Essential Apps for New York Mums
My friend and fellow expat blogger, America Josh wrote a blog about useful apps that you will need when arriving in New York. I thought I would expand on that idea and look into the apps (and websites) every Aussie family in New York needs to survive in the concrete jungle!
Renting an Apartment Whether you have just arrived or have been here for a few years, there always seems to be a need for a real estate app. Most expats are renting and will probably move several times whilst they are here. My go-to app and website is StreetEasy.
Getting Around Getting around NYC is completely daunting when you first arrive, especially if you have kids and a stroller! Since day one I have used the app NextStop for subway maps, train lines, alerts, delays. It is easy to follow and a great map of the 5 boroughs. The MTA busapp is also pretty reliable. Then you also have your ride-sharing apps: Uber, Lyft, Via & Curb - the taxi app.
Grocery Shopping Shopping for groceries, especially heavy items including diapers, formula, trash bags, cleaning products etc requires a delivery service. Your best options are Amazon, FreshDirect, Instacart. Then you also have the special meal delivery services which will deliver a weeks worth of food that you have pre-selected from their menus. A few of the well-known ones include BlueApron, helloFresh, Plated & Dinnerly. These meal delivery services always offer first-time deals and discounts on their app or website.
Eating In My go-to savior and favorite food app is Seamless, an online takeout food delivery service! I have definitely kept them in business over the past 9 years! ( I do cook at home, occasionally!)
Eating Out For eating out, OpenTable or Resy are a must for booking reservations. I also really like The Infatuation, a food/restaurant review site that is relatable and has fun searches like "places to take your parents" or "places to eat on a first date". You get the idea.
Keeping The Kids Happy For kids' activities, I love MommyPoppins, Mommy Nearest and TimeOut Kids.
The NYC Parks website is a must to navigate all the fantastic kids' playgrounds around NYC.
If you want to try out a few kids classes across the city before commiting to one program, then you need to sign up to Kidpass, it allows you to drop in to any class without being a member or paying for the entire semester or year. They always offer sign up deals. I use this all the time in winter when i need to get the kids out of the apartment and they love the variety from art class to sport options to museum passes.
I hope these Apps and Websites help you navigate the city with ease.