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Overview (Orlando)

New graduates living in Orlando say that the pros of living in the city include the weather, nightlife, downtown ("not for tourists anymore"), lack of hurricanes, great restaurants, and short drive to the beaches. The cons are the traffic, toll roads, Mickey and Shamu ("they get old"), and did we mention... the traffic?

Orlando is continually growing. You'll find mall after mall after mega-store after apartment complex everywhere you turn. But this also means more apartment and job opportunities for new graduates. If you like opportunity and year-round sunshine, then Orlando might just be your place.

Apartments (Los Angeles)

Overview:
Since LA is essentially a bazillion cities within a city, recent grads living there recommend that you figure out where you'll be working and then decide what kind of commute you can tolerate (traffic is famous).

Brokers:
Brokers are not a necessity in LA, but they can help you find a place. See page 88 and 89 of our book for more information on brokers.

Looking:
Use the listings in the LA Times (particularly on Sunday) and the LA Daily News. Most people we spoke to found success by simply driving around (particularly from the 15th to 30th of every month) and looking for rent signs on apartment complexes. Apartments go quickly, but turnover is also high.

Other tips:
A number of people also recommended West Side Rentals (here) because of their volume of listings. Also try "Craig's List" (here). If you're looking into South Bay, try The Beach Reporter (it comes out on Thursdays - call on listings that morning). Try the Daily Bruin (the UCLA paper) if you're considering living near UCLA.

Locations:
Many new grads migrate to Westwood, West Hollywood ("trendy"), Santa Monica ("for aspiring professional types", "beach/party town"), Venice, Brentwood ("expensive"), South Bay ("active nightlife"), Los Feliz ("wannabe actor central"), Silverlake ("very diverse/ cultural") and particularly the San Fernando Valley (or generally referred to as "The Valley", "get a pool - weather is hot here"). Drive around. If you're afraid to get out of your car in any particular area, don't move there.

Prices:
Once again, since LA is more like 100 individual cities, it's tough to pin down any prices, but here are some general rules:

Studios: $500- $800
1 bedroom: $600 - $1000
2 bedroom: $800- $1400
3 bedroom: $1200- $2000

Closing the deal:
You'll usually need to put down a security deposit (anywhere from $300 to one month's rent) plus your first month's rent when getting a place. If you have pets, your landlord will require a lot more. Other times they'll require first and last month's rent. Make sure you have the cash available.

Your landlord will likely run a "credit check" on you (to see if you usually pay your bills). Also, read the lease carefully. Make sure the length of your lease is expressly written in the contract. See our book for more details on a credit check and lease.

It’s also likely that you’ll need:
-- proof of wages,
-- reference letters (See page 90 of our book for a sample), and
-- copy of recent bank statement.

Cars (Houston)

Overview:
You'll need a car to survive in Houston. Public transportation will only get you so far.

Forms:
In Texas, you have 30 days to notify the state of a change of address. If you're moving from out of state, you'll need to get a Texas license. This can all be done with the forms below.

Change of address: form.
Driver’s license: instructions.
Auto registration: forms.
Dept. of Transportation site: link.

Auto insurance:
You'll quickly realize, if you haven't already, that most insurance policies and state standards are written in a funny code with slash marks.

The minimum state insurance standard for TX are 20/40/15. What does that mean?

See the definitions below to help you translate (all numbers are in thousands):

Funny code definitions:
-- First number: Coverage for "bodily injury liability" (someone else’s injury) per person injured in an accident.
-- Second number: Coverage for "bodily injury liability" per accident.
-- Third number: Coverage for all property damage per accident.

For more information on auto insurance, see page 152 of our book.

Utilities (New Orleans)

Overview:
Setting up your utilities in New Orleans is fairly simple. Follow these tips below.

Cable: For cable, you'll have one choice:

Cox Communications at (504) 304-8444

Electric: To set up your electric, you'll want to call:

Entergy Corp at (800) 368-3749
Type in "1121" to pass all the prompts.
You can also see them online here.

Gas: You'll have one choice here. They may look familiar (give them two days notice for gas).

Entergy Corp at (800) 368-3749
Type in "1121" to pass all the prompts.
You can also see them online here.

Phone: To set up you local phone service, call:

Bellsouth at (800) 832-0679

Water: If you need to set up your water, call:

Sewage and Water Board at (504) 529-2837

Airports (Washington, DC)

Overview:
Traveling to and from DC is never much of a problem. The city has three major airports, Ronald Reagan National (DCA), Baltimore-Washington (BWI), and Washington Dulles (IAD). All three are fairly close to the city.

Reagan (4 miles south of the city)
Subway:
For about $1.50, you can take the blue or yellow lines on the Metro. See the map here.
Taxi:
Reagan airport is essentially in the city, so fares and travel times for a cab depend on where you're doing (but they should run under $20).

BWI (30 miles northeast of the city)
Train:
You can also take Amtrak from Union Station in roughly 25 minutes for about $35.
Taxi:
A taxi to downtown DC will run you about $55 and take about 45 minutes.
Note: BWI is the hub of Southwest Airlines.

Washington Dulles (26 miles west of the city)
Taxi:
A taxi will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to get into the city and cost you about $60.
Public transportation:
There aren't any super simple ways to get there via public transportation, but here are a few van shuttles and buses.

Public Transportation (New York City)

Overview:
NYC has arguably the best public transportation system in the country. It's often dirty, confusing, and gross, but it will get you virtually anywhere in the city at almost any time of the day. You do not need a car.

Subway:
The NYC subway will get you almost anywhere in the city for $1.50. You'll purchase a "Metrocard" for individual rides or daily/ weekly/ monthly passes.

"Express" trains stop less frequently than "local" trains. If you see a line with multiple names (ex. 4-5-6), it simply means that three different trains are running on the same track. They'll eventually split off.

A few places in Manhattan are a good mile from a subway stop. Avoid them like the plague.

-- Subway map: here.
-- Subway fares: here.

-- Note: The subway is always under construction with frequent detours. Pay particular attention to signs on weekends. You may find yourself going downtown on an uptown track (And isn't this true in life? Or something.)

Bus:
If the subway doesn't get you there, the bus will. Use it to cross Central Park. It runs on the same fare system as the subway (Metrocard). You even get free transfers as you connect from the subway to bus and vice-versa.

-- Bus map: here.
-- Bus fares: here.

Trains:
Other public transportation options include:

-- Metro North: map and times.
-- Long Island Railroad: map and times.

Taxes (Detroit)

Overview:
After you're done filling out your federal tax forms and paying Uncle Sam, don't forget Aunt Michigan and Cousin Detroit.

Income tax:
In chapter five of our book, we explain the basics of taxes and how simple it can be to fill out your own forms. We stand by that claim. (Ha, ha. Pun intended.)

Fortunately for you, if you work in Detroit, you pay even more out of your paycheck in taxes (city taxes). An extra 2.6% (if you live in the city) will leave your pocket. You'll only pay an extra 1.3% if you work in the city, but don't live there.

Make sure you fill out these forms at tax time:

MI state income taxes: forms.
- General MI site: here.
Detroit income taxes: forms.
- General Detroit site: here.

Sales tax:
You'll also pay 6% sales tax on all your stuff.

Newspapers (Miami)

Overview:
You'll have a couple of options of newspapers (in a number of languages) in the Miami area.

These are some of the big ones.

Miami Herald: Subscribe to the Herald if you want to look smart.

Miami New Times: Get the New Times if you want to know where to get a tattoo. It's the free, "alternative" paper in Miami.

For popular newspapers written in Spanish, try Diario Las Americas and el Nuevo Herald.

Voting (Memphis)

Overview:
Vote. Or you’re not allowed to complain. Plus you get to wear that stylish "I Voted" sticker to work every election day.

In Tennessee, you can download your voter registration form online and send it in through the mail. How simple.

Voter registration: form.
Instructions: link.
More voting info: link.

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