The ‘last good internet’: How to navigate thriving NYC Reddit

I prefer for my advice to come from the people who know me worst: strangers. While advice from friends and family members is filtered through their good intentions and genuine care, strangers offer raw, candid, unpolished takes that are often the most helpful. This philosophy of mine is especially relevant in New York, where a stranger’s advice is even more valuable to me, a New Person, amidst a sea of a million and one things to do. In person, I love a sidewalk sidebar (like the one that happened after a dog chased me on Fifth Avenue because he has a strong interest in long skirts). But, they don’t allow for the same depth and uninhibited candor that, say, an anonymous online post might.

So, I recently took my talents to the next most obvious place: Reddit, of course. Among my friends and family, I joke that Reddit is the closest thing we have to the truth. Sure, there are asterisks, caveats, and legal disclaimers baked into that sentence at every corner. There are bots and hate commenters and so many other things we don’t have to get into. But many of us see Reddit as the last Truly Good social media, full of honesty and authentic community. Meanwhile, TikTok, Instagram, and even YouTube are melting into the slop of short-form content, worsening sleep quality and social anxiety. X, or as the old-timers say “Twitter,” is so corroded by Elon Musk’s immorality (and its hateful Nazi bot that went off-leash) that many users have left in a mass exodus and some subreddits continue to ban any X links.

Reddit, to me, is like a semi-mysterious hidden speakeasy. Sure, you have to pull on the right book on the bookshelf that then opens a secret door (aka waddle around for the right subreddit), but it’s usually all worth it in the end. Because inside, there are encyclopedias full of neighborhood knowledge, and old timers smoking cigars full of candor and offering you a cushioned seat. 

The other social media sites simply can’t compare to this immense, localized, hyper-specific knowledge. So much so that Redditors and non-chronically online people alike will sometimes slide in “Reddit” to any Google search. I did this a few days ago when I was looking for the best Thai restaurant in Brooklyn. I didn’t want a shiny viral spot or a sponsored post. So, r/FoodNYC came to the rescue (and rightfully pointed me in the direction of Bangkok Degree).

Less than a few days into my new residence in the city, I pulled on the most obvious lever: r/nyc. A subreddit dedicated to all things New York City. There, I read threads about the intricacies of the mayoral election: of course, Zohran Mamdani considered himself a “Miranda”, how one former political hotshot turned Bad Guy was trying to make some sort of comeback, and I saw some cats looking for a new home (just as important). Looking for greater specificity, I did some digging into r/Brooklyn.

There, things got a little more communal, in both good ways and not as great ways. In the same breath that a stay-at-home dad was shooting out an open invite for a Marine Park walk, another user was posting a photo of the driver giving him the finger with the timeless caption “Menace.” I then went deeper into the funnel, choosing the subreddit for my neighborhood. From their recommendations, I had “Subreddit Sunday.” I went to stoop sales promoted there, watched a band of high schoolers play outside the park and joined a now-silent group chat of new people looking to meet neighbors in the same 25F-ish demographic. It was all shockingly Normal.

With this browsing and offline praxis, I became more intrigued by the mechanics of Reddit. I was learning more about the area, which was helpful in a very tactical way. But, I was increasingly interested in the tool that helped me do that. 

A lay of Reddit-landia

If you’ve never been on Reddit before (like the version of myself before my computer had water damage and I reached for advice on r/mac), I can give you a lay of the land. The whole website is basically a free-for-all round-table. Anyone can post (mostly), anywhere (mostly), and moderators make sure people stay within their right mind (mostly). There are truly subreddits for every topic imaginable and then some. Searching for a drummer for your garage band? Post it in r/NYCJam. Looking for direct dialogue with a mayoral candidate? Check out Mamdani’s AMA in r/MicromobilityNYC. Curious to find a specific Reddit that you just can’t name? A very meta r/AskNYC exists.

Usually, the most helpful answers get boosted to the top, not by some predetermined, clinical algorithm, but by the authentic opinion of other users. Through individual users upvoting (or downvoting) each post, the good stuff shows up first. And, luckily, the not-so-great stuff is hidden at the bottom of the barrel.

Keep in mind, each subreddit is a mini kingdom, which each has its own rules (and rulers). Moderators set and uphold a very public list of rules, by which each participant must oblige by. Almost always these rules are soft balls, such as r/MicromobilityNYC’s singular rule: “Don’t be an idiot.” These rules are easily accessible on the homepage of each subreddit, which also boasts their stats, such as r/AskNYC’s top 1% ranking by size. 

Reddit’s capital city: r/NYC

r/nyc is a bit of a different story, as it's in the top 1% ranking by size with 935,000 members. To keep this subreddit afloat there are close to a dozen moderators and 13 ground rules, including no petty behavior and no link shortening. If the city of New York had an accompanying virtual world of all its New York-specific websites, r/nyc would be a semi-regulated visitor center: a first stop with a laissez faire “anything goes” attitude that really does offer genuine, heartfelt advice at the right moments but could have some unexpected animosity at other points. r/nyc has a bit of a checkered past, as a moderator years ago banned a hefty handful of people at the same time the subreddit took a more conservative lean. r/newyorkcity formed as a rejection to this, yet r/nyc still has over half a million more members. This is just a hair of the lore mammoth that is all things New York Reddit.

One of the first noticeable posts I found in this subreddit was a monthly list of things to do here, aptly called “Things to Do in NYC.” In July’s list, creator Richard Blankman, expertly curated a list ranging from an art exhibition showcasing ancient Chinese Ritual Bronzes to public yard work volunteering to an event solely dedicated to Manhattanhenge.

I’m not the only one who likes Blankman’s lists. His monthly Reddit post is a free version of his Substack, which has about 3,000 free subscribers. Blankman largely sees Reddit as an advertising tool to direct interest to his Substack, where a paid version also exists. But on a more basic level, he just wants to introduce a large audience to events that interest him. This is effective, considering his Reddit posts themselves receive close to 50,000 views. 

More than just helpful, it feels like it strikes the perfect neighborly cadence, Reddit’s ethos. It countered a lot of the extensive (and still great) lists that focused exclusively on volume or price. Blankman chooses a variety of themes each month with a variety of events. Within each category he groups the events into, Blankman provides an interesting, sometimes personal intro. For July, he recommended an Afro Venezuelan Tambor Workshop (he recently told his husband that music gives him purpose), a math-focused game night (he was a math major in college), and a baseball card exhibit at The MET (he’s an art lover). Just like I was hoping for, I had found the virtual anecdotes and tangible advice I wanted in a dreamed-up, prolonged sidewalk sidebar.

When I spoke with Blankman, he shared that this variety is intentional, and the personal voice was just natural to his writing. He’s had the idea of a list for a while. Living in New York, he noted the sheer volume of things: from high art to low art, free to ungodly. Eventually, he got the idea to create a list of what he would do if he were in retirement with unlimited funds. Enter the list.

To him, the variety of the events is at the core of the list’s mission. He wants the post to be inclusive of cost, borough, demographic of the creatives involved, etc. Naturally, he tends toward topics he’s interested in ranging from the arts to music to science to math. But, on a holistic level he tries to imagine what his younger self would have wanted.

“I remember being a nerdy kid with not many friends and weird interests and having a very difficult time finding community,” Blankman told The Groove. “In my case, I am gay, and I associate some of that with being part of the LGBTQ community. I also associate some of that with being this nerdy math kid who liked to play chess and Magic the Gathering. I definitely channel that person when I look for events, and as best as I can I want events that will help people to find community, whatever that means for them.”

Blankman’s approach seems to represent the best parts of Reddit: sharing knowledge for the sake of sharing knowledge, inviting community offline, and plain old no-questions-asked kindness. Commenters are often dropping praise, such as “Hey just wanted to say I appreciate your posts and I'm looking forward to next month's!,” compliments that Blankman will sometimes engage with.

Blankman acknowledged that the website can veer into toxic territory with anonymity acting as an emboldening shield and a large handful of bots making matters worse. For that reason, moderators are vital to the efficacy of the website. They delete any posts that are hateful or violate the community rules they set. In some cases, they ban users who continue to pose risks. This moderation is especially important in settings where the subreddit directly relates to a geographic area, like a city or borough. 

Other social media sites noticeably lack this moderation, leading to unmediated, unfiltered, often hateful dialogue. Moderation is also unique in the way it takes shape. Unlike the formulaic creation of a Reddit account, moderator is an earned title, usually through online connections.

I spoke with one r/Brooklyn moderator, u/Level21DungeonMaster, under the condition of anonymity. As a former full-service, white-glove IT firm consultant, they’ve had ample experience managing a large volume of users, which largely requires identifying misinformation, banning hateful accounts, and setting ground rules. Level21DungeonMaster shared that this management hit a crescendo during the pandemic, when they had to assume a quasi “unsupported public health advocacy” stance by reducing rampant misinformation. Now, their moderation has an added layer of blurriness with AI-generated posts and other users copying and pasting AI responses, rendering it difficult to differentiate a person’s free speech and something computer-generated. 

Still, Level21DungeonMaster emphasized that the subreddit remains usable because of the real people who contribute to its authenticity every day, be it a regular poster or a moderator. They shared that in the case of r/Brooklyn, the subreddit’s efficacy is reliant on shared values. 

“Peace, Love, and Respect. If a user can’t exhibit these traits they are not welcome in my subreddits,” they told The Groove. “I legitimately care about r/Brooklyn because this is where I am from. I want it to reflect my community's values.”

They continued on by listing several of the ways people use r/Brooklyn on the daily, including searching for events, sharing stories, outlining public safety, promoting small business, posting about lost and found, sharing animal sightings, identifying gardening tips, complaining about the mayor, tracking ICE, griping about the MTA, querying about tourism, looking for romantic dates, spotlighting free things, hunting for jobs, highlighting local news, and discussing politics. All the topics Level21DungeonMaster mentioned are great starting points for anyone in New York. Any subreddits labeled by borough or neighborhood will offer increasingly local advice. 

These topics seem to be a near perfect reflection of the things people talk about with friends, family, and neighbors. The complaints shared at an intersection or the lunchtime conversation with coworkers. Without getting too romanticized, the city’s own subreddits come close to reflecting the real city (minus all those bots). It’s the chaotic and spiky parts of community mixed in with the genuine, unpaid care.

Ready, set, Reddit

Even with my own rose-colored glasses, I’m well-aware that Reddit is not always amazing. Many users believe Reddit is past its heyday, citing the annoying wave of AI posts, a slew of error messages and hostile commenters. 

So, keep this in mind, as you get acclimated with the landscape. Venture carefully, maybe don’t share your most personal information, but let yourself explore, truly. If you’re looking for a place to start, check out your borough and neighborhood’s subreddits.

If you’re having issues with the train, take a peek into r/nycrail.

If you’re feuding with your landlord, don’t hesitate to reach out to r/NYCapartments.

Then, zoom out into r/circlejerknyc for a laugh and cringe.

Whichever subreddit you land on, poke around then post actively to tap into the genuine community. Earn some good karma (it is literally called that) through people liking your posts or comments in any subreddit. 

TLDR: Reddit in New York can be a good time.