Open thread: What advice would you give to a NYC newcomer?

No one ever said that living in New York City was easy—if it was, there wouldn’t be several books’ worth of essays dedicated to the topic of leaving this place—but those of us who’ve been here for extended periods of time have amassed our own tips and tricks for dealing with daily life in NYC.

And given that new people are moving to the city all the time—our population is at an all-time high, and it’s just going to keep growing—there are surely some pieces of advice that we all wish newbies knew before they got here.

With that in mind, we’re curious: What advice would you give to a NYC newcomer? No subject is off-limits, and there are plenty of unspoken rules of living in New York City that it would behoove newbies to know in advance. (For example: An empty subway car is not, in most cases, an enticing invitation to claim whichever seat you choose; nay, it is often a signal of some sort of horror—olfactory or otherwise—lurking within.)

If you have a good tip to make city life easier, or an essential piece of advice you wish someone had told you before moving here, we want to hear about it—sound off in the comments.