"Gets lay of land" is a phrase commonly used to describe someone who is familiarizing themselves with a new environment or situation. However, there are many other ways to express this same idea using synonyms. Some potential options include "surveying the terrain," "mapping out the area," "exploring the surroundings," "scoping out the landscape," "assessing the situation," or "taking stock of the scene." Each of these phrases conveys the idea of getting a sense of one's surroundings or circumstances, and can be used interchangeably with "gets lay of land" to add variety to one's writing or speech.