A tour of the "no speakie English" ghetto (Miami: hair salon, real estate)

[jazzymentality]

This mentality is awful. "No speakie English..?" ...and how old are we? Be tolerant.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by jazzymentality

This mentality is awful. "No speakie English..?" ...and how old are we? Be tolerant.

The title of the thread is a parody of a common phrase we hear a lot on this forum: "no speakie English." Read through this thread and you'll see that its purpose is NOT to make fun of people; but rather to present in a positive light many areas falsely characterized as "no speakie English"

[cuba libre]

Originally Posted by crisp444

The average Miami-Dade resident lives in places like West Kendall, Coral Terrace, and West Miami.... admittedly not in Key Biscayne but not in Allapatah either...

Best thing you have said in months. West Miami-Dade is the heart and soul of Miami nowadays, and this will continue if current immigration trends continue. West Miami is cookie cutter, treeless (for the most part), Spanish language dominant, and muchos carros in the yards come night time. Unfortunately, Hispanics like to wall themselves off (if they have any money) or "bar" themselves off if they live in enclaves like Little Havana, Westchester, Sweetwater, or Hialeah, where barring windows is both vogue and convenient. Actually, barring windows extends beyond the cities I mentioned; I have seen bars on windows in both Coral Gables and the Redlands.

[The Floridian]

Barring windoes is Latin culture. Colombia, Venezuala, Brazil, they all have bars on windows, front doors, etc because nobody trust nobody and that same mentailty carries over to the US, in Miami.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by cuba libre

Best thing you have said in months. West Miami-Dade is the heart and soul of Miami nowadays, and this will continue if current immigration trends continue. West Miami is cookie cutter, treeless (for the most part), Spanish language dominant, and muchos carros in the yards come night time. Unfortunately, Hispanics like to wall themselves off (if they have any money) or "bar" themselves off if they live in enclaves like Little Havana, Westchester, Sweetwater, or Hialeah, where barring windows is both vogue and convenient. Actually, barring windows extends beyond the cities I mentioned; I have seen bars on windows in both Coral Gables and the Redlands.

I cannot argue with you that the demographics are changing. Cubans/Cuban-Americans are dying off, staying in already established Anglo/Cuban areas, and moving elsewhere. The Central American population is exploding in the working class neighborhoods, and the South American population is exploding in the middle class neighborhoods of West Dade.

About the walls and bars, that is a Mediterranean thing, and it became popular in the New World with Spaniards/Portuguese/Italian/French immigration. Barred windows aren't necessarily an indicator of a bad neighborhood in areas populated with people of Latin heritage. In fact, I can tell you that even in the poshest neighborhoods of Madrid and Rome, elegant apartment buildings and mansions have barred windows at the street level. Many people spend thousands of dollars on decorative bars, and the you see them sometimes in even Coral Gables as you have said. I personally HATE the standard burglar bars you see in working class areas of Hialeah and don't like to see them in nice neighborhoods. If you live in a nice neighborhood and want decorative ironwork, at least make sure it looks good!

[kinkytoes]

Actually I love window grates: http://www.worthamphotography.com/si...ow-337x271.png Ironwork always seems tropical to me. I like it frilly and ornate and I even like the white stuff because it reminds me of the Caribbean. Most people up here use home alarms instead of ironwork for security, though.

Speaking of safety, I really loved the style of a lot of houses in Mexico. They had 8 foot high walls around the outside enclosing a private patio in the middle. I love that. Nice and safe. And people can't see into your house. Can you tell I've had guys stalk me? Anyway, you can also spend time in the front yard without being a spectacle. Maybe this is just an issue for me because I like privacy.

Those types of walls are against the law up here! I thought that was pretty weird. I found out when I got fencing for my rental. I did manage to get away with 6 foot steel tipped iron, though. I have other ornamental ironwork. The house is stone, and I have to admit that the grates/bars/fencing would look like the end of the world was coming on a wooden farmhouse or a rancher in the suburbs.

I think thats part of the reason that a lot of people pick alarms; it does look off when a suburban neighborhood suddenly has houses with burglar bars on the windows. I wish that would change. It's somewhat retarded. One of my coworkers recently got a gun to "protect" his family. I think if you're afraid of robbers then putting a decent fence around your house would work better than having a loaded gun in a house with a small child. But what do I know, I'm not a parent.

Anyway, as our society gets more residents from warmer climates, maybe exterior ironwork will be more acceptable. I think it's scary that in many homes a rapist or killer could just walk up to the door without any impediment at all until they actually break a window or something.

[Leovigildo]

I have bars and fences in my house in Spain.
We don't conceive a house (urban house) without fences and a entirely private space.
Those open lawns you have there are not conceivable here.
I think that most of Coral Gables is Hispanic, and most Brickell, etc, but the people there also speak English, I guess.
There are also many "mixed" families since 40 percent of first and second generation Cubans marry Americans. I know many married with Italians, Irish and Jewish people.

[dadeguy]

Originally Posted by crisp444

I cannot argue with you that the demographics are changing. Cubans/Cuban-Americans are dying off, staying in already established Anglo/Cuban areas, and moving elsewhere. The Central American population is exploding in the working class neighborhoods, and the South American population is exploding in the middle class neighborhoods of West Dade.

About the walls and bars, that is a Mediterranean thing, and it became popular in the New World with Spaniards/Portuguese/Italian/French immigration. Barred windows aren't necessarily an indicator of a bad neighborhood in areas populated with people of Latin heritage. In fact, I can tell you that even in the poshest neighborhoods of Madrid and Rome, elegant apartment buildings and mansions have barred windows at the street level. Many people spend thousands of dollars on decorative bars, and the you see them sometimes in even Coral Gables as you have said. I personally HATE the standard burglar bars you see in working class areas of Hialeah and don't like to see them in nice neighborhoods. If you live in a nice neighborhood and want decorative ironwork, at least make sure it looks good!

I make my living fabricating functional artwork that are used as protection and access control. it is not uncommon to have someone spend upwards of $30k on an elegant perimeter fence driveway gates and bars for the windows in gated communities. it's not necessarily about crime but more about an artistic statement.

[EnjoyTheSilence]

I ordered a new digital camera yesterday, so I'll try to get out there and take a few shots. I know this is mainly a discussion forum, but I like to see actual (real/non-touristy) photographs of places too, as would anyone contemplating moving to or visiting a town/city.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by dadeguy

I make my living fabricating functional artwork that are used as protection and access control. it is not uncommon to have someone spend upwards of $30k on an elegant perimeter fence driveway gates and bars for the windows in gated communities. it's not necessarily about crime but more about an artistic statement.

You are right. I grew up in a house with gates around the property, actually. I prefer the privacy as well. And to clarify, I don't like "burglar bars" (they are cheap and ugly), but do like ironwork on the windows if it is tasteful.

Tasteful ironwork: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/...606f268ff9.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2156/...0761fc.jpg?v=0
http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/ADT6743.jpg

vs.

Ugly "burglar bars"
http://www.hudsoncustomfabrication.c...ar%20Bars2.png