Ideal for those looking to make the move from the Big Smoke to the Bigger Apple.
Though we may share a language and a certain similar soul, being a Brit in the Big Apple isn’t as simple as it sounds. Nope, just because you have an accent doesn’t mean your regards will be warmly received on Broadway or you’ll receive a free Manhattan at the hotel bar, for that matter.
Instead, adapting to New York life can be tough. But by reading on, you might just find the process goes a little more smoothly. Here are 8 tips for Brits moving to New York, IDEAL for those looking to make the move from the Big Smoke to the Bigger Apple.
BRUNCH, UNTIL 4PM?
Hey, it feels natural to start with the most important meal of the day. No, not breakfast, silly…
Brunch is a big deal in The Big Apple – a quintessential part of the New York dining experience and one of the most amiable times of an otherwise impossibly fast paced city. For us Brits, brunch means that time between breakfast and lunch, hence the amalgamation of the two words. However, for Newyorkers, brunch means a ‘brilliantly long much’ (only joking) and doesn’t usually start until midday and goes on as late as 4pm.
Should you be invited to Brunch (yep, it’s used as a verb) by your new friends in the city, make serious space in your diary. And remember, over easy doesn’t mean what you think it does.
LEARN SOME LOCAL SLANG
Back to that accent…
Guy Winch, a British psychotherapist (not biased, then), told The Washington Post that Americans associate a British accent with someone being “more intelligent, more sophisticated and more competent — and those are all qualities that a lot of people find attractive”.
And while it’s certainly okay to deploy your British accent with pride, don’t expect to be totally understood when you do so! What’s more, there are certain New York slang words that you should familiarise yourself with to make life a little easier. Here’s just a few:
- Brick (n) – There’s cold, and then there’s brick, which basically means it’s freezing.
- Schmear (n) – “One bagel with schmear, please” essentially means a lot of cream cheese, and comes from the Yiddish term for the proper portion.
- Stoop (n) – the stairs in front of an apartment – as in we sat on the stoop all night, quite possibly drinking from a brown paper bag.
- Hun (n) As Time Out magazine points out, New Yorkers are busy bees and don’t have time for entire words. Hun means hundred – as in, “I’m listening to Bobby Womack, up on hun’tenth street’’.
- Bodega (n) – A small owner-operated convenience store. A bit like our corner shop.
- Pie (n) – Nope this doesn’t mean a delicious apple or cherry pie, it means pizza. If you want an actual sweet pie, best to say what type of pie before, as in pecan pie, or pumpkin pie. Although, knowing those crazy, innovative New Yorkers, you might end up with a pecan pizza. Perhaps.
HOW TO ORDER A PIZZA
This is still confusing to us. But Tom from Crust Kingdom, who writes on his site devoted entirely to pizza, explains;
“Pie is often used in New York where pizza is a noun which has an unknown commodity, in the same way as something like water. You wouldn’t order water, but a bottle of water. And so with pizza, you would order a pie, or slice. This basically translates to a “pie of pizza” or “slice of pizza”.
If you just said “a pizza” or a “piece of pizza” it doesn’t make sense there.
Since the by-the-slice culture is huge in New York, if you’re looking for a proper feed, it’s best to specify ‘pie’. For slices, check out Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village and Williamsburg Pizza in Williamsburg, for our favourites in town.
TIP SAVVY
If you enjoyed that pie and the service you received, then you’re probably wondering how to tip smoothly and generously. Unlike London, there’s not a one-size-fits-all figure for tipping various service staff.
In New York, gratuity is usually factored into pay for those in the service and hospitality industry, and as such, not tipping is a mean thing to do. Generally speaking, you should be tipping wait staff and bartenders upwards of 20%, and the same figure applies to hairdressers and taxi drivers. Should you be in that taxi because a hotel doorman hailed it, we hope you tipped them a dollar or two (hindsight, hey?). What’s more, housekeeping in that hotel you’re staying in when you arrive deserve $2 a day, at the least. It’s nice to be nice, isn’t it?
LEARN LOCATION LINGO
Though it might make your head explode when first confronted with central New York’s layout, it’s actually kinda simple when you get used to it. A few pointers; avenues run north and south whereas for streets, it’s east and west. Odd numbered streets go west while even heads east, and odd-numbered buildings are on the north side of a street, even-numbered on the south (anyone got a compass handy?). Wait, there’s more; in Manhattan, uptown refers to, generally speaking, anywhere north of Central Park, midtown is between 59th and 30th, and downtown starts south of 30th. Confused? Perhaps one of these might help….
DRINKING OUTDOORS
In London, we’re so used to savouring our picnics in the park, with a beer or two or a bottle of Prosecco obligatory. However, drinking outdoors in New York (unless eating in a restaurant or drinking in a bar with outdoor seating) is illegal. While you can’t get arrested for drinking in public, you can get a ticket and a court summons.
That said, according to Thrillist, “if a cop can’t see the brand name of your booze, they can’t write you a ticket. Put those two laws together and it’s clear that with a modicum of planning, it’s actually difficult to get in trouble for drinking outdoors in New York”.
Kinda makes sense, don’t you think?
CONSIDER A ROOMMATE
The pandemic has changed many things, and it seems that for those living in New York, it’s had a huge impact on their cohabiting arrangements. The NY Times recently reported that in New York, roommates are making a comeback. Studio apartments are no longer the prize they once seemed, with people keen for company and shared costs rather than the privacy and independence they previously craved.
Choosing the right apartment is one of the most important decisions to make when moving to the Big Apple, especially in Manhattan, because there is very little space. SharedEasy for room in Manhattan for rent offers opportunities in this respect, allowing you to choose from several different apartments and shared rooms, and gaining access to the company you’re craving.
Thanks to the possibility of using various similar Coliving companies, you will be provided with an opportunity to live in the best parts of New York at the most affordable price possible.
MAKING FRIENDS
Speaking of making friends, should you not be jumping on the bandwagon and settling down with a roomy, then fear not; the rumours about New Yorkers being an antisocial bunch aren’t true.
If you’re here for the long run and wanting to settle in smoothly, then making some friends with insider knowledge is essential. As we said, that ‘New York attitude’ shouldn’t deter you from getting out there and meeting people, but if you prefer to do that in a more structured setting, then that’s available here, too.
The City Socializer App is a great place to start, like a platonic Tinder for lonely souls, and facilitating meet ups and gatherings neatly based on your location, interests and expectations. Meetup.com provides a similar service. Or, you could try the couch surfing platform beloved of newcomers to the city, which can help you establish yourself within a social circle. Alternatively, you could go about things the old fashioned way, and go solo to bars, comedy shows and classes, and just be open. Either way, good luck!
Should you be moving to the Big Apple with children, check out our tips for taking the kids to New York.
