I recently relocated to New York City from D.C. and would appreciate any advice that could help me adjust to the hobby scene here. In other words, how does mongering in New York City differ from what I came to know and expect in D.C.? I have done almost all of my mongering in D.C., except for a few trips overseas and to Las Vegas.  

My first experience adjusting to New York City was with the local real estate market, which differs significantly from that of D.C. Renting an apartment here was quite a difficult and stressful experience. I hope that the mongering market here is not as crazy as the local real estate market.  

Renting an apartment here taught me a few things about living here, and I was wondering if they apply to the hobby as well. For example, I learned that things move much more quickly here, and that desirable apartments do not stay on the market for long – sometimes just for hours. By the same token, do popular local providers book up so quickly that you need to book well in advance? In D.C., I usually booked a day or two in advance and rarely had any problems seeing the providers that I wanted to see.  

I took elevators for granted before I went apartment-hunting here and learned the hard way what it is like to walk up five flights of stairs in a walk-up apartment building. I will definitely keep an eye out for incall details like that when I am reading local providers' reviews. In what other ways can the physical environment of New York City impact one's hobby experience here?

I  have seen a few New York-based providers during their tours to D.C., and they definitely had a different vibe from local providers and touring providers from other cities. I would attribute some of that different vibe to their being from New York. What should I keep an eye out for as I check out local providers' ads and reviews that would not already be familiar to me from D.C.?