My Visit to Miami and Debunking Some Myths about Miami (Tampa: construction, school)

[OptimusPrime69]

Originally Posted by Astral_Weeks

I stand by points 1, 2 and 3. I agreed earlier that point number 4 would require significant time in Miami before making a definitive judgment.

If it makes you feel any better, the humidity is terrible.

Oh, I feel fine, thanks.

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

The OP fails to debunk anything by his little visit....
Like, try living here, then talk to me.

Well, I've lived here on and off since the 1950s and went to both South Miami High & the University of Miami in the 1970s. My mother graduated from Miami High in the 1940s. My grandparents went back even further.

Does that give me standing to agree with the OP's opinions about Miami, or is talking to you still a requirement?

[Sugah Ray]

Originally Posted by cubanaza

Wrong.

I do however apologize if I came across as combative, especially since it was your post that I quoted (I could've chosen from many others, but yours was the one that I found immediately available).

I simply have a problem with the random claims made (always by Anglo-saxons) that Miami is some sort of "third-world nation" where no one, absolutely nobody, speaks one word of English (or "American", as some morons might actually say). Again, I have never had this problem anywhere in the city (whether it is Venezuelan and Brazilian dominated Doral, Colombian and Cuban dominated Kendall, or even in Hialeah). I have asked some of my non-Spanish speaking friends if they've ever run into this fictitious scenario, and no one can actually provide an example of dumb-founded, Spanish-only clerks at a Walmart, Publix, fast-food place, etc. There is an enormous difference between speaking to someone who has an accent (no matter how thick it may be) and not finding anyone in a store who knows a word of the anointed, beautiful, and magnificent English language. It is simple a LIE. Period.

Someone in this thread claims that they went into a mattress place and a place that sells men suits where no one knew a word of English. Unless they went into "Pepe's guayaberas" or "Los Colchones de la Pequeña Habana" they are not telling the truth. Next we'll be hearing horror stories of people going into banks, universities, and government offices where they told them "lo siento, no pik inglis". Get outta here.

But y'all keep doing you.

Cheers.

Ignore them

Some people have been making the same outrageous claims since forever.They feel they are "too Caucasian For Miami" and that includes some hispanics who see themselves as Caucasians, even though they will never be one. A nonhispanic bigot will still see them as illegals that need to be deported as long as they look hispanic or have a hispanic last name. Their problem is not Spanish, it's hispanics.

So some bagboy making $8.00 an hour in speaks broken English. Newsflash: Recently arrived immigrants have work those jobs for decades. You don't need much english to ask a customer "paper or plastic".

[rocksy23]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

I live in Kendall and work in Cutler bay. I also have to be in downtown brickell quite a bit as well for work. I'd love you to try and drive from west Kendall to downtown at 7:30am. It is my version of hell.

I like in Kendall (West Kendall, to be precise) and it takes me 45-60 mins during the school year to drive 8 miles to get to work. The office is in South Miami. I can't imagine having to go from West Kendall to downtown in the morning. It must be horrible!!

[Bobdreamz]

^ There is Metrorail from Dadeland to downtown Miami so it can't be that horrible as it was 30 years ago.

[popcorn247]

Originally Posted by Bobdreamz

^ There is Metrorail from Dadeland to downtown Miami so it can't be that horrible as it was 30 years ago.

30 years ago there was far less traffic.

[Bobdreamz]

Originally Posted by popcorn247

30 years ago there was far less traffic.

30 years ago traffic on US 1 still was horrid at rush hour too!

[valicky]

Metrorail won't help anyone who lives in West Kendall and works in S. Miami. Driving that route 30 years ago was easier.
Dadeland to Downtown is immensely better using Metrorail. The major problem is the east-west commute. At least there are options for north-south.

[Pincho-toot]

Miami native. I think you should have spent more time here lol

The airport is horrible. Not the actual place, but the workers. Extremely rude and snappy. Meanwhile ATL and DFW are not like that at all. A lady working in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport changed my flight because I arrived too late last November, and was supposed to charge me but she was really nice and didn't, and was also concerned about where I was gonna sleep. Nothing close to that level of customer service. In MIA, they are just so rude and snappy. I prefer Ft. Lauderdale's, it's cheaper and they're nicer.

Customer service is something that varies. Publix normally has great customer service, and they pride themselves in that. However many places don't. Particularly Fritz and Franz. Ate there this year for my birthday, horrible rudeness and lack of professionalism. There's also places where they aren't necessarily rude but it's a lack of following the professional standards set by businesses. You will find 45 year old cashiers who are as unprofessional as 16 year old cashiers in most of the country. Miami is just not a city of smiles though, and I appreciate Texas, especially rural Texas, for being a welcome change from that.

You gotta go inland or to places like Hialeah to really be in the heart of Spanish speaking Miami. Go to to the area around Kinloch Park where I grew up and see how much English you hear from anyone who is under 30 lol. Obviously visiting downtown or the beach you'll hear more English. This isn't a myth, this is a reality but if you're not in that area of Miami you won't really see it as much.

Miami's traffic is dreadful, and I saw how much more dreadful it is when visiting this summer, with someone who had never been to Miami before, and is used to courteous drivers. People break traffic laws too often in Miami. I had a man who cut a stop sign and turned left right in front of me and nearly hit me. And my boyfriend at the time kept saying, "These people don't know what happens when you **** off a Texan! Boy, they better watch it!" lol It really is bad, and I have family living all over Miami from the west side to the middle and in Hialeah too, so imagine getting around town trying to see them all. Of course if you're from Los Angeles, it will be a walk in the park, but LA's traffic is a different league anyway. One thing though, while Miami's drivers irritate me, at least they aren't southern Louisiana drivers, with just frighten me altogether!

Homeless population is worse downtown. Further west in the city you'll see occasional bums but not too bad. Around Wolfson campus at MDC, you'll see tons of panhandlers and scammers, homeless or otherwise. It is really annoying.

Coral Gables feels like an oasis, especially when compared to the places west and north. I love the oak canopies and walkable shopping areas. There's also a nice South American coffee place there, went there with a few friends last year in January during a rare rainy chilly night. It definitely the most charming area of Miami. South Beach is nice but it has a tackyness to it, and is kinda ruined by too many tourist traps and dudebros. The best beach in Miami though, in my opinion, is the lighthouse beach in southern Key Biscayne. Has the best sand in Miami.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by TooLoud

The Spanish thing is not a problem in tourist areas, rich areas, or at any large businesses. It's when you're not in these areas that it can become a problem for non-Spanish speakers. There are a lot of small businesses in West/Southwest Miami that speak Spanish first. Not to mention the neighborhoods.

And as for the rude drivers - it seems you've been around LA, the Northeast, and Miami - You dont exactly have a high standard for politeness on the road being in those places

Otherwise you're spot on IMO

For real! There's more to US drivers than the coasts. If your standards of drivers are based off cities like New York, Boston, Miami and LA, yea, it's gonna be slanted. There's a whole middle filled with generally good drivers. Outside of big cities like Austin and Dallas, I have no real complaints about Texans on the road. They do go fast though, (to be fair, how many states have 80 MPH speed limits?) but most of them use blinkers and let you merge. Most!