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Manhattan Relocation: Helpful Tips, Links and Contact Information

By
Real Estate Agent

New residents in New York City may be overwhelmed by the vast array of public services and municipal structure that they find upon arrival. The following information is a general guide for new New Yorkers who are trying to get settled.

Driver's licenses

For on-line instructions visit http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/.

To register a vehicle for the first time or change registration

Bring the following to your local Motor Vehicle office:

  • Completed registration/title application
  • Proof of ownership
  • Proof of insurance in the registrant's name
  • Proof of inspection
  • Sales tax clearance
  • Proof of registrant's name and date of birth
  • If the registrant is not the owner of the vehicle, registration authorization from the owner together with proof of the owner's name and date of birth
  • If the vehicle was purchased from a dealer/leasing company, an odometer disclosure statement
  • Bill of sale
  • Appropriate fee

For more information, call 645-5550.

Keep in mind that unlike most other cities life in NYC is very livable without a car. Most New Yorkers walk and use mass transportation.

Utilities

There are a number of companies that provide the necessary services for a comfortable home. Con Edison Heat and hot water are included in the rent in most buildings, but not all. Gas is included in some.

  • Verizon for telephone service and DSL Call 212-890-2350 for new orders.
  • Time Warner for cable television service and Road Runner Internet service Call 212-674-9100 to order service.  

Kids

For kids, moving can be stressful, especially if they don't know what to expect. And for older youngsters, few things are worse than being the new kid on the block. Here are some fear-easing suggestions:

 Before the move:

  • Keep your children informed about your moving plans.
  • Take the kids to their new home as soon as possible.
  • Visit the neighborhood with your children to see what facilities will likely interest them, such as the library, shops and playgrounds.
  • Arrange a tour of your children's new school
  • Explain what moving day will entail and reassure your children that their possessions will be handled carefully.

On moving day:

  • Set up the children's rooms right away to give them a place to unwind and play while you organize the rest of the family's belongings.

Settling in:

  • Take a walk in the neighborhood to meet new neighbors and potential playmates for your children.
  • If your children have been active in any religious, sports, social, ethnic or cultural organizations, contact such groups in your new neighborhood.
  • Invite families on your floor or in your building for lunch so that kids can get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere.


Education:

Public Schools

New York's public school system is one of the largest in the country, with more children enrolled in its public schools than 12 states and the District of Columbia have in total population!. Call the Board of Education for help in finding your way through the enrollment process:

Board of Education
110 Livington Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201
1-718-935-2000

or you can log onto http://www.nycenet.edu/.

To find out where you child should attend school (Elementary, Junior High, or High School) contact:

The Office of Zoning and Integration
28-11 Queens Plaza North
Long Island City, New York 11101
1-718-391-8000

Listings for New York's Public Schools appear by district under the heading "Education" in the New York City Government Offices section of the Blue Pages in the Verizon telephone book

Education: Parochial Schools
Contact: The Archdiocese of New York 1-212-691-3381
Education: Private Schools

For information about toddler groups, nursery schools and day schools, contact:

The Parents League
1-212-737-7385 or http://www.parentsleague.org/.

Dial 311 for all non emergency NYC customer service.

Helpful NYC Links

Here are some of the most helpful links to make living easy in New York.

CULTURAL
Ballet http://www.nycballet.com/ 212-870-5500
Broadway http://www.playbill.com/ 212-557-5757
Carnegie Hall http://www.carnegiehall.org/ 212-903-9600
Lincoln Center http://www.lincolncenter.org/ 212-546-2656
NYC Cultural Guide http://www.nyc-arts.org/  
Opera http://www.nycopera.com/ 212-870-5500
Radio City Music Hall http://www.radiocity.com/ 212-247-4777
 
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
Fire http://www.nyc.gov/html/nyfd/home.html 911 or 212-999-2222
Poison http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/poison 212-764-7667
Police http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/home.html 911 or 212-374-5000
 
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES   www.nyc.gov/html/dep/home.html   212-966-7500
Complaints about noise, sewers, air quality, asbestos and industrial waste
Water Quality http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/home.html 888-426-7433
Potholes http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/home.html 212-225-5368
Sidewalk Repairs http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/home.html 212-255-5368
Sanitation http://www.nyc.gov/html/dos/home.html 212-219-8090
 
FOOD
Zagat's http://www.zagat.com/ 800-333-3421
 
KIDS
Cultural nyckidsarts.org 212-410-9780
 
LIFESTYLES
CitySearch http://www.newyork.citysearch.com/ 212-647-5700
Time Out http://www.timeoutny.com/ 212-539-4444
 
MUSEUMS
Metropolitan http://www.metmuseum.org/ 212-535-7710
Modern Art http://www.momo.org/ 212-708-9696
Natural History       American Museum of Natural History
NEW YORK CITY (OFFICIAL)   http://home.nyc.gov/
Housing Authority http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/home.html 212-863-8000
Rent Laws http://www.rentlaw.com/ Questions regarding Tenant Landlord rights should be posted to their message board.
 
POST OFFICE   http://www.usps.com/    212-967-8585
 
NYC BOARD OF ELECTIONS  http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/register.html   212-VOTE NYC
SCHOOLS (PUBLIC)
Abacus Guide http://www.abacusguide.com/ 212-712-2228
Board of Education http://www.nycenet.edu/ 212-567-3385
 
SCHOOLS (PRIVATE)
Educational Records Bureau http://www.erbtest.org/ 212-873-9180
Parents League of NY http://www.parentsleague.org/ 212-737-7385
 
SPORTS
Madison Square Garden http://www.thegarden.com/ 212-465-5800
Chelsea Piers http://www.chelseapiers.com/ 212-336-6666
Yankees http://www.yankees.com/ 718-293-4300
Mets http://www.mets.com/ 718-517-TIXX
Rangers http://www.newyorkrangers.com/ 212-465-6741
Knicks http://www.knicks.com/ 212-465-5867
Jets http://www.newyorkjets.com/ 877-747-JETS
Giants http://www.giants.com/ 201-935-8111
 
TELEPHONE
Verizon http://www.verizon.com/ 212-890-1550
 
TRANSPORTATION
Airports
JFK http://www.panynj.gov/ 718-244-4444
LaGuardia http://www.panynj.gov/ 718-533-3400
Newark http://www.panynj.gov/ 973-961-6000
Rail Service
Amtrak http://www.amtrak.com/ 800-USA-RAIL
Ferry Service
NY Waterway http://www.nywaterway.com/ 800-53-FERRY
Commuter Bus
Hampton Jitney http://www.hamptonjitney.com/ (631) 283-4600
(800) 936-0440 from 212, 914, 201, 718
Long Island Railroad http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/lirr 718-217-LIRR
Metro North
West/CT http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/ 800-METRO-INFO
PATH to New Jersey http://www.panynj.gov/ 800-234-7284
Subway
Maps http://www.mta.nyc.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm  
Metropolitan Transit http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/ 718-330-1234
Taxis http://www.nyc.gov/taxi 212-692-8294
 
TELEVISION SERVICES
Time Warner Cable http://www.twcnyc.com/ 212-598-7200
 
UTILITIES 
Con Edison http://www.coned.com/  
Gas leaks   800-752-6633
Steam   212-683-0682

Manhattan Relocation Package:

Neighborhood Relocation Guides:

Courtesy of:

©Mitchell Hall 2006-2011

Posted by

©Mitchell Hall 2022

All content/images, unless noted, are the property of Mitchell Hall & may not be used without permission. 

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          Call Mitchell Hall @ 917-312-0924
          Email: mh@MitchellHall.com

Comments (19)

Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital
Mitchell, when you register a car in Manhattan, you might also need proof of sanity.  A friend of mine has her NY daughter's car parked here in DC in her garage!  You're right - you don't really need a car except to get out of town.  But who needs to get out of town?  It's New York!
Feb 02, 2008 01:34 AM
Renee Stengel
Houlihan Lawrence, Associate Broker - Katonah, NY
Westchester County

Hi,

Very helpful to a New York City buyer.  Just wondering how long it takes for a coop to sell now in NYC.

Feb 02, 2008 01:34 AM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn
Pat, Lol, I got rid of my car years ago. Even to get out of town I take the LIRR to the Hamptons and Fire Island and metro north to Westchester. There are many car rental companies within walking distance too.
Feb 02, 2008 01:51 AM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn
Hi Renee, If it is priced right and in a desirable location and building it sells quick. We have an inventory shortage of pre-war coops. The process of the board package and interview can take a while.
Feb 02, 2008 01:55 AM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher
wow, Mitchell, what a wealth of information all in one place, perfect for those coming to New York.  Anyone looking to buy should contact you, you are truly an expert in this wonderful city!
Feb 02, 2008 07:32 AM
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty - Spring, TX
Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro

Mitchell, our daughter took one of our cars when she first got there and lived with friends on Long Island.  She was so happy when we came and picked the car back up and drove it back to Texas.  She loves getting around with public transportation and not having a car.

You really offer some great resources for people moving to New York City. 

Feb 02, 2008 08:56 AM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO
Hi Mitchell, I like your relocation series of posts here. One thing I have never thought  of, ever, was the advice to people with kids about contacting people ahead of time for them so they can step right into music or religious or sports activities and not feel so alone.  Great advice!
Feb 02, 2008 11:32 AM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Carole, Thank you I appreciate your endorsement.

Marchel, Thank you. If you can't afford a garage the car can be a real burden and it is unecessary.

Carole, Thanks I've had relocation training I'm a certified relocation specialist

Feb 02, 2008 03:21 PM
Adam Waldman
Westcott Group Real Estate Company - Hauppauge, NY
Realtor - Long Island
MITCH - This is a great resource for anyone living in, or looking to relocate to Manhattan.  I've bookmarked it for my own usage as well.  Nice job on this one, Mitch.
Feb 03, 2008 12:12 AM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn
Adam, Thank you I appriciate your feedback.
Feb 03, 2008 09:28 AM
Ginger S
Wilkinson & Associates, Wilmington NC - Wilmington, NC
Wilmington NC Real Estate & Relocation~
Mitch, I lived in the city for years as a single without a car. Then as newlyweds my hubbie & I got little usedgetaway car. He used to lend it out to all his friends who would get tickets and never tell him. One friend parked it on the wrong side of the street and... when we went the next morning to use it to go to Jones Beach it was gone! Yeah and the tickets were twice as much as the car was worth! bye bye '65 Mustang that is now worth a fortune!
Feb 03, 2008 02:03 PM
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty - Spring, TX
Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro
Mitch, Ginger's story reminds me of something that happened when we helped our daughter move out of Manhattan in to Queens. We had rented a car and we parked it in front of a sign that said no standing.  Being from Texas we thought no standing meant no loitering.  Well $115 later we found out that no standing means no parking.  I can see why you don't want or need cars in the city.
Feb 03, 2008 02:15 PM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO

Ginger omg it's a jungle out there lol.  That story made me laugh  which you can do now...but it wasn't funny then I'm sure!

Marchel reminds me of my days in Boston in the 70s; no one paid their pkg tickets we papered our walls with them.  It was a jungle there too lol

Feb 03, 2008 02:18 PM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Ginger, There is a train that goes to Jone beach lol. Roger is a nice guy lending out the car to his friends. 65 Mustang is a classic now. Having your car towed is awful. Been there.

Marchel, No standing...that is really funny. Well not really my friend just got an $80 ticket for parking on the side of my building. It says no parking, trucks loading only. I thought it would be OK for 5 minutes because we were loading some furniture. Sometimes you can fight and win if the signs are not clear but who has time to fight City Hall. I thought no standing means sitting in your car but I guess if you can't stand you can't park either.

Carole, The city is high tech now. They find you. They have cameras at traffic lights to catch you speeding or going through a red light.

Feb 04, 2008 01:54 AM
Ginger S
Wilkinson & Associates, Wilmington NC - Wilmington, NC
Wilmington NC Real Estate & Relocation~
Mitch Yeah I know about the classic. It was mint too.. Maroon with black leather seats... I loved that car... The worse thingis the firend we lent it to that night lent it to a friend of his ( not ours ) can you believe? That car is worth a down payment on a house we paid a few hundred for it!
Feb 04, 2008 04:35 PM
Ginger S
Wilkinson & Associates, Wilmington NC - Wilmington, NC
Wilmington NC Real Estate & Relocation~
Mitch Yeah I know about the classic. It was mint too.. Maroon with black leather seats... I loved that car... The worse thing is the friend we lent it to that night lent it to a friend of his ( not ours ) can you believe? That car is worth a down payment on a house.. we paid a few hundred for it!
Feb 04, 2008 04:35 PM
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Keller Williams Realty - Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor Area Real Estate

Wow this is a great list and I love the formatting.  How did you do the blue line?  I think to do that I would need to  build it outside AR and cut and paste it as an "image" jpg back into your blog.  Is that how you did it. 

I love the list but I love the format as well.  Excellent!

Feb 04, 2008 09:45 PM
Mitchell J Hall
Manhattan, NY
Lic Associate RE Broker - Manhattan & Brooklyn

Karen, Yes that is how I did it. I already had many of the links on a page on my website. I cut and past from my website, but its not JPG

Feb 04, 2008 11:41 PM
Stacey Pierce
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson - Manhattan, NY

Very informative post!! Thanks!

Oct 13, 2008 10:51 AM