Moving to Hollywood (Miami, Aventura, South Beach: apartment, to live, restaurants)

[TopazRen]

Hello,
I'm moving to Hollywood in a few weeks to live with a relative and I would like to meet some cool people to hang out with for the 5-6 months I plan on being down. I'm a 19 year old male from Maryland with an open mind and enjoy the company of anyone who I can hold a good intellectual conversation with.

[vvolin]

Go to the beach this weekend and hang out along the board walk.
Stop for a coffee at the Starbuck on the Young Circle.
Go for Sushi at the Shushi Room, still Young Circle or along Harrison.
Start to practice Bikram Yoga on Federal Hway north of Aventura Mall (I can't remember the name).

[TopazRen]

ok

[vvolin]

you're welcome

[JProg305]

Hey TopazRen, try hanging out in downtown Hollywood on any weekend night. There's great little restaurants and cafes. Lots of selection with Turkish, Peruvian, Chinese, Thai, Romanian, Fusion, Sushi, Colombian, coffee shops, seafood, Jamaican, a Russian bakery, and other interesting shops in a five or six block radius. Some of the best falafels on the planet at Falafel Fans Exotic Bites (weird name but some wicked falafels with homemade hot sauce). Theres also a Polish bar that attracts alot of hipsters, some of which are douchebags, but it has an excellent beer selection (oh sorry, forgot that you are 19), well they don't ID . JK. There's a good mix of people with people of all age ranges, socioeconomic backgrounds, and ethnic/racial backgrounds represented. An unusually large amount of eastern europeans for south Florida. Around a mile and a half east of downtown is Hollywood beach which has a really nice "broadwalk" area. It's not called a board walk there, but it's a couple of miles long and is pedestrian/cyclist only and is lined with good restaurants and the beach is quite nice. Good luck!

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by JProg305

Hey TopazRen, try hanging out in downtown Hollywood on any weekend night. There's great little restaurants and cafes. Lots of selection with Turkish, Peruvian, Chinese, Thai, Romanian, Fusion, Sushi, Colombian, coffee shops, seafood, Jamaican, a Russian bakery, and other interesting shops in a five or six block radius. Some of the best falafels on the planet at Falafel Fans Exotic Bites (weird name but some wicked falafels with homemade hot sauce). Theres also a Polish bar that attracts alot of hipsters, some of which are douchebags, but it has an excellent beer selection (oh sorry, forgot that you are 19), well they don't ID . JK. There's a good mix of people with people of all age ranges, socioeconomic backgrounds, and ethnic/racial backgrounds represented. An unusually large amount of eastern europeans for south Florida. Around a mile and a half east of downtown is Hollywood beach which has a really nice "broadwalk" area. It's not called a board walk there, but it's a couple of miles long and is pedestrian/cyclist only and is lined with good restaurants and the beach is quite nice. Good luck!

Topaz>

Its really hard to meet people here using the old, traditional techniques. People usually get sketched out by strangers who are overly friendly. I'm not saying you shouldn't say hi to strangers, but I think you should devise a better strategy. I would suggest something like the following:

First, meet someone in your apartment building or a neighbor and spark a conversation in the hallway/elevator. Then if they seem cool, become friendly with them by inviting them to go out for drinks, coffee, desert, or just to scope the bars out for women. Think of this person as your base friend, and then you expand from there. For instance, you go out with your new friend and he know people who know people. And those other guys know girls (if you are straight) who you can potentially date. Everything stems from you hanging out with the base friend on a consistent basis.

Just make sure that the new friend likes you as much as you like them, and that you aren't a thorn in their side. Otherwise this strategy could backfire.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by TopazRen

ok

I'm not trying to instigate, but that's probably not the best way to treat someone that is just trying to give you some advice. If you treat people like that in real life, it might be hard to find other "open minded" types. Just my two cents.

[iamsteve]

I am going to jump into this thread and ask a question about hollywood myself. I currently live in Miami but have been feeling a little bored of the same old stuff. At the same time, I like it here and I like the weather and I think I want a moderate change, not a major one. How different is Hollywood from Miami? I generally enjoy more laid back bars good seafood restaurants to flashy clubs ala South Beach. I am more into food than going dancing, and more into live music than DJ sets. Do you all think Hollywood will be a drastic enough change that I will potentially satisfy desire for moderate change?

[fauve]

Start spending your weekend nights in Hollywood to see if it's for you. I like Hollywood for all the reasons you mentioned. I'm not sure about a seafood restaurant there though.

[Nolefan34]

Hollywood is more laid back, and its not that far away from Miami. So worst come to worst you are a 20 minutes drive from Miami if you want to revert back to old ways.