallet in my front pocket, but that's also where I keep my keys, phone and iPod. And my other pocket is reserved for bottled drinks.

Question: if you want to be a film maker, why are you moving to NYC? Orlando has a market for film students. I went to school for Video Production and was supposed to work at a TV studio. It didnt happen, but I was told to go to either Cali or Florida for that business. I was also told the same thing by a professional voice actor. NYC everything is a lot more expensive and hyper competitive.

Especially when you think in terms of population density. the job market would be a lot tougher in a place with a billion people scrambling to find the same jobs as you, when unemployment rates are take into account.

New York's film industry is second only to Hollywood, and California's much farther and I hear more crime-ridden than NYC. I'm not a film student, cuz a lot of my fave directors didn't go to film school (Tarantino, Rodriguez, Waters), and it's just a useless degree for something that you don't really NEED school for. It'd just be four years that should be going towards pumping out about 4-6 low-budget films to help get my talent out there.

Lol. It's pretty much true though, you gotta get your game face on. There's a certain New York etiquette you'd have to learn or people will walk all over you. But the pizza is delicious!

I've heard that everyone is always in a hurry and that I should mistake being firm for being mean. And while I am a bit sensitive, I'm also much more hardskinned that you'd think.

And I've heard that the pizza is boss (I LOVE PIZZA!), but I doubt that I'll be eating out for a while after I move. I mean, if I can feed myself cheaper than the Dollar Menu (I eat about 3-5 sandwiches, 2 orders of fries and a drink, which is $6-8 a night!), then that's what I'm gonna do.

And I've also read an article (this one) about this one guy who only made his meals with what he's found from Jack's World and Jack's 99cent Store.

And I don't care for beans, but my local Dollar Tree has the stuff for me to make noodles and gravy, with bits of beef jerky sprinkled over. Three-dollar two-night dinner FTW!

[fvgazi]

Brooklyn is most likely the place to move. Bushwick will be cheaper but the area is not so great. If you move to Williamsburg it's hipster central and the rent is going to be high. Ridgewood Queens is right on the border of brooklyn and is awesome (a bunch of friends live there). Astoria and Long Island City (it's queens) are up and coming areas for young people to move.

NYC itself is now much safer than it ever was. You will still run into bad areas, but it really depends. I would NOT move into manhattan. There is much more going on in the outer boroughs.


All food is going to be great. Tons of stuff EVERYWHERE!



Myself... i go into brooklyn and queens all the time, but I would never live there.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

Due to the above, it's not a bad idea to get used to looking depressed, unfriendly, or deeply introspective while walking down the street.

Lol. It's pretty much true though, you gotta get your game face on. There's a certain New York etiquette you'd have to learn or people will walk all over you. But the pizza is delicious!

You can say that again Zig and there's some pretty dman good bagel places too! Let's not forget the driving either! Nice to see another LI'er on here man!

I don't know too much about NYC because I have only visited there a bunch of times (which can be expensive as shit just doing that) and since I'm a suburban man but NY is just plain expensive in general. Just make sure you are prepared which it seems like you have done your homework. Good luck! I hope it works out!