How to Survive your First Days in New York City

Depending on how much money you have, you may have the option to go for a nice or not so nice place.

If you are looking for an apartment for a long term stay, there are several factors and safety precautions that you should take into account. Apartments are best found on Craigslist.com, in the Village Voice ( a weekly newspaper found on most street corners), and various other sites on the internet you can find by googling "apartments" and "New York City." Craigslist offers you options of going "By Owner" or through a broker. Search By Owner first as there is no fee involved. Know exactly what company or individual you are dealing with before handing over any deposit, complete with contact info, full names, and addresses. Get EVERYTHING in writing, including move in date, address, company name, and money exchanged. There has been quite a lot of instances where a person will accept a deposit for an un-rentable apartment and simply disappear or deny the transaction took place. For your space, compare the price with as many other apartments in it's location, similiar size, and lay-out. Take safety of the neighborhood and commute into account before price and space. Research the neighborhood and ask around. Do not take a beautiful or cheap apartment that is a long way from a subway stop, as you will be miserable in the long term, especially in the winter.

Craigslist.com offers numerous roommate opportunities, yet most will expect you to be able to provide atleast one month's rent, if not two and security. To find a renter willing to take only one month's rent, would be nearly impossible. However, some renters would be willing to take payments on a security deposit, and this is most possible by being honest about your situation and meeting with those renters trying to rent out a room.

If you are coming to New York with very little funds, then you should consider living in rooms that are rented weekly. More likely, these rooms will be in undesirable areas, so outside the hardships of the commute to the city, you should take into consideration if the neighborhood is safe enough to actually inhabit.

However, there are several options for rooms rented weekly that are in neighborhoods that are liveable, and the best option for finding these is to look through all temporary and roommate ads on craigslist. You will also see flyers every now and again for these rooms. Ads can also be found in the Village Voice, New York Post, and Daily News under "Furnished Rooms for Rent". .

Basically, you will find links to agencies that are the middlemen for furnished rooms in buildings. Generally, they will ask you for two weeks rent. Usually this is between 130 and 250 a week, plus a fee.Your fee to a middleman agency to secure a room should not be more than around the first week's rent or about 150 dollars What you pay more for is the ability to pay by week, rather than monthly.

Subletting an apartment can be a good option, if you come with a lump sum of money. A lot of New Yorkers have apartments that they do not want to let go of, due to a various number of reasons, mainly controlled rent. Yet, a lot of New Yorkers have reasons to leave the area (an internship, trips, personal reasons). However, renters with an already established space have the right to be selective in who they entrust that space to.

With all of these situations, and regardless of yours, having a face to face conversation is your best bet in coming to a deal that will be beneficial to both parties.

If you want to go into a deal with one or more like minded New Yorkers such as yourself, I would suggest placing an ad with your budget monthly and (if any) ideas of where you might want to live on Craigslist. Once again, face to face with those looking for the same as you is the best. Allow yourself enough time to get a basic knowledge of the person or persons before committing to live with them. Also make sure they are serious, so you don't waste your time looking for a place, only to find out the other parties are not ready.

Get an Unlimited Metro Card.

If you have fifty dollars to your name, and no job or place, an unlimited metro card is essential to securing your survival. Currently, they are twenty four dollars.

If you are doing anything from job hunting to apartment hunting, having a metro card should be your first line of opportunity and defense against a harsh city. Starve Now, Get that first, and avoid starving later.

A computer, an e-mail account, and any type of phone is essential to get you employment most efficiently and quick. If you are looking for any job in hospitality, you should have a nice picture of yourself, that is as close to a head shot as possible and can be e-mailed, pasted on a resume, or printed out.

If you are already involved in a particular field and/or are looking for a corporate position, job hunting will be more time-consuming and lengthy. Craigslist.com breaks up job postings into categories by field. If you are fairly entry level, and need to start generating some cash now, a restaurant job may be your best bet until you secure a more ideal position. However, these positions can also be competitive and difficult to obtain without experience, especially without New York City experience.

If you are intent on finding a job in hospitality, as a server, bartender, or host right away, create a good resume which highlights any experience you have in the position you are applying for, and play up duties at any position that relates in any way to what the job poster is looking for at their particular establishment. You will be doing alot of walking, as a good majority of these positions require you to show up for an "open call"(a specified time and date to apply at the restaurant). Focus primarily on Craigslist.com, as it is the most widely used site for hospitality jobs. Also prioritize open calls into your day, as that is your best bet to getting an on the spot interview. Start your day by e-mailing all of the jobs on Craigslist. com, then hitting as many open calls as you can, and then doing it all over again. Don't forget to arm yourself with a good subway and city map. Wear comfortable shoes.

Whether you come to NYC with 500 or 5000 dollars, prioritizing your money is key.

It can be very easy to start hanging out at bars or restaurants,, especially when you are stressed and hungry, but don't fall into that right away, as it is expensive. Slices of pizza are great nutrional means of survival, as our forty ounces of cheap beer.

Get your essentials together first: a metrocard, whatever means of a place to sleep you can afford, enough to pay your phone bill if you need to, and computer access funds if you need that.

If you have friends in New York, crashing a couple days to save funds, until you have a job can be a great life saver, especially if they have a phone and computer, and you don't. If you rent any type of space, see if the renter will work with you for the first month or week, until you get on your feet a little more. Some people will take you on face value, if you are honest about your situation.

Talk to people.

Do Not talk to people that make you feel uncomfortable. Trust your intuition. Talk to people that you become acquainted with in your neighborhood, job, or in any safe place. The beauty of New York City is that everybody has knowledge to give. It may not be useful right away, but quite possibly, it may help you get acquainted with someone who has an apartment they have been wanting to rent or a friend who needs an employee. Talking to local cafe and deli employees may even get you a "tab" started for food, etc.

Be wary of giving out your address to anyone before you know them, hanging out alone with anyone, or buying into any kind of offers or lines that suggests you give money. Some people here do prey on people new to the city.

Yet, most people you speak to throughout the city are very knowledgable and helpful, and of course are your people now too.