I lived in NYC for a bit in my younger days (my misspent youth) and I always said that if you could manage to pay the rent, you could find nearly everything else you needed more inexpensively than anywhere else in the country. (That’s probably oversimplified these days.)
I used many of the tactics you recommended and they definitely work. The way things are sold in urban environments is so much different than in places that are more car dependent.
Thanks for a great post!