Zakarina is a creative professional originally from Virginia, with time lived in London and the DMV. She moved to New York City to pursue opportunities in her field and currently lives at SharedEasy. This is her story.
Watch Zakarina share her experience in her own words below.
Why New York
My name is Zacharina, and I’m from Virginia. Before New York, I lived in London. I spent a lot of time in DC. I would call myself a city girl without hesitation.
But New York is a different thing entirely.
I came here for the opportunities, specifically the creative ones. This city has more of them than anywhere else I’ve been, in every niche, every direction. That’s what pulled me in. That’s what keeps me here.
My Daily Routine in NYC
I wake up, get a matcha, and head to an internet café. My go-to is Silence Please, I love it there. Most of my day is meetings and projects, so having a space outside the apartment where I can work and think clearly matters a lot.
New York is a fast city. People always warn you about that like it’s a problem. For me, it’s not. I’ve lived in fast cities. Blame the ADHD, but slow things don’t work for me. New York is exactly the right pace.
The Energy Here and My Favorite Spots
The energy in New York is alive. I love the people here, genuinely. Everybody is friendly, everybody is doing something, and there is always an event happening in whatever niche you’re in. If you know where to look, this city never runs out of things to do.
Brooklyn is my neighborhood. It feels like home. The food in Brooklyn is the best in the city, and I stand by that. There’s a place called Soul Food Kitchen in Brooklyn that I love. If you haven’t been, go.
What Surprised Me About New York
I was coming to the city a lot before I actually moved here, so I thought I knew what to expect. I was mostly right.
Except for one thing: this city hates bathrooms. Nobody warned me about how hard it is to find a public restroom unless you’re spending money somewhere. That has been my real struggle. Everything else I saw coming.
And people keep telling me to prepare for winter. I lived in the DMV, DC, Maryland, Virginia, so the weather should be familiar. We’ll see.
Why I Chose Coliving at SharedEasy
When you move to a new city, you need a headquarters. A place that feels stable while everything else is still being figured out. SharedEasy gave me that.
What I noticed first was how communicative the team is. They actually care about the people staying there. The space is kept clean, which matters more than people realize when you’re sharing with multiple people. And it never feels socially awkward, the common spaces and the natural conversations that come out of them make it feel like a home, not just a building.
Communal living is a lost art. There are so many people and experiences you can cross paths with in a shared space that you’d simply never encounter otherwise. SharedEasy creates the conditions for those relationships to actually start.
The Small Things That Change Everything
As a young professional with a full schedule, the small logistics of daily life can drain you fast if they’re not handled.
For me, the biggest one is laundry. Having laundry in the building, accessible, not in the basement, not outside the building, is genuinely life-changing. In New York, everything requires effort and stairs. A lot of stairs. Having laundry close means I can deal with it quickly, without it becoming a whole project. That’s a bigger deal than it sounds.
My Advice for Anyone Moving to New York for the First Time
Be adaptable. That’s the main one.
But also: establish your headquarters. Know what you like, know your non-negotiables, and hold to them. Because what you want is attainable here, but the city will test you first. It will stretch you and push you in ways you didn’t ask for. That’s not a warning. That’s the point. New York raises you up, breaks you down, and builds you back stronger.
Have heart. That’s what gets you through.
Would I Recommend SharedEasy?
Without question.
If you’re moving to New York and you want a place that gives you room to get to know the city, comfort in your own space, and a community around you, SharedEasy does all three. Need a café recommendation? Ask someone in the house. Need to know what’s worth doing in the neighborhood? The team knows. They’ve heard the feedback, they know what works, and they’ll tell you.
SharedEasy makes the transition into New York easier. That’s exactly what you need when you’re starting over somewhere new.
Zacharina lives at SharedEasy's The Meserole Williamsburg Home, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Resident status verified by SharedEasy. Story told in their own words, edited by Sofia Alvarez, Content Editor at SharedEasy.
