The obvious answer to this is to drive out of the city until the sky is dark (at least dark enough to see the Milky Way). The other solution (not as good) is to get a light pollution filter. These filters come in various types and offer various amount of effectiveness. One kind is the called the broadband filter and is effective in blocking sky glow caused by Mercury and Sodium Vapor lamps but does little with regular white light. There are also narrow band filters by many various names that block far more of the light by only passing a narrow band of the spectrum which are good for nebula. These filters usually run from around $65.00 to $80.00 for broadband to $75.00 to $100.00 for a narrow band, OIII, and Hydrogen Alpha.

For light pollution from your neighbors porch or from a street lamp, try to place yourself out of the glare. If that is impossable use a large cloth or your jacket as a hood while your are viewing. If someone shines a flashlight in your eyes don't go with your first impulses, but instead gently inform that person on what that does to night vision and request that they stop.