Living in NYC: Recommendations from Year One

This isn’t a “best of New York” list. It’s a set of things that made day-to-day life here noticeably better after a year of trial, error, and mild overcommitment.

Live somewhere walkable, even if it costs more.
Being able to walk to coffee, groceries, bars, parks, and friends changes how often you actually use the city. Central neighborhoods beat “nice but remote” ones. If you can walk most places, the city feels smaller and calmer.

Optimize for your daily radius, not your weekend fantasies.
It’s tempting to pick a neighborhood based on where you might go. Pick based on where you actually end up going on a Tuesday night. Your regular routes matter more than edge cases.

Say yes early, then get selective later.
The first six to nine months are for sampling. Go to things. Accept random invitations. Use social apps if that lowers friction.

Don’t confuse busyness with connection.
New York makes it easy to be socially full but relationally thin. That’s normal. The goal isn’t more plans, it’s seeing the same people again without effort.

Let the city regulate you instead of pushing against it.
You don’t need to extract everything from New York. You don’t need to “do the most.” Some weeks are loud. Some are quiet. Both count.

Walk as much as possible.
Walking is the cheat code. Transit is efficient, but walking teaches you where you actually are.

Expect housing to be temporary, and don’t panic about it.
Month-to-month living feels unstable until you realize that flexibility is the feature.

Spend money on access, not status.
Pay for things that reduce friction: proximity, convenience, time.

Use the city instead of escaping it.
Ironically, living here reduced my urge to travel.

Accept that NYC won’t give you direction.
A city is a container, not a compass.

If New York works for you, it’ll feel like a place that quietly supports a lot of different lives at once, including yours.