Astoria, Queens is one of New York City’s most exciting neighborhoods. Just a short trip on the Broadway line from Manhattan, it’s a diverse and beautiful space full of real New Yorkers. Astoria feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, but it still has its big-city appeal — a walk down one of the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares will meet with crowds, countless restaurants and businesses, and the occasional subway stop. Living here isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s a good deal more affordable than what people pay in Manhattan and Northern Brooklyn. And Astoria residents are never far from a beautiful park, a subway stop, or about a billion different types of delicious ethnic food.
Astoria makes New York City life relatively easy, but there are still some challenges around here. To get by, you’ll need to make sure that you have a few essentials. Don’t live in Astoria without these things!
A foldable grocery cart
Astoria is full of delicious food, and a lot of it is quite affordable. But if you’re eating restaurant and take-out food every night, you’re going to see your bank account shrink and your waistline grow. Make sure that you’re going grocery shopping!
Grocery shopping can be a pain, though, without a car (which most Astoria residents don’t have). Carrying back a gallon of milk and a few cases of La Croix can be miserable. Make it easier by getting yourself one of those folding grocery carts that everyone else has!
You don’t have to just use this for groceries, by the way. A convenient cart can be a big help in the big city. Why not toss your laundry bag in it on laundry day?
A basic toolkit
Astoria, like much of New York City, is dominated by renters. When you’re renting, you can get maintenance and repairs done by calling your landlord. But you should know that your landlord may not be quite as quick to help as you’d like, and that some small jobs don’t really require contractors or maintenance pros in the first place. Have a set of tools around, and you’ll be able to tackle simple jobs yourself.
All-weather layering clothes
New York City can be hot as can be in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter. In spring and fall, you can get anything in between! The weather is less predictable than ever these days, so make sure that you have the clothes that you need to get by.
That doesn’t just mean a big winter jacket. Invest in some lighter items that you can layer! With layering, you can always add and remove garments to fine-tune your outfit throughout the day. That’s perfect for those days when it’s raining during your commute, hot during the day, and cold at night.
A storage space
Astoria apartments are a bit more affordable than those in Manhattan and in some other parts of New York City, but they’re not usually much bigger. Extra space comes pretty dear around here, and most of us aren’t dropping big bucks on extra bedrooms just to have room for our stuff. But seeing as most of us have way too many possessions, we need a solution for Astoria living!
You could downsize and try to Marie-Kondo your way to a more minimalist life, but that will only get you so far — especially when the stuff you need to stash includes New York City essentials like winter coats. To save yourself some space and some sanity, grab a storage unit. Self storage in Astoria is surprisingly cheap! You may even be able to split a unit with a friend or roommate.
