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Before any of my Cuban folk say "repentria" know this the area has been in the last ten year a haven for illegal wet foot dry foot folks, a lottery haven, and a place where all of them come and three to four families live together.
They live the Cuba culture and do NOT respect the Cuban culture here so we are at odds right now. even the Mariel Cubans can't stand the new immigrants.
So for the Op please, even if it is against my own folk, don't consider this area.
Cubanchic, which area do you speak of? Hialeah I can understand ..lol But, surely you're not speaking of the area I mentioned. In any case, what is this reoccurring issue you seem to have with not wanting to be around your own kind? Repentida, you say? Heck, I'm not even Cuban. (Spanish/Colombian). So this rivalry of the Cubans doesn't concern me, nor even the old guard Cuban friends that I've known all my life. Not once have I heard it brought up by them. Therefore, why should it concern anyone else, especially a British family? Believe you me, the British should not be lumped with many of their American brethren. They're open minded people who have a passion for traveling abroad and experiencing new places and cultures. I doubt they would be too culture shocked as they currently live in London which I know from experience as being an international melting metropolis in it's own right.
In my neighborhood, I think they would find a nice balance between comfortable and quiet S. Florida living with a bit of the Cuban/Caribbean flare.
Last edited by miamicunarder; 07-01-2014 at 07:39 AM..
This is my neck of the woods as well. Yes, it's overwhelmingly Hispanic. However, if you're comparing the place to living in the 2nd zone in London, I think you would find that this area may in fact surpass the quality of life there, with all the amenities that you probably aspire to find with life in S. FL. There are various parks (one of which has a kid's soccer/football league sponsored by Real Madrid), fairs, a university, hospitals, and nearby malls. Again, the area ranks right in the middle and higher middles classes. Crime is relatively low. Plenty of schools in the area to choose from. And you would find the area to be relatively peacefully and affordable, an oasis of sorts, when compared to some of the other areas in Miami.
This is an example of a house in my old neighborhood of which I speak of.
I wanted to make sure the OP was made aware of the overwhelming "latin-ness" of the area if they don't speak Spanish. While cultural divesity is an "adventure," the day to day business of dealing with language barriers might grow tiresome after a few months. The OP doesn't even speak American English which will make it even harder to be understood by people who already have limited grasp of the English language. They also have to consider the schools. If you're not used to the accent, even teachers speaking English can be difficult to understand.
I wanted to make sure the OP was made aware of the overwhelming "latin-ness" of the area if they don't speak Spanish. While cultural divesity is an "adventure," the day to day business of dealing with language barriers might grow tiresome after a few months. The OP doesn't even speak American English which will make it even harder to be understood by people who already have limited grasp of the English language. They also have to consider the schools. If you're not used to the accent, even teachers speaking English can be difficult to understand.
To the OP, it's definitely not like that at all. The previous poster is obviously disconnected from reality in this instance or is at least a bit too biased. Do I smell a bigot? My blonde, blued eyed American wife of English and German extraction had no problem living in this neighborhood during the 3 years she spent down there at Southcom. She never encountered a problem with language barriers in any businesses because there were always persons speaking ENGLISH. Truthfully, she found the area quite charming with good supermarkets nearby. (The local Publix being her favorite..on Bird and 114 Ave SW)
So you surmise, Valicky, that there might be an English born teacher on hand, in another neighborhood in the Miami area that will be needed to help assist in translating whatever other sort of odd American dialect he/she will encounter? Seriously...I can only laugh at this previous post. The bigotry and idiocy shines through and through. Some of you truly underestimate the British as well as fail to see that they're not like some of their American cousins.
Last edited by miamicunarder; 07-01-2014 at 08:38 PM..
Haha - your post is really the funny one. You don't live in the area now. I frequent the area to this day since my father-in-law lives there. You're seeing the area through rose colored glasses because you missed it during your time in another state - which from your posts - you hated. If someone says something not positive about this area they're a bigot, but you bashed the previous area you lived over and over and that's just your opinion. Hypocritical???? I have two family members who are Jamaican, my husband and father-in-law and they constantly have a hard time getting errands done in the area. Sometimes they're even treated poorly and rudely. How shocking from this charming area. What some of these rude people don't know is that my husband and father-in-law, while not amazing Spanish speakers, they understand it very well. They understand some of the rude comments that are said when the insulters think they won't be understood.
You can think people who don't like the attitudes encountered in that area and others are bigots and idiots instead of realizing that these are legitimate experiences from people who live and visit the area daily at this moment in time. I see you as being the bigot and idiot in reverse for name calling people who have stated honestly what they've encountered. I did not insult anyone or name call. I just stated what the OP WILL encounter in that area today. There WILL be places she may go to in the area where an employee will NOT speak any English. She may not have a problem with that at all and may even enjoy it. But I wanted to point it out because other areas of Miami aren't like that and will be easier on first arrival here. Cubanchic just moved away from that area - not Hialeah. She lived it for many years and isn't lying about her experiences. Believe what you will - it is what is regardless.
Three cheap eats in that area OP - Kon Chau, Frankie's Pizza and Rio Cristal. You'll thank me later.
Sorry for my late reply... didn't see your posts until now
Anyway, first of all thank you very much for all your advise, we really appreciate it!
We have been living in London for the past 11 years in the Jamaican/Arabic neighborhood, steps away from the Portuguese/Brazilian one. We speak many languages among which Spanish and we embrace diversity, we love culture mix and we would like our daughter to grow up in this way. This is also why we chose Miami, job offer a part, we think it is the city that better reflects culture mix and diversity.
HOWEVER, we will be new to the US and we are not here thinking that we have seen it all or that nothing can surprise us... we definitely want to settle down in a safe neighborhood, with good preschools in the vicinity and close enough to the metro rail for me to go to work in the health district. We will have a car, but I just want to drive until the station.
We didn't quite grasp the US street thing yet... we work better with neighborhood names... is the place you are talking about north miami? if so, it would definitely be a good compromise for distance to health district and will shorten journey time, but, looking at this map, we can only see orange/yellow areas... https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...762&dg=feature
Being new to the place, we decided to take this map into consideration while deciding where to live. For what we understood, it is well made, up to date, with crime data from police reports and it is appreciated by the majority of people living in Miami. What do you guys think?
Also maybe a predominantly Latin neighborhood will not serve us very well. Our little one has already managed to master 3 languages. Throwing Spanish into the mix will not be wise at the moment, as she is only 3 yrs old. She has been exposed to Spanish language already, because we have many south american friends, but she is getting a little confused...
So, no really cultural shock for us, just a language confusion for our little one...
A shock for us will probably be.... palmetto roaches
At the moment we are thinking of getting a townhouse in the Dadelands, possibly around sw100th str (did I say this correctly?) or even more towards Kendall East. We have checked out and called a few preschools and we were very surprised to find the so called "inclusion schools", we love their philosophy!
All of this is also affordable for us, so we are quite happy and ready to move...
One big question though: will we be able to rent with no credit history? Uk credit history doesn't count... I can have a letter from my employer saying that I am in fact employed and so can my husband... what do you think?
Thank you so very much for taking the time to read and reply to all my questions, it is people like you that make the US a very welcoming place
Cubanchic, which area do you speak of? Hialeah I can understand ..lol But, surely you're not speaking of the area I mentioned. In any case, what is this reoccurring issue you seem to have with not wanting to be around your own kind? Repentida, you say? Heck, I'm not even Cuban. (Spanish/Colombian). So this rivalry of the Cubans doesn't concern me, nor even the old guard Cuban friends that I've known all my life. Not once have I heard it brought up by them. Therefore, why should it concern anyone else, especially a British family? Believe you me, the British should not be lumped with many of their American brethren. They're open minded people who have a passion for traveling abroad and experiencing new places and cultures. I doubt they would be too culture shocked as they currently live in London which I know from experience as being an international melting metropolis in it's own right.
In my neighborhood, I think they would find a nice balance between comfortable and quiet S. Florida living with a bit of the Cuban/Caribbean flare.
Well from having lived in that area from 1978 untill 2013 I think I can speak directly about what it is really like to live there. I also still have my Parents and best Friend that live there so I visit weekly. I have seen that area change drastically over time and you have to understand that the folks that now move in that area are use to the Hustle of a poor island where shortages of goods is the norm of everyday. What you and me might consider a common good manners such as not cutting in line, personal space, politeness etc is just what they are not use to. If you like late parties with extremely loud music on a SUNDAY night well into 2 or 3 am well good for you, but most folks just get annoyed. If you consider the slaughter of a goat or sheep in your back yard for a party of beer drinking loud music all day well good for you but I rather not live next to that. If you consider a roaring boat motor at 6 am because you just got back from fishing all night and loud conversation ona Saturday or Sunday morning, with no consideration to your nieghbors fine well then I am sure you can get along just fine anywhere in the world. Oh and also the the rooster in every other yard that begins crowing at 4 am every day and when you call the cops they can't do anything because of religious reason aka Santaria.
That is just the example of the few folks that lived right next to me and the surrounding area, I won't even begin to describe the every day annoyances of rude folks recently arrived when shopping or driving. It is one thing to suffer through this once and a while it is quite another for it to be a every day occurrence.
I don't mind my Cuban culture, but it is 50 years of living in a island with a different mindset from the United States and then coming here and not respecting the mindset of your neighbors that really ticks some of us off, hence it wore on me and my family and we had to move away from the area.
Well from having lived in that area from 1978 untill 2013 I think I can speak directly about what it is really like to live there. I also still have my Parents and best Friend that live there so I visit weekly. I have seen that area change drastically over time and you have to understand that the folks that now move in that area are use to the Hustle of a poor island where shortages of goods is the norm of everyday. What you and me might consider a common good manners such as not cutting in line, personal space, politeness etc is just what they are not use to. If you like late parties with extremely loud music on a SUNDAY night well into 2 or 3 am well good for you, but most folks just get annoyed. If you consider the slaughter of a goat or sheep in your back yard for a party of beer drinking loud music all day well good for you but I rather not live next to that. If you consider a roaring boat motor at 6 am because you just got back from fishing all night and loud conversation ona Saturday or Sunday morning, with no consideration to your nieghbors fine well then I am sure you can get along just fine anywhere in the world. Oh and also the the rooster in every other yard that begins crowing at 4 am every day and when you call the cops they can't do anything because of religious reason aka Santaria.
That is just the example of the few folks that lived right next to me and the surrounding area, I won't even begin to describe the every day annoyances of rude folks recently arrived when shopping or driving. It is one thing to suffer through this once and a while it is quite another for it to be a every day occurrence.
I don't mind my Cuban culture, but it is 50 years of living in a island with a different mindset from the United States and then coming here and not respecting the mindset of your neighbors that really ticks some of us off, hence it wore on me and my family and we had to move away from the area.
Though I haven't experienced any of these things directly on my parent's street or rather, avenue, I'm sure it does occur there, and perhaps in any neighborhood at one point or another.
Having said that, I'll try my best to take off my rose colored glasses (of which we all have a tendency to wear..especially as we get older). I did notice a few new things after returning to Miami two months ago. We had just moved from NC (where I had stayed for 8 years) and after a fun road trip down in our old '74 Westfalia camper/Bus, my little family and I stayed in my old neighborhood for few a weeks as we waited for the moving company to bring our things down.
The first thing that I noticed was that in my local neighborhood park (Concord), no one spoke a word of English. My father and I took a short stroll to the park after discovering that the county had installed workout equipment for the adults. As we worked out, we realized that we were the only ones having a conversation in English. It seemed that even the small children and the teenagers playing basketball had all recently arrived from Latin America. They were all speaking Spanish. We were even solicited to buy bottled water from a little 10 year entrepreneur on his bicycle...in Spanish. Yes, I was taken back a bit by all this. In my time in the late 80's and throughout the 90's (I'm 32), all the neighborhood kids spoke English with one another, regardless of where you had been born. It was usually with parents and grandparents at home, that one spoke Spanish. So there's definitely been a shift in demographics as one group of freshly arrived Hispanics appears to be replacing the older ones of my generation and Cubanchics. This is of course the natural order of things as demographics are always in a state of flux. I suppose that in time, like their predecessors before, these new families, especially the younger ones, will eventually adapt and acclimatize themselves to life in our country. Ultimately, there's no way to escape American culture, whether on TV or in school, etc.
However (and this I found interesting), during my time there, I also noticed that many non Hispanic whites were walking their dogs or jogging past my house on my avenue and shopping at my neighborhood Publix. So, I wonder if this a return of the the non Hispanic white community that once lived in this area many decades ago. An old high school buddy of mine has noticed the same thing in his area which I think is east Kendall. (Sunset and SW 137 Ave)?
To Valicky and Cubanchic, I want to thank you both for prompting me to "take off the rose colored glasses" and recall some of the obvious differences I've noticed after returning back to FL. I also want to apologize to Valicky for resorting to name calling.
And to the OP, if you happen to like sushi, I also want to recommend Sushi Ko. It's a little further east on Bird Rd. & 79 in Westchester (across from Tropical Park), but it's got some fantastic rolls.
Last edited by miamicunarder; 07-02-2014 at 08:32 AM..
What do you think of the area behind dadeland mall?
we saw some nice properties there, seem fairly priced, looks good on street view, what do you think?
Though I haven't experienced any of these things directly on my parent's street or rather, avenue, I'm sure it does occur there, and perhaps in any neighborhood at one point or another.
Having said that, I'll try my best to take off my rose colored glasses (of which we all have a tendency to wear..especially as we get older). I did notice a few new things after returning to Miami two months ago. We had just moved from NC (where I had stayed for 8 years) and after a fun road trip down in our old '74 Westfalia camper/Bus, my little family and I stayed in my old neighborhood for few a weeks as we waited for the moving company to bring our things down.
The first thing that I noticed was that in my local neighborhood park (Concord), no one spoke a word of English. My father and I took a short stroll to the park after discovering that the county had installed workout equipment for the adults. As we worked out, we realized that we were the only ones having a conversation in English. It seemed that even the small children and the teenagers playing basketball had all recently arrived from Latin America. They were all speaking Spanish. We were even solicited to buy bottled water from a little 10 year entrepreneur on his bicycle...in Spanish. Yes, I was taken back a bit by all this. In my time in the late 80's and throughout the 90's (I'm 32), all the neighborhood kids spoke English with one another, regardless of where you had been born. It was usually with parents and grandparents at home, that one spoke Spanish. So there's definitely been a shift in demographics as one group of freshly arrived Hispanics appears to be replacing the older ones of my generation and Cubanchics. This is of course the natural order of things as demographics are always in a state of flux. I suppose that in time, like their predecessors before, these new families, especially the younger ones, will eventually adapt and acclimatize themselves to life in our country. Ultimately, there's no way to escape American culture, whether on TV or in school, etc.
However (and this I found interesting), during my time there, I also noticed that many non Hispanic whites were walking their dogs or jogging past my house on my avenue and shopping at my neighborhood Publix. So, I wonder if this a return of the the non Hispanic white community that once lived in this area many decades ago. An old high school buddy of mine has noticed the same thing in his area which I think is east Kendall. (Sunset and SW 137 Ave)?
To Valicky and Cubanchic, I want to thank you both for prompting me to "take off the rose colored glasses" and recall some of the obvious differences I've noticed after returning back to FL. I also want to apologize to Valicky for resorting to name calling.
And to the OP, if you happen to like sushi, I also want to recommend Sushi Ko. It's a little further east on Bird Rd. & 79 in Westchester (across from Tropical Park), but it's got some fantastic rolls.
No worries. Miami has changed a lot since the 80's and 90's. I was born here in 62. Lived here a majority of my life, from Hialeah to Westchester to now West Kendall. The main complaint I have is the same as Cubanchic, the rudeness or maybe it's just indifference some people have towards their neighbors. We're all piled on top of each other here in Miami, why can't there be more consideration for each other? The driving attitudes are also atrocious but I'm not sure if that's just a Miami thing or a city with too many people thing.
That being said, my father-in-law has the best neighbors in possibly the whole entire world. He lives very close to the area Miamicunarder recommended. He's 88 and recently widowed. These people bring him Cuban coffee every morning, constantly bring him home cooked meals. They check on him always and also keep watch on his house when he's gone. When my mother-in-law was alive she was also very well looked after by them when my father-in-law wasn't home. These people are angels on earth. I've never seen anything like it. I've had some really great neighbors, but none so genuinely caring as these folks.
What do you think of the area behind dadeland mall?
we saw some nice properties there, seem fairly priced, looks good on street view, what do you think?
Will you be signing a lease while you're in London? Is it possible to maybe stay at an extended stay hotel for a couple of weeks or a month? That way you could get a feel for the different areas.
The area Miamicunarder recommended is SW Miami. Miami is very easy to get around in since the streets are numbered. Miami is divided into NE, NW, SE and SW sections. Avenues go north/south and streets go east/west. If you remember CAP (court, avenue, place) those all run parallel to each other north/south. ST is street and terrace which also run parallel going east/west. Miami is a city you can get around in without a GPS. With a GPS it's a breeze.
I'll tell you that I think palmetto bugs are the absolute worst thing about Miami!!! If those things suddenly disappeared, Miami would go up a whole letter grade for me.
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Wow...ha ha
What some of these rude people don't know is that my husband and father-in-law, while not amazing Spanish speakers, they understand it very well. They understand some of the rude comments that are said when the insulters think they won't be understood. 
Miami has changed a lot since the 80's and 90's. I was born here in 62. 
With a GPS it's a breeze. 
