6 Cool Apps That Aim to Make New York a More Livable City
If you love New York but struggle with big city living, these six ingenious apps might be for you.
Let’s face it: New York may be one of the greatest cities in the world -- but with a population of more than eight million, it’s not always an easy place to live. Between the horrors of apartment hunting, the difficulties of dating, and the day-to-day drudgeries of cooking and cleaning, it’s no wonder many locals feel as though they’re swimming against the current on a daily basis. Whether you’re an iPhone user or an Android fanatic, here are six apps that make living in New York a little easier:
1. Apartments.com
The Apartments.com app lists more than 11,000 apartments available in New York alone, allowing you to filter by price range, floor plan, location, and even community amenities. Eliminating the need to scroll through hundreds of dubious Craigslist ads, this app brings hundreds of listings personalized to your needs within arm’s (or thumb’s) reach.
2. Netaround
Even more important than the apartment you move into, of course, is the community you join. Unfortunately, with rent prices through the roof, very few city dwellers can afford to be picky about their neighborhood. Thanks to location-based apps like Netaround, however, you can make the most of the community you have, utilizing the app’s easy-to-use interface to build real-life relationships.
Whether you want to meet your neighbors, find a gym buddy, or connect with fellow pet enthusiasts in your building, there’s a zone for every occasion with Netaround. Just create or join a zone (or multiple zones), and start building real, meaningful connections today.
3. Instacart
Grocery shopping can be a pain, and lugging all those cumbersome bags back to your apartment is an absolute nightmare at the end of a long day. Enter Instacart, the app that hires someone else to shoulder that heavy load. Whether you want to order in bulk from Costco, or get handmade noodles from the specialty grocery store across town, Instacart will deliver what you want, when you want. Although you will have to pay a small delivery fee, nothing beats having fresh groceries literally delivered to your doorstep.
4. Caviar
For those who would rather have a gourmet, ready-made meal delivered to their door, Caviar is the perfect solution. Want to impress a date or host some friends for dinner, but don’t have the time or patience to cook? Whether you’re a stressed out college student, a busy professional, or just a lover of good food, Seamless will ensure you never have to heat up leftovers again.
5. Venmo
New York is an expensive city, and with so many tempting goods and services at our fingertips, it can be difficult for even the most financially savvy among us to balance our checkbooks. If you’re sharing a living space, this can get particularly tricky: if you make an emergency run for toilet paper, will your roommates remember to pay you back?
With Venmo, you can send and request money instantly and securely, making it easy to ensure that everyone is contributing their fair share. Having processed over one billion dollars last January alone, there are even rumors that stores will begin accepting Venmo in the next few years, according to Newsweek.
6. Happn
Although a city’s dating climate isn’t always correlated with its liveability, there’s no denying it’s tough to be single in New York -- a 2015 WalletHub survey found it to be the 12th worst city in the country for singles. Happn plans on fixing that problem by connecting its users with people they pass on the street.
Not only will Happn let you know which users you cross paths with; they’ll get an extra bump in your feed if you pass by them frequently. So send that cutie you pass on your daily commute a charm on Happn, and let fate take care of the rest.
Whether you’re a 20-something who has just moved to New York or a born-and-bred New Yorker, we’re confident that these six apps will make living in the greatest city on Earth just a little bit easier.
