Downtown Experience From an Out Of County Visitor (Miami, Miami Beach: condos, homes) - Florida (FL) -Miami-Dade County - City-Data Forum

PBCboy · 12-30-2007, 07:01 PM

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Downtown Miami. After hearing so much negatively about it on this forum, I was a bit weary. But after visiting it I don't see what's so bad.

Bayside Marketplace is a very beautiful outdoor shopping mall. Sure, there's lots of homeless people around, but don't they exist in every downtown area across the U.S.? They're human beings, is it really that bad for you to look at them? Geez, toss them a few bucks...

My only real complaint were the drivers. But overall I was pleasantly surprised. None of the people there looked bad at all. The local Palm Beach Mall here in West Palm Beach is more dangerous, and the people less classy looking for sure.

I hope to return in the future (my friends live in the area in Little Havana), and no, I didn't smell urine like other posters here have said it smells like.

tallrick · 12-30-2007, 07:02 PM

But other than the Arena/Bayside what else is there? Oh a lonely McDonalds. Hardly an exciting downtown.

Chelito23 · 12-30-2007, 07:53 PM

Yeah...people on this forum usually say the one decent place is Bayside. When people complain about downtown, they are referring to everything west of Biscayne. Next time, take a leisurely stroll from Bayside down Flagler to Government Center and the Library. You will see boared up stores, electronic stores, pawn shops, and smell the all too familiar scent of urine. It may not be a war zone, but it is certainly NOT a pleasant place to be in or shop. Bayside itself is nice, but the rest of downtown is really a mess.

I think Little Havana is underated personaly, 8th St. is quirky and nice in my opinion. Little Havana also has some nice homes and large trees...so that would be a good area to explore for the next visit.

PS, I have been to the Palm Beach Lakes Mall and compared to Bayside it may be rough, but it has nothing on the downtown Miami west of Flagler....

eufo · 12-30-2007, 07:54 PM

Nothing is as bad as people make it seem. Miami's downtown isn't really all that exciting, but I think South Beach and the Grove steal a lot of thunder.

BUBBAboyTM · 12-30-2007, 07:59 PM

All I can say is that I would NOT be caught in downtown after dark. And I certainly wouldn't park across the street from Bayside... if there isn't parking inside in the parking garage, this brother doesn't go to Bayside! LOL I actually went clubbing in the downtown area a few weeks ago. As hard as they may try to put on the "oh, this is so cool and so NYC" vibe... it still smells like pee (LOL) and it still feels dangerous. Downtown Miami is many Many MANY years away from being a place that you can actually "live" in. It is surrounded by some very bad areas... and we are not talking about a couple of miles away... more like a block in each direction. Bayside is the only thing worth anything in downtown (for the view... as the restaurants are pretty crappy and the stores are expensive... good place for drinks, though!) and you can do some good power shopping on flagler, particularly on things like gold jewelry and high end watches. Other than that, just a dirty street.

tallrick · 12-30-2007, 08:43 PM

If you want nightlife, stick to Miami Beach. A nicer alternative on the mainland is Coral Gables. Downtown just baffles me. You would think that at least one restaurant would be open there, but I guess the lack of parking, and transit that shuts down at midnight discourages anything there. Perhaps if the new condos fall in price to where people can afford them, a new life can be breathed into downtown. Otherwise it will remain as downtown Miami always has late at night....DEAD.

Musclehead · 12-31-2007, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBCboy

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Downtown Miami. After hearing so much negatively about it on this forum, I was a bit weary. But after visiting it I don't see what's so bad.

Bayside Marketplace is a very beautiful outdoor shopping mall. Sure, there's lots of homeless people around, but don't they exist in every downtown area across the U.S.? They're human beings, is it really that bad for you to look at them? Geez, toss them a few bucks...

My only real complaint were the drivers. But overall I was pleasantly surprised. None of the people there looked bad at all. The local Palm Beach Mall here in West Palm Beach is more dangerous, and the people less classy looking for sure.

I hope to return in the future (my friends live in the area in Little Havana), and no, I didn't smell urine like other posters here have said it smells like.

Did you get down to Mary Brickell Village or Tobacco Road ?

No there is not too much to downtown Miami , but there is a lot to do on Brickell Avenue which is only five to ten minutes south of Downtown Miami and can easily be confused for Downtown Miami because of the skyscrapers .

Brickell has some terrific bars and restaurants .... check out Mary Brickell Village on a Friday during happy hour .... I have actually driven all the way down from Boca just to see the smokin latin girls at happy hour there

Musclehead · 12-31-2007, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallrick

If you want nightlife, stick to Miami Beach. A nicer alternative on the mainland is Coral Gables. Downtown just baffles me. You would think that at least one restaurant would be open there, but I guess the lack of parking, and transit that shuts down at midnight discourages anything there. Perhaps if the new condos fall in price to where people can afford them, a new life can be breathed into downtown. Otherwise it will remain as downtown Miami always has late at night....DEAD.

There really is no "downtown " area like other major cities where you can have a drink or walk around safely ... what constitutes downtown Miami is a dump and other than for Bayside and the Arena there is nothing there ... again though Brickell and areas just off Brickell are to Miami what
"real" downtowns are to other large cities .

Chelito23 · 12-31-2007, 06:54 AM

I remember taking the bus and transferring at Government Center at 9PM at night (weeknights) about 10 years ago. It was totally devoid of human activity except for the homeless, drunks and the mentally ill. There were always a handful of other people who would huddle together at the bus stops (safety innumbers), but trust me, there was no one there who didn't HAVE to be.

I do not go downtown at that time anymore or for that reason, but from what I see in the daytime, nothing has changed, so I hardly doubt people are taking in the boarded up shops of the dark, urine-filled streets at night.

The last time I was downtown at night was when the Office Depot was about to close. I had to PAY a homeless guy to park in their "free" parking lot. Nice, huh? Basically, if you didn't pay, the homeless people broke into the cars...and I imagine they still do.

Miami's downtown needs so much, I don't think beutification projects will work, much less stadiums or museums. It really needs people living there, stores and restaurants nearby, safety, access to the water, and of course buildings on a human scale, not 100 story luxry high-rise condo after luxery highrise condo.

This will be hard to achieve with the greed of developers and the city's red carpet for pet projects and special interests. The public is not even an afterthought in these plans, the public has to figure a way to integrate these projects into their lives, not the planners figuring out how to integrate their projects into the community. That is why these projects and attempts at redevelopment downtown tend to fail. The whole "build it and they will come" only works in a corn field in Iowa with Kevin Costner.

I believe SOME day Miami will get its act together, but so many things have to change before we are at that point...I do not expect to see that anytime in the next decade.

Musclehead · 12-31-2007, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBCboy

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Downtown Miami. After hearing so much negatively about it on this forum, I was a bit weary. But after visiting it I don't see what's so bad.

Bayside Marketplace is a very beautiful outdoor shopping mall. Sure, there's lots of homeless people around, but don't they exist in every downtown area across the U.S.? They're human beings, is it really that bad for you to look at them? Geez, toss them a few bucks...

My only real complaint were the drivers. But overall I was pleasantly surprised. None of the people there looked bad at all. The local Palm Beach Mall here in West Palm Beach is more dangerous, and the people less classy looking for sure.

I hope to return in the future (my friends live in the area in Little Havana), and no, I didn't smell urine like other posters here have said it smells like.

While you were in downtown Miami , I was with my girlfriend in Palm Beach Gardens , Jupiter and Juno Beach ..... those places were awesome and with a real "California " vibe to them . Next time you are down in Miami , make sure you go just South to Brickell and then across the Rickenbacker to Key Biscayne as well .... those are real nice parts of Miami ... although I still prefer North Palm Beach County and Southern Martin County !!!