The Stress-Free Guide to Getting Started in a New City
Whether you are moving to a new part of the city or moving around the country (or outside of it), settling in a new city can always be a little jittery. Here are some of the best ways to get to know your new home and make new friends.
I recently moved across the country to sunny California, and with no knowledge of the area and no friends outside of the Lifehacker team, it was pretty tricky. Here are some things I learned that helped me get back on my feet quickly.
Blast From The Past is a weekly feature on Lifehacker in which we bring old but still relevant posts to life for your reading and hacking enjoyment. We are settling in a new location this week.
Getting to know the land
Once you’ve actually moved and identified the obvious – found the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, Apple store, or whatever else you want – the city can feel pretty overwhelming. If you’re feeling a little lost, here are some ways to get to know your new home quickly.
The obvious: surf the internet
The first thing that probably crossed your mind is to check out places like Google Maps , Yelp, or Citysearch to find some of the best places to eat, hang out, watch movies, etc. There is a reason for this: it works really well. For coffee or lunch, head over to one of these sites for reviews of nearby establishments. Of course, there is no substitute for trying something, so don’t be afraid to jump. Finding a cinema with the highest rating on Google Maps doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best or the best for you, so plan to take a closer look before getting into your routine too quickly. However, the Internet should get you off to a good start.
If you’re looking for something nearby, a particularly useful trick is to simply open Google Maps, center it in its place, and search for the query * . Wildcard search works on Maps and pretty much will show you everything that’s nearby, which comes in handy when you’re just trying to figure out what’s nearby.
Ask real people
Of course, there is no substitute for the advice of a real living person to whom you can ask questions and with whom you can interact. Most likely, you will definitely have at least one or two acquaintances who live or have lived in the city you moved to. Ask them for advice. Call them, go out to lunch with them, or just email them and choose their brains. Ask any questions you have, where is the best place to eat, where are the areas in the city you might want to stay out of, or how bad rush hour traffic is (I learned this the hard way when I moved to LA) …
A really great (and fun) way to come up with this kind of advice is to create a Google Doc ( or Google Map !) And invite a few people you know to collaborate on it. If you can get one person to get off the ground, you can probably attract a lot of people by adding your favorite places to eat and do in the city (especially if they disagree with each other – people have a lot of pride their favorite local hangouts and will gladly give their advice). He can become self-sufficient pretty quickly. Everyone, even the new people I meet every week, are more than willing to contribute to the document through their favorite places / get-togethers if I invite them as co-authors.
I also highly recommend crowdsourcing some of the replies to Facebook and Twitter. You might be surprised how many people are familiar with the area and can give you helpful advice on everything you need to know. Again, what’s really helpful about this is that these aren’t just random online reviews – if you can connect with people and get all your questions answered, you’ll be much better off.
There is nothing wrong with asking other locals, even if they are just people you meet for a few minutes on the street, in a cafe or somewhere else. Ditching the simple line “I just moved here” works wonders. It’s remarkable how friendly and responsive people are to newbies. They will definitely give you a piece or two of information that you might not have gotten elsewhere, so above all else, just be friendly!
Get out and make friends
The other half of the equation is finding things to do with other people and forming a group (or groups) of friends. It’s not easy sitting on the couch watching Seinfeld reruns, so here are a few things you can do to get things moving.
Keep up the good work (or dig up old ones)
A great way to find people with similar interests to you is to go out and do your favorite hobbies, even if you haven’t visited them for a long time. If you like electronic music, there is definitely a band dedicated to this culture. If you’ve played or have played before, find your local play store and visit Magic: The Gathering Draft. Even if you haven’t done this in years, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people. Meetup.com is a great way to find groups based on similar interests in your area – just enter where you are and what you are looking for and you will likely find that several groups get together throughout the week. And, if you don’t find one (or don’t find one that works for you), start on your own! You are rarely the only one who has interests in a given city, and if you cannot find anyone, make them come to you.
Aside from your own hobbies, I cannot recommend being active enough in community service and other local organizations. It might make you roll your eyes, but you don’t need any previous experience to do it, everyone is always very friendly and at least you get some free DIY skills . Anything that keeps you entertained and entertained will make you feel better than sitting at home doing nothing, so you have nothing to lose by getting out of here.
Meet friends of friends
If you already have a friend or two in town, you are very lucky. Take advantage of this! Even if you are not best friends with them, accept any invitation you can get – you can find a friend with whom you have a lot in common. Don’t give up after just one meeting. The more time you spend with people, the more likely you are to befriend them, even if you didn’t initially think you were. After all, are we really in a position to be picky?
Don’t be afraid to contribute to the group as well. Don’t let others always make plans and invite you, otherwise you will feel like you are not interested. if you have a place in this google doc you want to go eat for lunch, go ahead and invite all of them. This way, you will appear to be a real participant and not just a tagalong, and they are more likely to think of you when other plans come up.
Take the initiative
You will not meet anyone just sitting at home alone, so when you have the opportunity to leave the house, take it. Instead of grabbing takeout and going home, eat out alone. Work in coffee shops. It might sound awkward at first, but there’s nothing wrong with grabbing a book (or your favorite Read Later service) and enjoying some sunshine. You never know when someone will strike up a conversation about what you are reading.
Again, don’t decline any invitations you receive. Even if it’s something you don’t have to do, take the opportunity to leave the house (if, you know, it’s not an invitation to go rob a bank, it’s probably okay to turn it down). Photo taken by Sahaja Meditation .
Don’t worry about it
No matter how strong you feel, you will still have time to be at home, and that’s okay. Keep your expectations low and enjoy your vacation while you can (I hear Portal 2 is great)! It may take a while, but things will unfold naturally. Don’t worry too much if you don’t jump into a routine too quickly. These tips are meant to help, but they won’t magically make you imagine a new life. As with everything else, the more positive you are, the more likely good things are to happen.
This is largely based on my own experience over the past few years and suggestions from others who have done the same. For more tips on getting to know a new city, be sure to check out our 10 best tools for finding things to do nearby , as well as our guide to finding the best places in a new city . And of course, if you have any hard-earned ideas of your own, share them with us in the comments.
The title image is a remix of the original by Richard Bostock .