NYC is awesome but also confusing as hell. As far as the apartment search goes, don't use a broker! They are such big headaches, with their bait and switch tactics and just showing you apartments you don't want to see.
Craigslist is unreliable and all the photos and details turn out to be fake.
I've found this site www.zenly.com to be super useful. They have verified pics and video walkthroughs of apartments. Just makes the whole process way easier.