"I didn’t know what’s awaiting me there, and the only thing I brought with me was my love for the city."
That was brave. But I also know people, who moved out to the USA even without knowing English. They learned English there.

"With the $1,000 monthly budget, I spent half of it on coffee and cigarettes."
So, you spent $500 USD on coffee and on cigarettes?
Either the coffee and the cigarettes are expensive in the USA, or you bought excessive amounts of them. Either way, we are very different. My current full monthly income is less than $500 USD. I can't even imagine spending $500 USD monthly only on coffee and on cigarettes. Okay, I don't even drink coffe, and I don't smoke either, so I don't know how much the coffee and the cigarettes would cost even in my own country (Hungary).
By the way, I would probably not move to New York. New York is one of the biggest cities with a lot of people, and it has a polluted air. I prefer the countryside. Calmness, quietness and clear air.
I call !trdo to support you for your work.