Operation Explore the Neighborhood: Discovering What’s Fun & Neat About Your New Home

When you move into a new neighborhood, you discover the necessities first: how to get to the train, where the coffee shop is, who has your cat’s preferred brand of food – but what about the fun stuff? Discovering your neighborhood’s best features, surprising quirks, and unique history will make you enjoy your new home more. There are at least four ways to go about it – choose the approach that best fits your personality!

The Food Lover’s Tour

Everyone has to eat – and almost everyone prefers to eat really good food. New York City is blessed with what may be the world’s widest variety of restaurants, cafes, food trucks, street vendors and more. When a foodie tours a new city, they make a point of trying the different types of cuisine available. One meal may be fine dining, another may be a quick bite from the food truck that has a line that goes around the block. You can do the same thing, close to your home. Sampling everything at least once is a noble, if ambitious, goal; some people enjoy using social media to document their exploration.

Meet and Greet: Community Events & Block Parties

Keep an eye on local community events calendars. New York City has all kinds of festivals, parades, meetings, parties, and other events – no matter what you’re interested in, someone somewhere in New York City is most likely organizing an event around it. Make a point of fitting some of these events into your schedule. It’s a great way to meet people and get a real sense of what your new neighborhood’s really about. If you’re interested in learning more about your community’s history and culture, there’s nothing like getting face to face with the people who have been living there for a while.

Pokemon Go!

Pokemon Go may not be in the headlines every day anymore, but it is still a fun game to play that will bring you through parts of your new neighborhood you may have never otherwise discovered. If Pokemon aren’t your thing, check out other augmented reality location based games you can play on your phone, like Ingress or Geo AR. Bonus tip for parents: if your younger kids want to play, check out the game yourself first, and then commit to playing with them – it’s a great way for families to be active together while ensuring everyone stays safe.

For the Artistic Type

Food feeds the body, art feeds the soul. There are numerous art tours and art walks throughout the city, introducing interested viewers to galleries, public art, artist studios and other cultural points in the community. Choose the type of tour that works best for your personal preferences: you can have the full guided experience – which can command a pricey admission fee but also gives you a level of access you wouldn’t otherwise enjoy – or choose from many of the self guided DIY art walk routes listed online – google for your neighborhood’s options. Another tip for the art lover? Follow all your neighborhood museums and cultural centers on social media: it’s often the best way to find out about events that may be of interest.