Brickell: Good place to stay to scout Miami as a place to live? (Miami Beach: rental car, 2015)

[Astral_Weeks]

Considering a move from Los Angeles to Miami in early 2016. So I am taking a trip in early September 2015 to see Miami for the first time in ten years. Looking forward to seeing all the changes since then in person! I also want to be there when it is still hot/humid.

Also, I am purposely staying in Miami proper to scout the "real" Miami not South Beach, etc. IF I am able to relocate with my current company I'd likely be working in downtown/brickell. The areas of Miami-Dade I want to explore include the following:

-Downtown/Brickell
-Wynwood/Midtown
-Coral Gables
-Coconut Grove
-Miami Shores
-South Miami

All of the above would be possible places to live (single male, no kids). I will also probably check out Miami Beach/South Beach as well. But this will be secondary to the areas listed above unless the hypnotic vibes of the beach communities pull me away.

So my questions:

1. I assume Brickell is a good, convenient spot from which to explore the above areas?

2. Also, looking at two possible hotels in Brickell. Price is about the same.

The Aloft Brickell located at 1001 SW 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33130
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Al...ffc1c66e85928e

or the Hampton Inn Brickell located at: 50 SW 12th St, Miami, FL 33130, just three blocks southeast.

Are these equivalent locations? Looks like the Hampton Inn is closer to Miami Ave/Nightlife...but probably both are close enough to the action?

3. Finally, I'll have a car but anyone know about how much a taxi ride or Uber ride is from Brickell to South Beach?

Thank you.

[pierrekid]

Great choice in deciding to join this new mecca in Miami!

1. Brickell is the perfect spot to explore all the above mentioned places. Smack in the midpoint of your two extreme north and south points ( Miami shores to south Miami) and a very walkable part of town. Extremely safe and very lively. Consider it the new york wall street/ 5th ave of Miami.

2. As for the hotels you chose, both are great and close enough walking distance to all the action. Really comes down to price preference. I personally would choose Hampton but again that's just my preference.

3. Uber ride to south beach is anywhere from 8 - 12 depending on what part of South Beach you are going. Just make sure they take sw 2nd ave to either the downtown entrance to 95 or sw 3rd ave entrance in Brickell. The construction in Brickell is causing alot of conversation so avoiding South Miami ave or brickell ave would be best.

Hope that helps and if you have any more questions let us know!

[Pincho-toot]

Brickell is close enough to downtown, the beaches and Coral Gables. It's a fine location to scout from as so much is relatively close. Visiting while it's still hot and humid? Honey, you can come in November and it will still be hot and humid. Last year in November it was still in the upper 80s somedays, I felt miserable.

Cabs are expensive in Miami, if you're going to have a car with you when you visit, whether you drive or rent, I suggest you take it instead of a cab. Especially if you are moving to Miami, you are gonna wanna learn the roads and no better way than driving them. Never used Uber, never plan to, so I can't help you there.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Would be a great spot except for all the construction, road closures, and traffic. Coconut Grove may be better, especially since you're probably renting a car and driving around all these places anyway (highly recommended). Brickell is NOT very walkable now--too many closed sidewalks and frustrated drivers blocking crosswalks, garage driveways, narrow/obstructed sidewalks in most parts, bikes on the sidewalk because few bike lanes. Noise pollution! Very stressful to walk around there now, though the distances are not far.

Don't rule out South Beach right away--it's really only those few blocks of Collins and Ocean and the clubs on Washington that are "tourist central." Many locals mixed in there on Lincoln Road, plus Alton, South of Fifth, and Sunset Harbour are quite local. Can be more affordable than Brickell/Downtown/Midtown too. Coconut Grove itself has also become quite a local hip area, although you do get the UM crowd especially on weekends. Wynwood/Midtown--not many places to stay. There are some hotels by Omni which is also right next to downtown and has much less congestion and construction than Brickell.

[elchevere]

I, too, would recommend you NOT rule out SoBe either....since you are coming from LA, I liken this area to Santa Monica--aside from some high rise condos (not that many) it is rather low rise, low density and the Lincoln Road Mall would be comparable to the Santa Monica Promenade....+1 on the Sunset Harbour recommendation and South of Fifth (even West Avenue on the bay side).

If you decide to stay downtown, rather than nearby Brickell, in a hotel also check out the Hyatt Regency. Reasonably priced and very good location just across a short walking bridge from Brickell and convenient to the downtown area (not to mention some very good nearby restaurants)...should you decide to rent a car for a day, there is even an Avis car rental less than a 10 minute walk from the hotel where you could rent in the morning and have back to Avis by 5PM in order to avoid a hotel overnight parking charge.

[Astral_Weeks]

Thank you all for the input and suggestions. Very helpful. I will have a rental car to get me around but I might use Uber/Taxi for nightlife/bars, etc.

I think I can live with the construction boom in Brickell but I do appreciate the heads up. My time will be limited but I do plan on making it to South Beach during my visit. Really looking forward to seeing Miami with all the changes over the past decade.

Actually, I was in MIA two times in the last 12 months but only on connecting flights to Latin America. This time I will get out and explore....Miami.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

Don't rule out South Beach right away--it's really only those few blocks of Collins and Ocean and the clubs on Washington that are "tourist central." Many locals mixed in there on Lincoln Road, plus Alton, South of Fifth, and Sunset Harbour are quite local. Can be more affordable than Brickell/Downtown/Midtown too. Coconut Grove itself has also become quite a local hip area, although you do get the UM crowd especially on weekends. Wynwood/Midtown--not many places to stay. There are some hotels by Omni which is also right next to downtown and has much less congestion and construction than Brickell.

Thanks, H.M. I will be sure to check out the "local" parts of South Beach. Appreciate the suggestions. I work in downtown LA which is also a construction zone right now so I think I can deal with the madness that is Brickell right now. Again, I do appreciate the heads up.

Can't wait to see Coconut Grove....last trip to Miami was in 2005 but I've not been to Coconut Grove in an even longer time.

[rnc2mbfl]

I agree with those who advise to consider the locals' side of South Beach. Be aware that the west side has road construction going on right now to elevate low roads and improve the drainage and tidal floods. That work has been going on for more than a year now and will continue for the next year. The good news is that Alton is all but done and Sunset Harbour would be completed before you arrived. Only West Ave corridor is likely to have some work unfinished. As a SoBe local, I'd put the west side and Sunset Harbour above South of Fifth as a choice for a more locals experience and less touristy. There's also more walkable amenities on the west side near Lincoln.

[Enigma777]

If you know you are going to be working downtown or Brickell, and you are scouting places to live, I would drive to the areas. That way you can see how long it will take you to get to work and home. What I've discovered here is that if you have to drive somewhere, traffic can double or triple the commuting time. Keep in mind that from December to April, the traffic will increase tenfold. People I know who are the happiest with their commute to Brickell live close enough to walk to work. Even getting from Sobe to Brickell in season can be a nightmare due to construction, accidents, tourists and the drawbridge.

[pierrekid]

I disagree with brickell/ downtown not being walkable due to construction. As a new yorker living here in Brickell it is still very walkable compared to other parts ( I walk my wife to work in the morning, have lunch with her and meet her in brickell to walk back home every day directly under the brickell city centre construction, so safe to say I have a good idea of how walkable it is). As someone else mentioned the Hyatt is another very good option though if you go with aloft you will be on the other side of the congestion so it's really a toss up.

Also traffic on south beach is horrendous right now. Since closing the venetian everyone is using the MacArthur and 112, so make sure you avoid these areas during rush hour ( actually had a client at 415 yesterday, took me 10 minutes to get on the MacArthur from downtown, and another 40 minutes to get on to Alton).

Also how old are you? That will be a huge determinant as to what your looking for. All the areas you mentioned are very different in terms of the age range and demographic.