Being a modern city dweller
Thanks to the phenomenon called an urban sprawl, we have the highest number of big cities in the history. Moreover, the majority of these big cities are trying to become modern and follow the latest trends. What that means in this case is that they are trying to attract even more and more citizens. By building new blocks of flats, shopping centers, and other recreational venues they are trying to persuade people living in smaller towns and villages that this is the place they want to move in. After all, togerher with these people their wallets will come as well. Amidst it all stand you - a lifelong city dweller who, in some cases, has witnessed his once small town become a big and bustling city. Sometimes, it may be difficult to find your way in this chaos. Or maybe you've just arrived to a big town, for example to a university. Whatever the case, you need to know every trick in the book in order to be able to enjoy living in a big city.
First of all, you have to learn to use public transport services. Forget about your beloved car. You won't be able to use it efficiently, if you will be able to use it at all. The congestion during rush hours is enormous, you won't be able to park your car even in the vicinity of the city's center without paying gigantic sums of money, and it's simply more expensive in exploitation than using public transport. So now that you know to leave your vehicle in your garage you have to learn how to use the public transport. You have to know that, although way better than a normal car, a tram can still be unbearable during rush hours. You have to be ready for that. To minimize the exposure to overcrowded travelling, buy yourself a travel card, for example the one that is valid for one month, and use it to change lines. If you know that the tram A will going to be overcrowded, take the tram B instead that will take you to the middle of your route and there you can get on the tram C that is also less crowded and will take you to your point of destination. Belive me, it is much better to swich lines during your journey rather than go straight to your goal in an uncivilized environment.
However, there is a way to bypass all these problems, save a lot of cash, and keep yourself fit. Grab yourself a bike. A small and agile bicycle is literally made to find its way in the middle of a bustling city. This is the only vehicle that not only can drive on both streets and sidewalks, but which in modern cities often has special bike routes just for itself. This translates into "goodbye traffic jams!". You will have to leave earlier to make it on time (although not always, sometimes a bike will be faster than a car and a tram) but that is a very small price to pay. The only problem is that you cannot rely on this mean of transport during snowy winters.
Being smart when it comes to commuting around the city is the major part of success at being a happy city dweller. There are some other things to learn as well. For example, start to rely on your phone and e-mail. If something can be done via such media then do it that way - do not waste your time on going to deal with the business in person. These seem to be minor details but sooner or later you will see that these minor details are going to make or break your life in a city.
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