Besides my Metrocard, the only other thing I never ever leave home without is my trusty iPhone. Any other New Yorkers out there relate? I’ve only had this amazing piece of technology for about a year, and it’s insane to think how I navigated my way around the city before! (Blackberry, you’ll always have a place in my heart.) Here are the top 5 NYC-centric apps that are, quite simply, priceless.
1. Seamless
Heading home from a long day at work? Sure, you could wait until arriving home to log onto the desktop and place an order for your go-to Thai…OR, you could open up this handy dandy app on your phone, order and pay for it en route, and have it delivered by the time you walk in your building. Amazing? I think yes.
2. HopStop
In pre-iPhone days, I would email myself directions from HopStop, like, all the time. Now life on public transportation just got a million times easier, cause you can search for door to door directions virtually anywhere! Or if you’re feeling super lazy, you can even get an estimate on how much cab fare would be.
3. Uber
Speaking of cab fare…you know those times right around cab shift-change time when there are absolutely NO cabs in all of Manhattan? And of course it’s thunder storming like crazy? That, my friends, is where Uber comes in. The app will send a black car (or SUV if you have a big pickup) directly to where you are, charge your credit card (tip included!), and drop you off at your destination. Granted, it’s a bit more pricey than yellow cabs, but during a blizzard, it just can’t be beat.
4. FreshDirect
Okay, we know New Yorkers like to multitask. So how about getting all your grocery shopping done while you’re bored to tears in a meeting? (Not like I have ever, ever done this…) You can order anything your little heart desires, and have it delivered as early as the next day. Bonus: once you’re on their mailing list, they frequently send out emails announcing codes for free delivery, which means you really don’t end up spending anymore than you would at Whole Foods…and we all know how crazy THAT line is.
5. Instapost
Want a quick way to tell all your non-New York family and friends that you love and miss them? Instapost takes your Instagram or camera phone photos, turns them into a postcard, allows you to enter text on the back, and will mail it off to the recipient the very same day! And the best part is, this sweet surprise only costs $2.49, postage included!
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
