How to Move to New York

A short guiding tour of leaving your past behind (kind of) and booking it to Brooklyn.

Feel constrained in your current, non-New York environment? Crave adventure, bodegas, and personal growth?

Visit the city. If you haven't been here you can't move here. Have some friends and have them show you around, real-life style. The Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are for tourists.

Save up a lot of money. Stake out a couch or two to crash on while you look for an apartment. Take a bus, or a plane, or a car - whatever you need to get here. Bring a friend if you want but it's better if you don't. This is your life.

Crash on the couch. Scour Craigslist. Don't ignore the sublets. In the meantime, get a job. Take anything. But make it awesome. You will meet people. You have to get an apartment though. Don't stare at ads, fantasizing about your ideal apartment. Just get out there, call people, and put the pedal to the metal.

You have a job and an apartment. If you're not currently at a point in your life to believe this is your future, maybe reconsider moving here, but this is a city in which you pick up a lot of skills you never thought you had, so it will be good to you. Anything can happen, and often does. Just keep your attitude cool and open.

Dig it. You'll lose your old friends who say they want to come visit you but never do. You'll make new ones to replace them, but keep in touch with those that mean a lot to you. Some of them will move here too. And try to remember that life exists outside of New York (it's tough).

Tips

• This article is about moving to Manhattan; there are 4 other distinct boroughs of New York City.
• Research which neighborhood (borough) best fits your lifestyle and personality. They are all quite distinct.
• Patience and perseverance are key to finding a great apartment in New York.