Anonymous asked: Hi Nikka! first off congrats on all of your success! I saw the show your first night, and you were great! Do you have any advice for moving to NYC? I am finally making the move there from Chicago, and was wondering if you have advice, or any secret fav spots around midtown where my apt is? Thanks & congrats again!
Wow! Hi! Thanks! Glad you were there, and glad you said hello here.
Congrats on making the move to NYC! It’s bound to be one of the most exhilarating, infuriating, wonderful, craziest experiences of your life. My major advice is not to get locked into one neighborhood. Don’t become part of a bubble, you’ll get scared to get out. Buy that monthly Metrocard and USE IT!
Study the subway map before you come. Familiarize yourself with the basic layout of the boroughs and what goes there. It will make more sense when you get here, but it will help to have a basic knowledge of the trains.
When Boyfriend first moved to NYC, he told me he would pick a neighborhood, go there, and get lost for the day. There is only so lost you can get in Manhattan. It’s an island, and eventually you will hit water. :) It might be scary, but you will find cool things you never thought would be there, plus your phone will probably get you out of any tight situation, especially downtown where the grid ceases and can get confusing.
Read NY-based blogs- some of my favorites are Curbed (real estate), Racked (fashion), Eater (food), the skint (free/cheap stuff to do), Daily Intel (NYMag), and brooklynvegan. Subscribe to New York Magazine. It’s cheap, it’s the greatest weekly magazine ever, it will be FULL of stuff to circle and highlight and take advantage of.
Don’t be afraid of Brooklyn. Don’t be afraid of Queens. Go to museums on their free nights. Keep your student ID, even if it looks nothing like you anymore.
As for hidden gems in midtown? Sake Bar Hagi on 49th between 7th and 6th for crazy Japanese tapas and amazing people-watching.
Good luck, have a blast, and keep the questions coming if you have more! :)
