Suggestions for young quirky child-free couple relocating from DC area. (Miami: section 8, apartments)

[Scarletminx]

Hi there!

My significant other is in Ft. Lauderdale right now and has just gotten a job there.
I am still here at home in the DC area since it didn't make sense for us to move house until he found employment there. (He's in FL because of some professional requirements pertaining to his newly-acquired membership in the FL bar.)
So, needless to say, we've now got some legwork and preparing to do. Our projected move will be in early September.
Here's our background: We're an opposite-gender couple, both 30 years old, no children and no plans to have any, 2 dogs (one high-energy, so areas with dog parks would be nice), geeky, quite socially liberal, but not big partiers by any stretch.
I telecommute for my job, so I'll be working from home wherever I am. We are both interested in art, live music, etc and have somewhat alternative tastes that suffered a bit in DC (Not much in the way of goth/punk/hard rock clubs here in DC... I know that Ft. Lauderdale has several fetish-oriented nights and clubs, but that's less interesting to me.)

I lived in central FL for years before moving up north, so I know little about south Florida by comparison.

We're looking for a new home to rent, preferably $1700 a month or under (not picky about whether it's a house/duplex/apartment) with its own washer/dryer in a reasonably safe area. (If I can't walk my dogs there alone at night without getting hassled, I don't want to live there.)

We considered Wilton Manors and although we have plenty of gay friends, we'd like a neighborhood that's slightly more diverse in its demographics.

We would like to be able to walk to things like coffee shops, restaurants, and ideally, some sort of grocery. I realize that Ft. Lauderdale is not remotely a pedestrian-friendly city the way DC is, but some walkability would be nice.

At the moment, Victoria Park is at the top of our list for neighborhoods due to what we've heard about its proximity to the amenities of Las Olas, its safety, etc, but where else should we be considering?

A friend who used to live in Ft. Lauderdale suggested looking into the Young Circle area of Hollywood since Hollywood's cheaper and on the eclectic, quirky side, but I'm reading lots of mixed opinions about its safety.

Also, could anyone make suggestions for nightlife that fall in line with our tastes? (Goth, punk, not necessarily specifically fetish-oriented etc.) I'm hoping the relative dearth of info I'm finding online is not an accurate reflection. :P

Thanks in advance!

[casualobserver]

Vic Park would certainly be on my short list too to meet your culture and access criteria. By "new" home to rent, I assume you mean new to you as opposed to newly built. Vic Park itself is mostly 50's60's homes although some new townhouses have been shoehorned onto lots here and there.

What do you mean by diverse in demographics? The entirety of So Fla is "diverse"....by age, income and ethnicity. Wilton is densely gay along Wilton Blvd, but as you move to Pointsettia Heights or up towards Oakland Park it mixes considerably as it also does in Vic Park to the south.

The "funkiest" section of town is probably Flagler Village and FAT Village as the west boundary and moving to Vic Park as the east boundary. Young and artsy mixed in with some very old stuff and a touch of Section 8 for good measure. It is certainly "safe" unless you would get freaked out by youngish hoods riding around on bikes and vagrants rummaging around.

As for entertainment, there are some funkier clubs in the Himmarshee district otherwise head to Lincoln Street in Miami Beach.

[Scarletminx]

The impression that I'd gotten from commentary I've read on this board was that Wilton Manors seemed to be practically exclusively gay. Although I have no doubts that it's a lovely neighborhood from all accounts, I had intended to say that I was hoping for a neighborhood that was a bit more diverse in orientation. If I was mistaken in my perception of Wilton Manors, then I apologize if it was offensive in some way.

Thanks for the info! Looking forward to more feedback.

[Nolefan34]

scarlettminx-

What is an "opposite-gender couple"?

Wilton Manors is mostly gay. Not all gay but it is the dominant group there. The western fringe of Wilton Manors becomes almost exclusively black as it borders with Oakland Park.

I agree that Victoria Park and Young Circle in Hollywood are the 2 best areas by far for your criteria. Downtown Hollywood is being revitalized and has lots of cool bars. Not sure about the fetish thing. I would say that Revolution Live in downtown Fort Lauderdale off of Broward Blvd has a lot of concerts and things. There is a bar in the Riverfront bar area a.k.a. Himmarshee district called Fatcats that has a lot of people who wear all black stuff. Not sure if that is what you meant.

There aren't really a lot of quirky liberal places in South FL. Most of the nightlife focuses on hip-hop music and techno.

[Scarletminx]

An "opposite-gender" couple is exactly what it sounds like.. two people of opposite genders, male and female, in a relationship.

[Nolefan34]

Ok I've never heard that before. You could have just said "couple" or "straight couple".

[Scarletminx]

Who says that we're both straight? I wanted to convey that we were a female-male couple, but to say that we were a "straight" couple would not have accurately described us. Honestly, is it necessary to argue the semantics of one of the least important points of my post?

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by Scarletminx

Hi there!

My significant other is in Ft. Lauderdale right now and has just gotten a job there.
I am still here at home in the DC area since it didn't make sense for us to move house until he found employment there. (He's in FL because of some professional requirements pertaining to his newly-acquired membership in the FL bar.)
So, needless to say, we've now got some legwork and preparing to do. Our projected move will be in early September.
Here's our background: We're an opposite-gender couple, both 30 years old, no children and no plans to have any, 2 dogs (one high-energy, so areas with dog parks would be nice), geeky, quite socially liberal, but not big partiers by any stretch.
I telecommute for my job, so I'll be working from home wherever I am. We are both interested in art, live music, etc and have somewhat alternative tastes that suffered a bit in DC (Not much in the way of goth/punk/hard rock clubs here in DC... I know that Ft. Lauderdale has several fetish-oriented nights and clubs, but that's less interesting to me.)

I lived in central FL for years before moving up north, so I know little about south Florida by comparison.

We're looking for a new home to rent, preferably $1700 a month or under (not picky about whether it's a house/duplex/apartment) with its own washer/dryer in a reasonably safe area. (If I can't walk my dogs there alone at night without getting hassled, I don't want to live there.)

We considered Wilton Manors and although we have plenty of gay friends, we'd like a neighborhood that's slightly more diverse in its demographics.

We would like to be able to walk to things like coffee shops, restaurants, and ideally, some sort of grocery. I realize that Ft. Lauderdale is not remotely a pedestrian-friendly city the way DC is, but some walkability would be nice.

At the moment, Victoria Park is at the top of our list for neighborhoods due to what we've heard about its proximity to the amenities of Las Olas, its safety, etc, but where else should we be considering?

A friend who used to live in Ft. Lauderdale suggested looking into the Young Circle area of Hollywood since Hollywood's cheaper and on the eclectic, quirky side, but I'm reading lots of mixed opinions about its safety.

Also, could anyone make suggestions for nightlife that fall in line with our tastes? (Goth, punk, not necessarily specifically fetish-oriented etc.) I'm hoping the relative dearth of info I'm finding online is not an accurate reflection. :P

Thanks in advance!

There won't really be any sort of goth, punk places here....I listen to punk music as well, and if it wasn't for the local college NOVA playing independent music, you wouldn't hear anything on the radio.

As far as liberal, I think Victoria Park is your best bet. I live close to Wilton Manors and am gay, and yes, Wilton Manors is predominantly gay on the Eastern Side of it.

I think you are definitely going to be in for a culture shock moving here from DC. I moved here from Chicago and am eager to leave. The scene you are describing reminds me of the bar "Berlin" or "The Alley" store in Chicago, and that doesn't exist really in South Florida. It's a pretty conservative area that happens to have one city that is predominantly gay. Otherwise, it's pretty much your typical Florida town, minus the yuppiness and extremely shallow scene. Florida is DEFINITELY more conservative than bigger areas like DC, Chicago, NYC, San Fran.

Have you visited and explored the city before? i strongly recommend you do that before moving down here. When I mean "explore", I mean come visit and see the local neighborhoods, restaurants, shopping areas, etc. People come here on vacation and see the beach and the ocean and think it's beautiful, but living here is a lot different then vacationing here.

[casualobserver]

Originally Posted by Scarletminx

Who says that we're both straight? I wanted to convey that we were a female-male couple, but to say that we were a "straight" couple would not have accurately described us. Honestly, is it necessary to argue the semantics of one of the least important points of my post?

LOL....I enjoyed that. I think I will use that phrase in the future just for fun.

At any rate, as far as your music preferences, it does seem Miami has some......Miami Goth Clubs | eHow.com

Have your SO check out the Vic Park area right behind Holiday Park...14th and 15th Avenues (not "Streets"), just south of Sunrise and see if there is something to like. There are plenty of apartments in that area. For $1700 a month, its hard to find a house or townhouse though in this area. You've got the park (but keep an eye out for Park Rangers during the day since dogs aren't really allowed, but they don't hassle you if you stay along the borders.) You've got a Publix in walking distance to the north and the Winn Dixie Plaza with coffee shop and restaurants to the south. If you bring two bikes, you can easily bike to the beach or Las Olas, which does have several "art fairs" during the year.

We walk our dog through Holiday often just before closing at 10 and other than the occasional homeless person sleeping in a bush, we've never felt uncomfortable in the least.

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by Scarletminx

Who says that we're both straight? I wanted to convey that we were a female-male couple, but to say that we were a "straight" couple would not have accurately described us. Honestly, is it necessary to argue the semantics of one of the least important points of my post?

It was important because it sounded confusing like you were something other than a male-female couple. If so, then that might change our assessment of where to live.

It would have been less confusing just to say "couple".