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When my son worked at Sapient (Palmetto Bay) he dreaded the days they would have to go to the Lincoln Road office. Those times had nothing to do with holiday weekends and the traffic was always worse as well as the parking. The Palmetto Bay office had no parking issues ever. He left that job because the company kept threatening to move the Palmetto Bay office to the beach and he despised the thought of living there. Just because it's the "beach" doesn't mean everyone wants to be there. There are actually people in the world who don't like the beach and the surrounding areas, hard as that is to believe.
I'm not sure how one gets towed inland as everywhere you go has plenty of parking. Maybe South Miami or the Grove but anywhere else, it's pretty hard to do.
I used to work on Lincoln Road. There was a small lot run by a private guy, I just paid him for parking every shift. The cost came with the territory. Many of the staff just parked in the public lot. It wasn't that big of a deal, really.
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Originally Posted by kellyclan
This is a great thread. We are relocating to Miami/Fort Laud (moving from Dubai - UAE, lived on beach, have lived in Georgia, suburbs). We have the same dilemna - Suburbs or beach?
We have a 7th grader and 3rd grader.
We have it down to 2 areas:
BEACH : Bay Harbor Islands (Ruth Broad K-8 school) - in 2 years, which High school would be best?
BURBS : Weston (Falcon Cove Middle and Everglades Elementary) - in 2 years would go to Cyress Bay High
Would love to hear any comments from those living in both areas please!
Thanks.
Weston is CLEARLY a better choice in this case. Especially with a 7th grader.
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Originally Posted by AnnRyan
Both will work, but I'm going to actually vote for Broward on this one.
If you just had a 3rd grader, I'd probably say that Bay Harbor was the better option, but you're going to want that 7th grader to be able to participate in after-school activities, and I suspect Weston will offer more, probably more convenient options.
Now... how long before the usual suspects... BNBR and Ruski arrive to start shouting Weston's glories.
I would agree with Ann, that if both kids were younger, then maybe consider the eastern areas. Especially if you may move within 5 years. But since you have a middle schooler going to high school, Weston or Broward suburbs is an obvious choice. Also consider Cooper City and west Davie, you will get more for your money in Cooper City and the schools are about equal to Weston.
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Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69
Just pay for private school. Cypress Bay HS is not the be all and end all of high schools. Like seriously, u get what u pay for. Send ur kid to a massive public high school that scores well on the FCAT or send them to a posh, resort style private school with small classes and more opportunity for leadership positions within clubs and orgs, more travel opportunities, more one-on-one attention from teachers, better food, better teachers, the whole 9. It's so tragic how like everyone tries to get their kid in Cypress Bay.... woopty freakin doo, it's a massive public high school that doesn't toally suck. Big deal...
I partially agree with you. My kids will go to Western, because it really doesn't matter between Western and Cypress Bay. We may also consider private around that time. But you speak as though everyone can afford $20k/year per kid for private school. There is only a few good PUBLIC high school options in South Florida. Cypress is considered one of the best, so of course it's no surprise that people try and get their kids into that school.
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Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992
Agree 100%. The way public schools are ranked nowadays is far from straightforward, smoke and mirrors, and so much money has been cut from the school system it's not even funny. I'd seriously consider using the savings from buying a home in a "cheaper" school zone to partially offset the cost of private schools. Then, now having to pay the higher property taxes once the kids finish.
I would disagree. The rankings are fairly accurate. The schools that are ranked poorly, most know that those schools are terrible. I would maybe agree that they are less terrible than many think, though.
There is plenty of opportunity to buy affordable housing in great school zones and avoid the cost of private school.
I used to work on Lincoln Road. There was a small lot run by a private guy, I just paid him for parking every shift. The cost came with the territory. Many of the staff just parked in the public lot. It wasn't that big of a deal, really.
Parking in Palmetto Bay was free. Parking in Lincoln Road was not. Free is better. ESPECIALLY when you're already being underpaid. Having to pay to park in a nearby lot is not as convenient as a free parking lot right at your office no matter how you look at it. It may not be that big a deal to you, but it is to others. Like I said before, everyone has different likes and dislikes. Having to use part of his small salary for parking every single day was a big deal to my son and many of his co-workers.
Parking in Palmetto Bay was free. Parking in Lincoln Road was not. Free is better. ESPECIALLY when you're already being underpaid. Having to pay to park in a nearby lot is not as convenient as a free parking lot right at your office no matter how you look at it. It may not be that big a deal to you, but it is to others. Like I said before, everyone has different likes and dislikes. Having to use part of his small salary for parking every single day was a big deal to my son and many of his co-workers.
I can't remember the exact number, but it was under $10/day to park. I was a waiter, hardly rich, but it didn't bother me much since I made more money working on the beach and I liked my job.
$10/hr or something, I probably wouldn't be thrilled with paying to park. Though the kitchen staff and everyone else seemed to manage just fine. I never really asked where they parked.
I can't remember the exact number, but it was under $10/day to park. I was a waiter, hardly rich, but it didn't bother me much since I made more money working on the beach and I liked my job.
$10/hr or something, I probably wouldn't be thrilled with paying to park. Though the kitchen staff and everyone else seemed to manage just fine. I never really asked where they parked.
Let's say it's $5 a day which is less than it is, that's $25 a week. That's $1250 a year. Would you agree that it's better to work in the location where you have at minimum an extra $1250 a year vs. the location where you'd have minus $1250 a year? And in reality, that estimate is far closer to $2500 a year. You're also going to pay more for rent or, if you don't move, for gas in the much longer commute you face. My son was making $20 an hour so not a bad income but he still didn't want to take a 2K annual pay cut at minimum. If you can make 38K on Lincoln Road or 40K in Palmetto Bay - maybe it's just me, but Palmetto Bay wins. As a waiter I can see the appeal of the beach vs. the suburbs, but the beach isn't always better.
Let's say it's $5 a day which is less than it is, that's $25 a week. That's $1250 a year. Would you agree that it's better to work in the location where you have at minimum an extra $1250 a year vs. the location where you'd have minus $1250 a year? And in reality, that estimate is far closer to $2500 a year. You're also going to pay more for rent or, if you don't move, for gas in the much longer commute you face. My son was making $20 an hour so not a bad income but he still didn't want to take a 2K annual pay cut at minimum. If you can make 38K on Lincoln Road or 40K in Palmetto Bay - maybe it's just me, but Palmetto Bay wins. As a waiter I can see the appeal of the beach vs. the suburbs, but the beach isn't always better.
I find it a little ridiculous, personally, to complain about spending $7/day to park when you make $20/hr. It's just a cost associated with that particular job. If that $7 matters, then you don't order lunch and cut expenses on food or something else. Sure, if you have a choice, and all things equal, prefer to not pay it. But really, the job had him on South Beach and he had to pay for parking, big deal. I used to work at Bayside, too. During events it was $20+ to park just to go to work. I complained exactly zero times. Sorry, I just can't relate to calling a $20/hr job "low wage" and complaining about a few bucks for parking.
Just pay for private school. Cypress Bay HS is not the be all and end all of high schools. Like seriously, u get what u pay for. Send ur kid to a massive public high school that scores well on the FCAT or send them to a posh, resort style private school with small classes and more opportunity for leadership positions within clubs and orgs, more travel opportunities, more one-on-one attention from teachers, better food, better teachers, the whole 9. It's so tragic how like everyone tries to get their kid in Cypress Bay.... woopty freakin doo, it's a massive public high school that doesn't toally suck. Big deal...
The private schools in Miami-Dade and Broward by and large are terrible. There are private schools worth going to because they damn near guarantee acceptance to an Ivy or other top tier school, or let you build connections with the children of the global elite. In Miami, they're basically just day camps for trust fund kids. The colleges graduates go to aren't terribly impressive, and the networking is relatively poor, since wealthy locals tend to be if the local big fish in a little pond types. Not all of them, obviously, but if they're going to be charging NYC private school rates, they better have an NYC private school education and opportunities. Most don't seem to.
I find it a little ridiculous, personally, to complain about spending $7/day to park when you make $20/hr. It's just a cost associated with that particular job. If that $7 matters, then you don't order lunch and cut expenses on food or something else. Sure, if you have a choice, and all things equal, prefer to not pay it. But really, the job had him on South Beach and he had to pay for parking, big deal. I used to work at Bayside, too. During events it was $20+ to park just to go to work. I complained exactly zero times. Sorry, I just can't relate to calling a $20/hr job "low wage" and complaining about a few bucks for parking.
Did I say it was low wage? I said he was underpaid. He was making $20 an hour in Palmetto Bay. Company moving to Lincoln Road. That meant a pay cut of more than 2K. Are you okay with that? Wow! Just because you make a certain amount of money doesn't mean you want to take a pay cut for doing the same amount of work. And it's not $7. It's $7 a day - minimum, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year. Big difference. Just because you can afford something doesn't mean you want to pay it.
I said he was underpaid because he had to work nights and weekends, unpaid. All the time. So the $20 an hour wasn't really that at all. Regardless, if you're making a certain amount a year, most people would not want to make less just to work on Lincoln Road. Would you want to make 2K + more a year working inland? I would!
The private schools in Miami-Dade and Broward by and large are terrible. There are private schools worth going to because they damn near guarantee acceptance to an Ivy or other top tier school, or let you build connections with the children of the global elite. In Miami, they're basically just day camps for trust fund kids. The colleges graduates go to aren't terribly impressive, and the networking is relatively poor, since wealthy locals tend to be if the local big fish in a little pond types. Not all of them, obviously, but if they're going to be charging NYC private school rates, they better have an NYC private school education and opportunities. Most don't seem to.
I've heard almost the exact opposite about our private schools. University School, American Heritage, St. Thomas, etc. All are supposedly outstanding.
Having to use part of his small salary for parking every single day was a big deal to my son and many of his co-workers.
Yes, you did. Which is why I discussed it in context of you claiming he had a small salary and couldn't afford parking.
But anyways, free is better, I agree. All else being equal. There is a lot of costs associated with traveling to work for many people. Parking is just another cost. It's also free (compared to owning and driving a car) to work at home. So why not just work at home? You can nickel and dime every cost associated with just about anything. Sure, not paying for parking would be great, but obviously that wasn't an option, just like for many - having to spend money on a car, insurance, gas, etc... is also not an option but a necessity for that particular job.
Would I be ok taking a $2k paycut to work on the beach? I don't view it that way so I wouldn't follow your line of thinking. I would look at it as though this is the job, this is the requirements for that job, and whether I want to spend $2k/year to continue working that job or not. I don't call it a "pay cut" - since it wasn't. Jobs move all the time, you either enjoy the work enough to deal with it or you move on to other things. I don't blame the employer or call it a "pay cut" in any sense. It's very possible I would have been fine spending part of my income to continue working at this job if I liked it enough, just like when I was earning $12/hr and moved to a different branch 40 minutes away and had to pay tolls. Not once did I call it a "pay cut" - I just don't operate that way. It's my self-responsibility/conservative side I guess.
Yes, you did. Which is why I discussed it in context of you claiming he had a small salary and couldn't afford parking.
But anyways, free is better, I agree. All else being equal. There is a lot of costs associated with traveling to work for many people. Parking is just another cost. It's also free (compared to owning and driving a car) to work at home. So why not just work at home? You can nickel and dime every cost associated with just about anything. Sure, not paying for parking would be great, but obviously that wasn't an option, just like for many - having to spend money on a car, insurance, gas, etc... is also not an option but a necessity for that particular job.
Would I be ok taking a $2k paycut to work on the beach? I don't view it that way so I wouldn't follow your line of thinking. I would look at it as though this is the job, this is the requirements for that job, and whether I want to spend $2k/year to continue working that job or not. I don't call it a "pay cut" - since it wasn't. Jobs move all the time, you either enjoy the work enough to deal with it or you move on to other things. I don't blame the employer or call it a "pay cut" in any sense. It's very possible I would have been fine spending part of my income to continue working at this job if I liked it enough, just like when I was earning $12/hr and moved to a different branch 40 minutes away and had to pay tolls. Not once did I call it a "pay cut" - I just don't operate that way. It's my self-responsibility/conservative side I guess.
Let's move on.
I still don't see where I said low wage. I said underpaid and explained what that meant. Underpaid does not mean the same thing as low wage. If you're underpaid you won't relish the thought of making even less to be on the beach. So yes, free was better for him as I'm sure it is for most people. Never said he couldn't afford it either. He just didn't want to pay on the beach what he wasn't having to pay inland.
He did change companies because of this move and now makes more than twice what he was making and almost always works from home. He does love what he does, but it's hard work and wants to be paid what the work is worth. You might think $20 an hour is a lot, but it depends on what you're doing. His co-workers agreed with him on the "pay cut" and most were able to move on to greener pastures.
So yeah, the beach isn't always better than inland for many people for many reasons.
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I said he was underpaid. He was making $20 an hour in Palmetto Bay. Company moving to Lincoln Road. That meant a pay cut of more than 2K. Are you okay with that? Wow! Just because you make a certain amount of money doesn't mean you want to take a pay cut for doing the same amount of work. And it's not $7. It's $7 a day - minimum, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year. Big difference. Just because you can afford something doesn't mean you want to pay it. 
