Advice by Ash

My friend Chelsea came up with what I think is a fun new idea for my blog - An advice column! Now I by no means consider myself any kind of expert (aside from eating cupcakes, frozen yogurt and cheese), but I do like to think I can give at least decent advice and hopefully will be entertaining!


Here's my very first question submitted by a friend -


Dear Ashley,

I've been reading your blog for some time now and love it! Since you moved to Atlanta not too long ago, I thought you would be the perfect person to ask for some advice. I recently moved to a big city (been here about 2 weeks) and am so excited to be here! But my question is this: I need some good tips on how to get acclimated to a new city. Where are the best places to eat, shop, workout, go for walks, meet people, etc, etc. It's kind of overwhelming and I just don't know where to begin! How did you do it?

Thanks,

Big City Beginner

Dear Big City Beginner,

First off, the fact that you're taking the initiative to get involved in your new community is great. Many people find a new city so daunting they don't even try, so you've already done more than a lot of people would!

When I moved to Atlanta from Kentucky two years ago, I had never lived in a city this big and I didn't know many people aside from a few relatives. I was blessed with a great job where I met a lot of my now friends, so I strongly recommend taking advantage of getting to know the people that you see on a daily basis. And you can in turn ask them where they go to the gym, shop, fav restaurants, etc.

Like way too many people nowadays, you might not be so lucky to already have a job. When preparing to move to Atlanta, I made a list of recreational and productive things to do to keep me busy, since I knew I wouldn't have many people to call up to grab an impromptu dinner. My list included finding my local library, a gym (classes are great to take advantage of and provide structure), pick up a new hobby and maybe find a local club that regularly meets, like knitting or hiking, volunteer opportunities and taking the time to make my new living space into a home. Especially if you are in between jobs, I recommend setting a daily schedule for yourself.

And finally my last piece of advice, take advantage of any resources you have. I like to think of it as living by the golden rule, treat others how you would like to be treated. If you've lived in a city your whole life and someone came to you asking for advice, would you blow them off? You'd most likely be more than happy to do anything you can to help. You never know who knows someone or what something small can lead to, so take advantage of any acquaintances, relatives or friends of friends you might have in your new city.

Good luck!

Ash

So feel free to email me (bentley831@gmail.com) for any advice questions you'd like answered!