Ft Lauderdale high rise vs home living? (Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood: apartments, lease)

[forty six & two]

A friend and I are moving down at the end of 2012 from Boston to Fort Lauderdale. We are both in our mid 20s and love to drink and party. We want to live near downtown or near the Fort Lauderdale beach area to be close to nightlife and to be able to take cabs or walk home to avoid DUIs.

I will be attending grad school at FAU or be looking for a job right away with my engineering degree somewhere in SoFla. We will be renting for the next year or two.

I'm basically asking opinions about living in different areas such as
-Victoria Park (lots of options here...)
-Hendricks Isle (is this a ****hole?)
-A walk-to-downtown apartment such as The Waverly or Camden Las Olas (might be too expensive as we can only afford about $1700 for a 2BR... The Camden forecast for the next several months is in the upper $2k's)
-An apartment in Flagler Village such as Eclipse (cant find much info) or Alexan Solmar
-An apartment in the Central Beach area (preferably waking distance to Beach Place - is this possible in our price range?)
-Finally, a condo on Galt Mile (is this old people, Canadians, Snow Birds, and nothing but boring?)


If you had the choice in my position, where would YOU look?

[harry chickpea]

Galt mile. Close in, safe, and likely a boom area in a few years. SoBe was much like it in the 1980s.

[JSnFla]

if you want to party often then anywhere near downtown but u will find yourself trecking out to the hard rock often, the beach is pretty dead at night beyond tourists. its just really hard to qualify for an apt these days in a decent spot unless you have a good job that pays a certain amount or you are independently wealthy and can pay the entire lease up front

[forty six & two]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

if you want to party often then anywhere near downtown but u will find yourself trecking out to the hard rock often, the beach is pretty dead at night beyond tourists. its just really hard to qualify for an apt these days in a decent spot unless you have a good job that pays a certain amount or you are independently wealthy and can pay the entire lease up front

I'm not worried about getting approved as I have good credit and my mother can co-sign a lease. Luckily I have a very good support system.

I used to live in Pompano for a few months but now I am up near Boston. My big group of firends would always go to the beach, drink, play games and meet people (we would always pick up our trash unlike a lot of the scummy people there) every Saturday during the day in front of Beach Place/Elbo Room area. I guess you could call it "daylife" rather than nightlife. I agree I'ts pretty dead during the nighttime.

I guess my main priorities at this point are Victoria Park if we want a small house, Flagler Village for a smaller/newer apartment, or Galt Mile for that beach appeal, even though it further away and you gotta deal with that damn drawbridge.

Thanks for the opinions; keep em coming.

[rusty78]

On your next trip down try asking the bar staff...when last in Fort Lauderdale my wife and I had gone out several nights and rainy days hitting the bars...we asked several of the bartenders/etc..about residing in the area...they all had an opinion...some good...some not so good...but the best part was they would engage the regulars and ask them...by the end of the week we had more places to consider than we had time to look...one thought...do have tooooo much to drink when asking...for what I found was nobody wants to live next to party city....

By the way..it did not matter what type of bar/restaurant/etc..that we visited..everyone seemed willing to help and offer a suggestion....good luck

[Nolefan34]

forty six & two-

The best area to live if you are into nightlife is a highrise near Las Olas. Alexan Solmar and Flagler Village are close enough to Las Olas that you can walk and are more affordable than Camden, Waverly, Nu River, etc. The neighborhoods behind Alexan and Flagler are pretty rough and there are lots of vagrants and bums. But you're two young single guys looking to party, so you should be fine walking at night to the bars.

Galt Mile is really nice, but really boring other than being right on the ocean. There's no nightlife there and lots of old people. The nearest nightlife is Fort Lauderdale Beach which is a short cab ride, but the beach nightlife isn't as good as downtown. Also you have to contend with bridges.

The suburbs of Fort Lauderdale you will find extremely boring coming from Boston. Hollywood might be the only exception. But if you are concerned about drinking and driving, the last thing you want to do is live in a suburb that is 10 miles away and a $60 cab ride each direction.

Hard Rock is a good area for nightlife too, but is out in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing around Hard Rock that would make the area livable, and Hard Rock is good, but not so great that you should live near it.

[fkostas]

To answer your questin re Hendricks Island, no it is not a craphole. It's an older neighborhood, but the location is great. $1700.00 may get you a 2/1 in an older, non upgraded building. Apartment, not house.

Galt Ocean mile shares no resemblance with South beach, other than the ocean, and never will. If you can get a condo there, go for it. Since you will be working/partying/going to school most of the time, you would likely enjoy the quiet afforded by your "old" neighbors.

Be careful walking home after a night of drinking. Two young guys or no, you're a mark for muggers.

The Hardrock is in an area with nothing else around it entertainment wise for miles, and the clubs are overcrowded, and drinks overpriced. Other than the comedy club when they have a good act booked, I don't see the attraction.

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by fkostas

To answer your questin re Hendricks Island, no it is not a craphole. It's an older neighborhood, but the location is great. $1700.00 may get you a 2/1 in an older, non upgraded building. Apartment, not house.

Galt Ocean mile shares no resemblance with South beach, other than the ocean, and never will. If you can get a condo there, go for it. Since you will be working/partying/going to school most of the time, you would likely enjoy the quiet afforded by your "old" neighbors.

Be careful walking home after a night of drinking. Two young guys or no, you're a mark for muggers.

The Hardrock is in an area with nothing else around it entertainment wise for miles, and the clubs are overcrowded, and drinks overpriced. Other than the comedy club when they have a good act booked, I don't see the attraction.

I agree about Galt Ocean Mile. I don't see any resemblance with South Beach other than its on the beach. South Beach is much bigger and wider. It goes about 20 blocks wide and 40 blocks long. Galt Mile is just A1A and a couple of blocks of development on either side. Galt Mile doesn't have neon lights like South Beach and is not anywhere close to how vibrant South Beach is.

Now I also concur with you regarding Hard Rock. It is fun to go to maybe once a month or less often. The clubs are good but are expensive, and the lines to get in are outrageous. It is also too far away from any decent living areas to get to without drinking and driving or paying for an expensive cab ride.

The advantage to living near Las Olas is that you can walk places or take a cheap cab ride. The same is true for the beach areas, but Las Olas is the best area to do what this original poster wants. I also would not rule out Victoria Park, but that is for a house.

[forty six & two]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

I agree about Galt Ocean Mile. I don't see any resemblance with South Beach other than its on the beach. South Beach is much bigger and wider. It goes about 20 blocks wide and 40 blocks long. Galt Mile is just A1A and a couple of blocks of development on either side. Galt Mile doesn't have neon lights like South Beach and is not anywhere close to how vibrant South Beach is.

Now I also concur with you regarding Hard Rock. It is fun to go to maybe once a month or less often. The clubs are good but are expensive, and the lines to get in are outrageous. It is also too far away from any decent living areas to get to without drinking and driving or paying for an expensive cab ride.

The advantage to living near Las Olas is that you can walk places or take a cheap cab ride. The same is true for the beach areas, but Las Olas is the best area to do what this original poster wants. I also would not rule out Victoria Park, but that is for a house.

Thanks! I've read tons of your posts on this forum and have learned a lot.

After some thought, we're going to check out:

1st - Alexan Solmar
2nd - Sailboat Bend/Victoria Park
3rd - Coral Ridge on the intracoastal or the canal on the west border
4th - Port Royal or Bayview

I've ruled out the Ft Lauderdale Beach area and Galt mile/LBTS because theyre too far from the highway and it takes a long time in traffic to get to other places in the county or other counties. I will either be driving to FAU every day during the week, or driving to a job in an unknown location, so having better access to I-95 is convenient.

The rent for Bayview is not much more than that of Port Royale for a 2BR. Has anyone checked both of them out?

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by forty six & two

Thanks! I've read tons of your posts on this forum and have learned a lot.

After some thought, we're going to check out:

1st - Alexan Solmar
2nd - Sailboat Bend/Victoria Park
3rd - Coral Ridge on the intracoastal or the canal on the west border
4th - Port Royal or Bayview

I've ruled out the Ft Lauderdale Beach area and Galt mile/LBTS because theyre too far from the highway and it takes a long time in traffic to get to other places in the county or other counties. I will either be driving to FAU every day during the week, or driving to a job in an unknown location, so having better access to I-95 is convenient.

The rent for Bayview is not much more than that of Port Royale for a 2BR. Has anyone checked both of them out?

Port Royale and Bayview are in good, safe areas and are mostly young people. They are cheaper alternatives to Las Olas. The downside of living there is that you are 10 miles away from Las Olas and the nearest nightlife. Other than that, the location is good and close to the beach. You also have tons of shopping on US1. Port Royale's apartments are a bit small and there are tons of dogs there. I know people who have lived there and they always complain about the dogs. Bayview is a notch or two nicer, but also at least a couple of hundred more expensive. If money is not the object, I'd pick Bayview.

If Alexan Solmar is comparable in price to Bayview, I'd pick Alexan without hesitation due to the location. It sounds like Alexan is the best place of the ones you are considering. Just make sure you can afford it reasonably or else look for something more economical.