Roderick and I moved to the city at the same time, then got cast in the same show, so I feel as though my blog might very closely resemble his, as we are living parallel lives. 

I feel like I'm not really fit to give advice, as I'm really new to this and still figuring it out, but one thing I did that I can definitely recommend is to save money up first. It completely saved me. I saved up enough to where I don't have to get a day job and I can completely focus on auditioning, which probably helped me in landing an acting job so soon. I know a lot of people who came with just the clothes on their back, and they got so caught up in making money, they lost focus on what they really came here to do.

One thing I have really learned is that comfortable shoes are important. Shin splints and blisters are no fun.

If you are thinking of moving to New York, get good headshots before you do. They are really expensive here. I used Paul Ludwig, he's great. Also, get them in color. No one uses black and white anymore.

As Roderick said, contact anyone you know, even a little. It can be really overwhelming here, and all people who aren't born New Yorkers love to help one of their kind. 

Natalie Bird