If you’re an expatriate living in New York or are planning on relocating to the Big Apple in the near future, these 7 great New York apps will be of immense value in helping you to settle in, get around and make the most out of your life in this amazing city.
Price: $3.99
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Life in New York is fast and trying to battle your way through the underground subway system can be stressful and daunting. Exit Strategy NYC is both a comprehensive guide to the NYC subway system, bus and rail network, it is a strategic exit planner that shows you which exits you should use to get to your destination in the quickest, and easiest fashion.
Price: Free
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later
New York is a vast place and finding a suitable place to live can be like finding a needle in a haystack. This handy app can solve that problem. Featuring the entire NY Times real estate listings, the app has a number of really useful features that will help you to find the home of your dreams. Each listing is very comprehensive and you can explore the floor plans, mortgage and rental prices and view a list of nearby facilities and transport links.
NYC Way
Price: Free
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
This is perhaps the app of apps when it comes to settling into New York. The Mayor of New York, Bloomberg, endorsed it and it is easy to see why. It contains a complete package of useful applications for expatriates who relocate to New York for the first time. These include Open Table restaurant reservations, free borough-wide events, shopping deals, live traffic cams, job openings, 24-hour pharmacies, post office locations and local libraries.
Price: $1.99
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S. Requires iOS 4.2 or later.
Any expat who drives in NYC will know that understanding the carparking system can be a nightmare. This app takes the stress out of finding somewhere to leave your vehicle, simply take a picture of the parking sign using your iPhone and the app will tell you whether or not you can park there. Furthermore, it contains a timer that will remind you when your meter is about to expire. In the event you wander too far and can’t find your way back to your car, the app will show you a mapped position of where your car is parked and will provide you with directions back to your vehicle.
Price: Midtown version is free. Access to the whole city is $2.99
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later
iParks is a guide to New York City’s parks and park events. Sort by location, rating, distance from your phone, or filters like “must-see parks,” “parks with playgrounds” or “parks that don’t have playgrounds.” Every park has a grade assigned by an editor as well as a summary of its facilities and photos. Park events are also fully searchable. The Midtown version is free, but the guide to the whole city costs $2.99.
Price: Free
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Cabsense analyzes data from on the patterns and trends associated with New York City Taxis in order to present insightful information into the best means of finding a taxi in your current location. It highlights nearby streets and corners that constitute the best places to hail a cab according to your position and the time of day. The app also has a built-in taxi hailer that displays a flashing message that is aimed at attracting the attention of taxi drivers.
Price: $2.99
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live but this handy app may just make it that little bit cheaper. Designed to help people living in New York to get the most out of the city without breaking the bank, the app contains comprehensive listings of free museums, hidden gems, cheap eats, playgrounds and 100s of other places where you can enjoy the city on a shoestring.
Have you come across any useful apps while living in New York? Please leave a comment and share the details with our readers.
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