MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WORK FOR YOU
Get to know your neighbors, and also the people who run your local bodega (corner grocery store), cleaners, and other neighborhood businesses. Make sure to shop there regularly for your milk or newspaper or snacks, and develop a friendly rapport with everyone. They may be able to help receive packages if FedEx, UPS or the USPS come without warning and you are not home. You will have to ask them in advance, of course. If a neighbor or local business owner holds onto your package for you, be nice to them, make them cookies or buy a very small gift. And be prepared to return the favor if asked. This is what makes New York City into a small neighborhood.311 (the phone number for the City of New York) is another great tool for making the city work for you. You can call to report noise complaints, no-heat complaints, potholes, and other problems that people used to suffer in silence. You can call 311 to find out about jury duty, what types of garbage are recyclable, and get information about other quality-of-life topics. We have used 311 and it is a great addition that makes New York City a lot more livable!
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