Moving to Manhattan might be just what you need right now. Whether you are a lifelong New Yorker or moving to Big Apple from another city or country, you’ll need to know what’s ahead of you. Living in Manhattan means you’ll go from navigating busy traffic and getting slightly annoyed by the crowded streets and restaurants, to having the best time of your life.
It might seem like I try to discourage you, but the fact is that moving to NYC is a dream come true for many people, so you have to be ready to pick up on that fast-paced lifestyle the minute you move in here. That is why I wrote this exhaustive guide to life in the big city that will help you adjust to NYC’s way of living and make you realize why this city is so special.
Let’s get going, people!
Getting To Know Manhattan
As you all know Manhattan is an island connected with the city and other boroughs by rivers and many bridges. These magnificent rivers are The Hudson, East, and Harlem Rivers. You should know that the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge, Williamsburg, and Manhattan bridges will take you from east Manhattan to Brooklyn and Queens. The Queensboro Bridge gaps the East River and connects Manhattan with Queens. The famed Triborough Bridge links Manhattan with Harlem, Astoria, and the South Bronx. So as you can see you don’t need to worry about potential commuting when you relocate to Manhattan.
Manhattan has three main parts – Lower (Downtown), Midtown, and Upper Manhattan. If we are going to go into more detailed classification these are Manhattan’s subdivisions:
- Upper East Side,
- Upper West Side,
- Lower East Side,
- Lower West Side,
- Harlem,
- Financial District.
The Financial District, a financial center of the city welcomes professionals from all over the world who gravitate toward the area of finance capital. Midtown Manhattan is mainly business-based, shopping, and tourism. Harlem is well known for its history of music, art, the civil rights movement, and establishing grounds for equality and social justice.
Neighborhoods such as Soho, Noho, Little Italy, and the Greenwich Village will charm you with an abundance of art, education, and corporations in Manhattan. Chinatown is a place for foodies and gourmands. Here you’ll find quite a lot of shops and restaurants that offer you authentic flavors, spices, and great bites. The Upper West Side is a thriving community with stunning architecture and a lot of green areas. Also, UWS is where you should look when thinking about education or quality healthcare.
Manhattan’s traffic
The worst part of living and moving to Manhattan is the constant struggles with the traffic jams. Traffic in NYC, just like in any other big city is always dynamic, and more intense during the weekdays, especially during the rush hours. Don’t forget that Big Apple is a tourist attraction on its own, so this city is never empty and easy-going. However, there are periods when the traffic is a bit slower, it is during the summer when schools are closed and a lot of people are away on vacation.
Since the situation with traffic is a problem even for native New Yorkers, imagine how hard it will be for a newcomer to orientate here in the middle of a stressful moving process. But do not fret, all you need to do is hire the best Manhattan moving company. No one can take such good care of your belongings as a reliable team of well-experienced Manhattan movers. They will organize your move-in details and make sure you reach your new NYC address safely and on time.
After you settle down you’ll want to start exploring the city. My advice to you is to avoid using your car since you’ll spend more time in a traffic jam than sightseeing. There is plenty of option to move around Manhattan. Subway is the best option, but the buses operate regularly as well. If you want to visit Long Island, for example, ferries should be your go-to option.
Population and accommodation
Among all five boroughs, Manhattan has the third-largest population. This means that Manhattan is a very diverse neighborhood, here you’ll find many different ethnic and religious groups. People of all genders, skin colors, and beliefs are equal here. Don’t be surprised when you come across the friendliest and chatty neighbors, the sense of community is very prevalent here.
Manhattan is undoubtedly the center of NYC, this part of the city never sleeps, however, the streets are not as loud as you may expect, and everything is green and clean. Now I get all this sounds dreamy, but unfortunately, I need to get you back to reality.
The cost of living here is pretty high, and I don’t mean rent only, even though you’ll need to cash at least $3,800 for a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. Of course, you can find some affordable housing prices here as well, but those places are mostly very old small apartments that lack many necessary amenities.
Expenses of living in NYC, naturally, vary and depend on your needs and lifestyle, but you should know that some basic expenses are way high up here. Take the cost of food for one person as an example. Every month, a person who lives in NYC will spend around $490, while the national average is around $350, the difference between these two amounts is not insignificant.
Education and work opportunities
The great thing about moving to Manhattan is how many options you will have related to education and work. Manhattan is home to a lot of prestigious private and public schools. Some of the most prominent institutions of higher education are located right here such as:
- Columbia University,
- NYU,
- CUNY,
- The New School,
- Juilliard School,
- New York Institute of Technology,
- Berkeley College,
- Fordham Universities.
Many successful people started their professional careers just after attending one of these universities! The work opportunities mainly originate from the field of economics, technology, banking, crypto, and design. Luckily, a lot of people started working from home during the pandemic. That trend is still going strong, so now you don’t need to choose a neighborhood solely according to the proximity of your workplace.
Manhattan and entertainment
You all know that saying that hard work goes hand in hand with partying hard? Well, that is the definition of living in NYC. You work hard, but your party is even harder. Manhattan is crowded with places that will offer you the best entertainment in the world. You can start your night with a Broadway show or at some music venue at Madison Square Garden, and end it partying hard at some of the most famous clubs in Manhattan such as FREQ.
The weather
A lot of people decide where they will live according to the weather conditions. You might think that is funny, but some people suffer from meteoropathy. Since they can’t handle certain weather conditions well, they need to carefully choose when they decide to move.
Moving to Manhattan is suitable for people who don’t mind a combination of humid subtropical and humid continental climates. Here you will experience long summer, which is hot and humid. Logically with all that heat, humidity accumulates, so we get a lot of rainstorms, thunderstorms, and tropical storms. Occasionally a tornado or a hurricane will storm by.
Winters are long, very cold, with a lot of snow. Spring and fall are usually the best time of the year to live and visit the city. During these periods the city is warm, sunny, and rainy from time to time, but NYC is incredibly beautiful and romantic when it rains so you’ll love it.
Moving To Manhattan And How To Successfully Navigate It?
Moving in general is one of the most stressful situations in life no matter how eager you are to change your surrounding for the better. There are just too many things you need to do, planning, packing, sorting, and labeling, don’t get me started on heavy lifting. You need to be a superhuman to achieve that all on your own (by this we mean with small help from your friends and family).
My mission is to encourage you to hire the best moving company in NYC to help you out and make you feel at home in Manhattan. I get that a lot of people take the question of responsibility very seriously and think that movers and packers aren’t so reliable, but I am here to break these stereotypes.
You need someone who has a skilled, well-equipped, reliable moving team that will enable the smooth moving process, and safe relocation of objects, without any delays, stress, and risk. Most people need to keep up with their daily activities, working schedules, attending classes, and other related duties while moving so hiring a reliable moving company is a must.
Zenith Moving company set very high standards, but they also meet them! If you are still doubting, let’s have quick chitchat so we can answer all your burning questions.
