I currently live in South Carolina and Memphis is as urban as I’ve been exposed to. I plan t go to culinary school in New York though. Any advice you could give me about going from a rural to an urban area, staying safe, and finding a job/place to live?
well you should def save up live in NY. (in a one bedroom condo on the upper west side it costs 1000 a month for property tax alone. its not a big condo either!) find a job before you move here. and finding an apartment is pretty hard so get started now! look in the ny newspaper websites. you could be put on a waiting list for more than three years! i suggest finding a place (for manthattan) from down in the business district (downtown 20′s) up to 110th street. i like in new york and i don’t like going past 120th street because it gets a little scary for me there. it doesn’t matter if you want the east or west side. but for the east side the lower the avenue you’re looking at (ave not street) the harder it is to get there. west side isn’t as hard.
and start looking for a job now too. once again try the newspapers. and websites online.
i think that it’d be best if you visit a couple of times before you move to get used to the train systems. in a way, learning the train systems are like an art ya know? unless you want to take a taxi everywhere which is totally up to you but def costs more (2.50 initial charge and 0.40 for ever 1/4 of a mile. at i think .20 for every minute you stop at like a light or something. going 20 blocks in a taxi could cost you around 7 dollars when you could just take the bus/train for 2.00)
also staying safe. stay in well lit areas? its pretty simple as that. uhm in the trains when you see bums in the corner of the train car move to a different car (cuz they reek) and when they ask for money don’t give it because it is illegal. if you see a bum going through the train yelling at people about how you are such a loser just ignore them and look down. don’t try to pick a fight with them because then they’ll never go away.
a couple of tips for the train. buy the 30 day unlimited metrocards. when you live in NYC you tend to use the metrocards a lot. unless you drive everywhere. during the summer if you see that theres not a lot of people in that one car more than likely that car’s AC broke so go to the next one quickly! it could also be that theres a bum there that stinks.
all in all just be prepared to move a fast pace. stay to the right on the sidewalks (and streets if you drive). and enjoy your life in the city =D