It’s important to know your way around your new city.
Change usually comes quicker than we can handle it. One day we catch ourselves enjoying our neatly arranged, comfortably settled and pleasantly predictable lives, and then all of a sudden, we get thrown into the epicentre of busy moving preparations. The next thing we know, we find ourselves in a new home in a new city, and we are expected to deal with the presented situation as best as we possibly can.
When you move to a new city, the unfamiliarity and strangeness of the new place will probably make you feel uneasy (being in a new home), insecure (being among total strangers) and even a bit uncertain (not knowing what you should do next). This will only be your initial reaction to the move, of course, and time will change things in your favour as you continuously learn to cope with the post relocation acclimatization.
Remember that every new beginning is tough, and the best way to jump-start your particular adaptation period is to locate all the key places in your new city.
Supermarket
A big local supermarket (or maybe a few smaller ones) is one of the very first places to locate when moving to a new city. Even if you have brought a certain number of non-perishable food supplies from your old home, expect to compose a super long shopping list in the first few days of living in your new residence. And while it is a fact that there will be tons of urgent post-move tasks to attend to, skipping some tasty home-cooked meals is not a very good idea as you’ll need the energy and motivation to keep unpacking the moving boxes or cleaning your home or arranging your belongings or whatever other activities you have in your agenda. Besides, supermarkets offer much more than just edible products and you can use the opportunity to purchase all the household supplies you’ll need in the very beginning.
Anyone can direct you towards a good supermarket if you haven’t already spotted your favourite and trusted chain of shops.
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It’s great if you’ve moved to a new city in order to advance your professional career. But unless you are lucky enough to work from home, you’ll need to know exactly where your new workplace is located and what the best ways to get there are.
Learning how to avoid heavy traffic in your new big city will come in very handy.
If you plan to commute to work by car, then figure out how to navigate safely and effectively through your new city’s road network and take advantage of proven clever tricks to save valuable time by avoiding heavy traffic and using time-saving shortcuts. A GPS device will be invaluable at first, but even more invaluable will be the driving tips you get from your colleagues at work.
If you plan to use public transportation to reach your workplace, then get familiar with the schedules of buses, metro or intercity trains or any other public transportation options that your new city has to offer.
Bank
Once you’ve moved to a new town or city, one of the tasks you should label as “TOP PRIORITY” is to review your current financial situation, as the entire process of organizing and executing your city to city move must have eaten up a large chunk of your savings account. So, in order to settle your financial obligations (for example, paying your removal company for their quality services, paying up your old household bills or future deposits) or secure your future finances (for instance, opening new bank accounts), you will have to locate the appropriate bank offices in your new city.
Medical Centres
When you move to a new city, it’s important to know where all the essential medical centres are in case of emergency. Learn where the city’s hospitals, walk-in clinics or other specialised doctors’ offices are and learn the quickest way to get there. Also, you’re going to have to meet in person and register with your new family physician, dentist and veterinarian (if you have pets). Don’t forget to take the necessary documentation (medical records, tests and so on) with you when you plan to visit the future health providers in your brand new town or city.
Taking long exploratory walks is the best way to get to know your new city like the palm of your hand.
While discussing important health issues with your primary doctor, take the chance to ask them for recommendations about the best, and possibly cheapest, pharmacies in town where you can get your specific type of medication. Maybe you can receive noticeable discounts at a certain chain of pharmacies? It’s definitely worth a shot.
Your Child’s School
If you have a child or children, then it’s of paramount important to know the exact location of the school they will attend in the new city. If you haven’t found and registered your kid at a good school before the actual move, then take the relevant school records with you and do so without delay. In case you have already secured a reputable educational institution, then you’re advised to take your school-age child with you and visit the school together, even if currently there are no classes there. This little exploratory trip will help you familiarize yourself with the road to the facility and the surrounding area, and will minimize the inevitable stress for you and your loved one during the first few days of school.
Police Station
Hopefully, you won’t have any dealings, conflicts or frictions with the long arm of the law, but it can still be useful to know where the central police station is located in your new city, be it only for your information or possibly for the issuance of certain documents.
In case of emergency, don’t hesitate to seek assistance by calling the national emergency number 999 or the European emergency number 112.
Post Office
Why not hop on the floral train and choo-choo by the post office to send a pretty postcard to your best friend?
Another important place to locate when you move to a new city is the post office. Depending on your particular postal needs, you may need the services offered at the central office rather than the local one. Do find the relevant post office, register your current address there, and renew any subscriptions to newspapers or magazines you may have enjoyed before the relocation. You can also use the convenience of a Post Office Box if you prefer.
And now that you know the location of the post office, grab this opportunity and send your old friends some pretty postcards from your new city, or even consider mailing them a real letter. You can be sure that they will be really touched by your thoughtful gesture.
Authorized Car Service
If you drove to your new city instead of having your vehicle transported for you, then it’s a good idea to take your loyal car to be checked and possibly serviced after the relocation trip. This is why, after taking care of the more pressing post relocation tasks, you should locate an auto service which has been properly authorized to handle your particular car make and model.
Speaking of your automobile, it’s also good for you to know the location of the nearby petrol stations and their respective petrol prices, so that you don’t get to experience the thrill of running on fumes or running out of fuel on your first day of work.
City Landmarks
Think city libraries are boring? You may be pleasantly surprised by what your new city has to offer you.
There’s a saying that the more you get to know your new city, the more you will like it. Whether you think the above statement could be valid in your case or not, it’s useful to know where you can go and have a little break from the desperate attempts to get your new life back on track. With the help of your newly-made friends among your coworkers and neighbours, locate the best city landmarks and do a sightseeing tour to learn more about the history, present and future of your new home.
City museums are a great start of your exploratory trip, as are other historical sites such as monuments, former battlegrounds, buildings of historic significance and so on. Also, it’s essential that you know the whereabouts of specific religious temples (cathedrals, churches, mosques, synagogues and so on) where you can continue to practise your faith.
Entertainment Locales
All work and no play takes the new city’s fun away.
Moving to a new city doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun like you used to, right? The first few weeks will probably be extremely busy for you, but little by little you will start finding your former inner rhythm of doing things your way.
Prepare to be amazed by your new city.
Having moved to a new city, consider locating beautiful city parks where you can take relaxing walks with your family and pets, as well as safe playgrounds where your child can play to his or her heart’s content. And what’s stopping you from using the city’s cultural life to accelerate your adaptation period? Find where all cinemas, concert halls, theatres and opera houses are, and have the available cultural events chase away your new city’s blues.
These 10 key places to locate when you move to a new city will give you the initial velocity to leapfrog your post relocation adaptation – you’ll get essential things done much faster simply because you will have learnt your ways around your new town or city.
And, having explored your new city in detail, you may have found other key places which we failed to mention in this article. Could you share them with us?
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