Moving to Miami from Spain (Coral Gables, Aventura: best neighborhoods, rental, insurance)

[JulianM09]

Besides the fact that you're being over the top about Miami so I won't even get into that, but Spain really isn't known for being too nice, so no need to warn about rudeness.
Also, why in the world would you suggest Atlanta or put it in the same league of NYC and Boston.

[rogerbacon]

Get ready to hear Spanish accents that will probably grate on your nerves far more than it does for non-Spanish speakers. I've know two people from Spain that came here and they both said "THAT stuff is NOT Spanish". Of course, it is Spanish but the accents and, so they said, even the grammar were so different they hated hearing it.

[HowGoesIt]

Don't worry about rude people in Miami. I've been here for a few months and found the locals to be pretty pleasant people. You'll hear stories in the news about hit and runs, house break-ins, and other crazy stuff, but this isn't the norm.

Miami is a fun town. It's all about the beaches, babes, and nightlife. If you are looking for a more sophisticated atmosphere, you'll definitely not find it in south Florida. If you are going for that, I would check out Boston or NYC. Coming from a European county, it should be a very interesting experience and exciting culture shock.

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by Dr_Rico

Barcelona...I will move there some day.

If you are working in CG, I would suggest moving there. There is a nice place a couple blocks south of Bird Road and just west of Ponce de Leon. They have a nice gym, there are cafes and a nice wine bar in the same complex, as well as an upscale mall with nice places to sit outside. It is within walking distance of a train stop so you can get downtown easily. It is one train stop north of the beautiful University of Miami (where I teach). Its a nice campus to walk on with interesting things to attend (lectures, musical performances, theater, sports...). Another stop south and you are in South Miami which has an active scene with cafes and bars and shopping. There is a grocery store there. This complex is also a short bike ride to downtown CG which has many cafes and bars and restaurants.

There are other nice buildings just north of downtown CG. If you find something near 16th and Douglas road, there is a nicer grocery store (good bread!) and it is close to restaurants and bars and cafes. I hang out around there a good bit. My friend and colleague from Barcelona hangs at a tapas bar there.

I don't live there (I'm on the beach), but if I were working in downtown CG I'd move there.

DR

^^^
GREAT advice.

as was the advice from kevinkagy.

You'll meet plenty of people here -- ESPECIALLY in the nicer parts of town (Gables, S Miami, Brickell, etc) who are FROM all over LatAm AND even Spain! We went to a kids BDay party this weekend where the dad was Brazilian, mom was Argentinian and they met at school in Madrid! (I think their Spanish is ok )
Pretty typical.

My wife cousins are Madrillenos -- their biggest complaint when they come is never getting to practice their English! So many people are bi-lingual here, anytime they hear someone struggling even a little in English they'll jump into Spanish.

Also add Coconut Grove to your search list -- a little younger and nice to walk around, great parks and water views.

Have fun -- the worst thing about living here turns out to be the cranky people who seem to have some kind of ax to grind about Miami.


Good luck.

[Yeleezaveta]

hey guys, my boyfriend is looking to move here from spain, we've been long distance for over a year, and friends for almost 5, so we're ready. but we don't want to get married for that reason. like the rest of the miamians it seems. he is fluent in four language, holds a degree and is a graphic designer for a prestigious ad agency in madrid. he also holds a german nationality on top of his spanish one. any ideas?

[intelfan11315]

Originally Posted by Yeleezaveta

hey guys, my boyfriend is looking to move here from spain, we've been long distance for over a year, and friends for almost 5, so we're ready. but we don't want to get married for that reason. like the rest of the miamians it seems. he is fluent in four language, holds a degree and is a graphic designer for a prestigious ad agency in madrid. he also holds a german nationality on top of his spanish one. any ideas?

sure move here why not? miami is better than europe lol

[Neng.]

Burgler, considering we have an unemployment rate of 25 per cent and a socialist president whose wife calls him "Mr. Bean", yes, you could say that.

As to the question of Yeleezaveta: Your boyfriend will need a contract to secure papers, EEC passports are only good to visit that country as a tourist for three months.

How much is your boyfriend making in Madrid? Is he a "milieurista" (around 1.000 euros)? In that case, it could be interesting for him.

Is he bringing money? He'll need money. Real Estate is far cheaper in Miami but taxes are abusive, almost equivalent to a rent in Madrid.

He'll love Miami, but he'll probably will find the place boring after one week. He'll find that the rest of Florida is a well kept graveyard. After living in Madrid, he'll find that driving there is a breeze and that people are kind of friendly, but he'll be bored to death because of distances, driving all day, and being forced to live under air conditioning all day.

For him, one of the most important things will be to find a "bareto" in Miami, a Spanish bar with soccer and tapas were to socialize and speak to other expatriates.

He'll need a driver licence.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Migsly

I hope you don't get cultural shock when you come to Miami. Miami is no Spain. The Spanish language is half-American and spoken way too fast. Spanish is a beautiful language when it's pure and spoken slowly like in Spain. You probably won't recognize it in Miami. And please don't get lost in Miami. It's not like getting lost in Spain where it's civilized. Other than that, the weather's great. Except for an occasional hurricane.

Funny how subjective the language one is.

I lived in South America and Spain for awhile - but never Miami. I absolutely LOVED the Spanish spoken in South America - particularly the Andes region. Very slow and clear.

When I lived in Spain...I kept asking people to repeat themselves, as I couldn't understand it very well, they'd speak it back quicker to me, and then be done dealing with me

Needless to say, I was longing for more South Americans

[JohnLee1]

Originally Posted by Migsly

I hope you don't get cultural shock when you come to Miami. Miami is no Spain. The Spanish language is half-American and spoken way too fast. Spanish is a beautiful language when it's pure and spoken slowly like in Spain. You probably won't recognize it in Miami. And please don't get lost in Miami. It's not like getting lost in Spain where it's civilized. Other than that, the weather's great. Except for an occasional hurricane.

What!? Ummm Spanish is Spanish, but certai ethnicities have their own slang and some do speak it faster than others, what's your point? That post sounds 100% ignorant, and full on biased, and it is also 100% incorrect.

You will recognize it in Miami, it's Spanish, only that some have their own way of speaking it, like Spaniards have THEIR own slang and way of speaking it.

Don't get lost in Miami It's not civilized Really? STOP! It is civilized LMAO what are you talking about? Only thing is like ALL MAJOR BIG CITIES, don't get lost in ghettos in the middle of the night, especially since at first you won't know all the do's and don'ts.

And we havn't had a hurricane in years so STOP!

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Funny how subjective the language one is.

I lived in South America and Spain for awhile - but never Miami. I absolutely LOVED the Spanish spoken in South America - particularly the Andes region. Very slow and clear.

When I lived in Spain...I kept asking people to repeat themselves, as I couldn't understand it very well, they'd speak it back quicker to me, and then be done dealing with me

Needless to say, I was longing for more South Americans

Tiger, that poster I believe doesn't speak Spanish. His statement is far from accurate.

Spanish from Spain is fast, full of local slang, and very difficult to understand to other Latin Americans and people that speak other languages. But the really difficult part is having them understand you. They are not the most cultural aware people in the world and patience is not a virtue they possess.

Cuban people might speak fast, but they are much easier to understand. I never had an issue dealing with them. I only had to learn some slang but that was it. I think Mexicans have more slang actually but speak slower. Spaniards have a different word for everything is like speaking another language, even brazilian portuguese is easier... well almost.