When I was finding my first New York apartment, I was an apprentice at Actors Theatre of Louisville. A college friend was in the city looking for places for us. I’d stand in the green room of the theatre on a rotary phone, surrounded by a bunch of New York actors on couches, he’d tell me an address, I’d say it aloud to the room, they’d say “no way” or “too far” or “super scary” or “maybe” or “Yes!” and I’d tell him whether it was worth checking out or not. We ended up in a terrific place in an up-and-coming neighborhood called Williamsburg, it had the largest kitchen I’ve ever had in the city, and it was home for five years. I think they call that crowdsourcing now; we just called it advice.

Making a living and making a life in New York City isn’t easy, but it is worth it. And it does take a village. We’d love to be part of yours.