Living in Downtown Miami (Edgewater, Pace: apartments, rent, loft)

[rent.traveler]

Hello Miami!

I've read a lot of threads from the late 2000's, but I haven't seen any recently that really talk about what it's like to live in Downtown Miami. I'm considering moving there for a job that is in Downtown, and I would love to hear some opinions from locals as to what the area is like!

-What is the overall feel of the neighborhood (young, trendy, packed with tourists)?
-What are the main hangout areas?
-Is it a decent place to have a pet, specifically a dog who is not tiny?
-Do many families live in the area? (It seems like the housing options don't really suit family needs so just kind of seeing what I can expect in terms of my neighbors/noise level.)

Really any advice or opinions you can give me about Downtown Miami will really help. Thank you!

[angelscorpio]

Young Yuppies, techies, geeks ppl. Nice nightlifestyle, expensive lorries. There are some homeless around that still are waiting to be relocated by the city major organisms in a recent "beautify-ing" program of Downtown.

[FlyMIA]

Downtown or Brickell? Each has its own feel to it but both can be considered as "Downtown"

Brickell which is the area south of the Miami river is trendy, upper class, young professional with good night life and food options along with a upscale mega project being built right now in Brickel Citicentre

Downtown which would be North of the Miami River is a bit less trendy and a bit cheaper. Rent prices are not cheap by any means but it if more affordable than Brickell. During the weekdays it is busy. Lots of offices in both Brickell and Downtown but Downtown is a bit more dense when speaking about offices. It is also home to a very large Federal Courthouse and the County Courthouse which are always busy. At night there are less people downtown and it is no as busy as Brickell is but there are still food options and there is Bayside Market Place which is near by and a popular tourist spot. I would say Downtown has more tourist because of Bayside and Bayfront park. A long with the new art museum and the soon to be finished new Science Museum. The American Airlines Arena where the Heat play is also downtown so on game nights it gets very busy.

Overall during the day Downtown is more walkable, has more diverse food options and even some shopping. A brand new mall, and whole residential complex is going to start construction downtown also which will transform the area. Brickell is better at night and is more trendy and upscale. Both are good places to live. As for families these are apartment living areas. There are some families who live in theses areas but usually younger families or ones which are able to afford large apartments/condos. As for the dog, tons of people have dogs. Plenty of places to go to a walk and a run. I am not sure if there are any dog parks were the dogs can be taken off their leash though.

Right now the main hangout area of the downtown area would be Mary Brickell Village. And for downtown itself I guess at night it would be Bayside and the club district near by also. If you want to go clubbing. Both areas are changing on a daily basis with new developments though. IMO Brickell and Downtown are the best places to live in Miami if you don't have a family.

[ThomasMatthews]

I think downtown it's unsafe at night, but Brickell it's very nice, with a lot of restaurants, parks and things to do. It's a mostly young professional area.

[FlyMIA]

Originally Posted by ThomasMatthews

I think downtown it's unsafe at night, but Brickell it's very nice, with a lot of restaurants, parks and things to do. It's a mostly young professional area.

Unless you think homeless people will mug you (they don't) downtown is perfectly fine at night.

[TooLoud]

Originally Posted by FlyMIA

Unless you think homeless people will mug you (they don't) downtown is perfectly fine at night.

Yeah thats the thing. I used to feel Downtown was sketchy as hell but then I realized nothing bad really happens, it just feels that way because of the homeless.

[FlyMIA]

Originally Posted by TooLoud

Yeah thats the thing. I used to feel Downtown was sketchy as hell but then I realized nothing bad really happens, it just feels that way because of the homeless.

Exactly. Downtown might look bad at night when it's not busy but its really not. There is no crime problem in downtown.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Parts of downtown can be isolated and seem sketchy at night, but I would hardly consider it dangerous nowadays. The bayfront is pretty active late into the night (many tourists) and there are many events, so you might want to look at buildings along Biscayne Blvd., like 50 Biscayne and Vizcayne. Since I lived in Loft 2 downtown in 2008-2009, I have noticed there has been a noticeable improvement (but on the flip side, rents have gone up as well...). However, Brickell is really the place to be at night. The Metromover can take you down to Brickell for free, but it can be a slow, frustrating ride and you stand the whole time, and it doesn't run very late into the night. Cabs fares are cheap enough for getting back though. One thing to consider is with a dog, especially a larger dog, Bayfront Park, while not an off leash park, is spacious and full of people walking their dogs, and there really is no equivalent in Brickell.

The Omni/Performing Arts district/Edgewater is another up-and-coming place to consider that can be slightly cheaper than downtown. I would say there has actually been more improvement there since 2008 than there has been in Brickell. Lots of new businesses opening up in the area. Opera Tower looks pretty cool, and there is Margaret Pace Park and the Venetian causeway for biking and running. Also, if you want to take busses to South Beach, downtown and Omni are much more convenient because you are on the direct bus line without transferring.

[Coconut1]

Downtown was sketchy as hell even just four years ago. The turnaround has been remarkable. There are still pockets that are quite sketchy, but it's not even close to what it was.

[rent.traveler]

Thank you all so much for your input and detail! I greatly appreciate and it and it's really helped me make some important decisions! Take care.