"also, for parking garages what do you do? I have just been putting it in first and cranking it"
I guess cranking it is ok but what if you have stop on the incline, yield, or there is blind corner. Stopped on an incline I, with my left foot on the ground, slowly release the rear brake while at the same time slowly giving it some throttle/clutch action. Practice on some small incline. Stop and go straight, Stop and go left, Stop and go right. practice practice.