The Stress-Free Guide to Settling Down in a New City - Just Moved

Whether you're moving to a new side of town or moving across the country (or beyond), getting settled in a new city can always be a little nerve-racking. Here are some of the best ways to get acquainted with your new home and make new friends. 

Getting the Lay of the LandP

Once you've actually moved in and nailed down the obvious—finding the closest grocery store, drug store, Apple store, or whatever else you need—the town can seem pretty overwhelming. If you're feeling a little lost, here are a few ways to make sure you get to know your new home quickly.

The Obvious: Use the InternetP

The first thing that probably popped into your head is to check out places like Google Maps, Yelp, or Citysearch to find some of the best places to eat, hang, see movies, and so on. There's a reason for that: it works pretty well. If you want to grab a cup of coffee or some lunch, hit up one of those sites and look at reviews of nearby spots. Of course, there's no substitution for trying something out, so don't be afraid to hop around, either. If you find a movie theater that has the highest rating on Google Maps, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best one or the best one for you—so plan to "shop around" a bit before settling into a routine too quickly. That said, the internet should give you a good start.

An especially neat trick, if you're looking for stuff that's near you, is to just bring up Google Maps, center it on your place, then search for *. The wildcard search works on Maps and will pretty much show you everything that's nearby, which is pretty handy when you're just trying to get a sense of what's close.