Yesterday, a very cultural and well traveled friend of mine came through New York, on his way from Zurich down to Chile. A former New Yorker himself, he stopped by and the conversation immediately went to talk about living in New York.

As a good friend and a NYC enthusiast, he passed along his how-to in making the city ones own. In London, everyone quoted, “It takes one year until you feel good and at home in the city.” My friend says New York is much kinder- and gives it 3, 4 months tops to really start to feel the love of living here. Ok, so now I have my timeline. What else?

Actually, a lot of what he said crosses over to any kind of circumstance when you are finding your niche in a new place. First, he said to get a grasp of the public transportation system, so when friends call you up to meet somewhere, you know how to get there and how long it will take. Second, go to the roof of a high rise building with a local and have them point out the layout and neighborhoods of the city (check!), or get a map and study it. Then go explore and get a sense of what these different areas feel like and what they have to offer. While you are exploring, take a good look at the areas around and within your neighborhood and find that place (or places) where you can de-tense. New York is a busy place, that has a sort of constant electric buzz you feel like you can’t turn off- but you can if you find a couple of outlets to do so. Parks, coffee shops, walkways by the water… There are loads of places out there just aching to make you feel good. ;)

Finally, the main point I pulled away was one of universal application- what you put out you will get back. So, if you are curious about the city and spend time getting to know and explore it, that same energy will come back to you- filling up your life with the most wonderful people, places and experiences. Alright! I am ready to make New York mine. :)