Aventura or Key Biscayne (Miami, Miami Beach: apartment, renting, insurance)

[nathanday]

My wife and I live in the west side of 8th st north of kendall and are considering moving to either Key Biscayne or Aventura. Our main issues are the traffic to and from work which is in Doral, and the ammenities in the area. Any suggestions? How is the traffic in Palmetto from the I-95 int to doral blvd NW 36th St?
Thanks!

[jjnnino]

Originally Posted by nathanday

My wife and I live in the west side of 8th st north of kendall and are considering moving to either Key Biscayne or Aventura. Our main issues are the traffic to and from work which is in Doral, and the ammenities in the area. Any suggestions? How is the traffic in Palmetto from the I-95 int to doral blvd NW 36th St?
Thanks!

Aventura and Key Biscayne are both real nice areas , much nicer than anything in Kendall or Doral . Rush hour traffic from either location to the Doral area will be rough , although Key Biscayne is geographically closer , just getting off the Key in the mornings can take you twenty minutes ... good luck !!

[nathanday]

Thanks for the reply. I read somewhere that Key Biscayne is very crowded, (although that is true about all Miami in general). Any idea about the drive from Aventura to Doral... someone told me that the north section of 826 is a little bit better now that they opened a new lane or some other improvement.

[jjnnino]

Originally Posted by nathanday

Thanks for the reply. I read somewhere that Key Biscayne is very crowded, (although that is true about all Miami in general). Any idea about the drive from Aventura to Doral... someone told me that the north section of 826 is a little bit better now that they opened a new lane or some other improvement.

Key Biscayne is crowded but still lovely , it along with Aventura , Miami Beach and Coral Gables are the only places in Dade that I really like . Yes they have improved 826 a bit , but you are still looking at roughly one hour to one hour and fifteen each way between Aventura and Doral , no way around that headache ... good luck .

[unixpilot]

Having lived in both...Its a tough choice...

I would pick Aventura ONLY if you're going to take the Turnpike everyday...Aventura to Doral on the Palmetto makes me sick just thinking about it...

And like others have said....Living on Key Biscayne can be annoying too, it takes you 20 mins just to go anywhere! Best Buy, Costco, etc.. gets very old driving on and off the Key again.

Unless you have a boat I'd probably pick Aventura, just cause its closer to Shopping and I-95.

[jjnnino]

Originally Posted by unixpilot

Having lived in both...Its a tough choice...

I would pick Aventura ONLY if you're going to take the Turnpike everyday...Aventura to Doral on the Palmetto makes me sick just thinking about it...

And like others have said....Living on Key Biscayne can be annoying too, it takes you 20 mins just to go anywhere! Best Buy, Costco, etc.. gets very old driving on and off the Key again.

Unless you have a boat I'd probably pick Aventura, just cause its closer to Shopping and I-95.

Unixpilot , good recommendation although the commute to Doral will be a nightmare Aventura will be their best bet . Where are you moving too by the way , I saw your previous post staing that you were soon leaving "La Republica Bananera " .... that was funny and sad but I have to agree with you somewhat !!!

[unixpilot]

Dont get me wrong I LOVED living in Aventura around '97-'99 and I live in Sunny Isles Beach now.

But the area is getting really crowded, and even if you live in a nice community, daily life tasks can be a major PITA

I assume you'll be renting...so figure $1800 - $2500/month for a decent 2/2 apartment. (decent to me means 3-4 stars)

Of all the condo's going up in that area....Artech looks very cool...being built now, and would be my pick...but thats just me.

Moderator cut: link

Another plus to Aventura is all the nice parks around...Greynolds and Oleta are a nice way to spend the weekend.

Good luck in your decision.

[nathanday]

Thanks for all the help. The state parks is one of the reasons we where looking at Aventura, we both like mountain biking and my wife loooves shopping. I think that we will be going to Aventura even though the traffic might be a problem. I started monitoring the traffic cameras for all 826 (during commute times) an so far it does not look terrible and like you said we can always take the t'pike if things are really bad. I preffer to have a longer drive (distance wise) that moves than being stuck in traffic for 1 hour. Appreciate all the feedback... Thanks.

[amberamour]

We lived in Aventura '95-'04 and in that time saw 7 or 8 high rises go up. Just do the math. Each building has several hundred units, averaging 2 cars per condo and you get an idea of the traffic nightmare within a town that's only 2 square miles.
It wasn't uncommon to need to set aside 20 minutes to get home from the Waterways, a nearby shopping center. It should take only 5-6 minutes. At crunch time drivers converging on Biscayne Blvd. from Miami Gardens Drive pull up into the intersection and block the flow of traffic. It takes sometimes 3 light changes to get your turn at it and you better be fast! It happens at Ives Dairy too. It was maddening and became enough of a con to eliminate any pros we had going for us there.
Yes, Greynolds is beautiful. A serene oasis within such chaos! Oleta is nice for kayaking if you bring a lot of bug spray. And there's enough shopping in Aventura to satisfy anyone.
So if traffic problems and all the issues associated with living in a very small area surrounded by too many neighbors (and thousands more who visit and work there) then Aventura is a good spot to be.
As for Key Biscayne, whenever we want to go there we go on a weekday when the crowds aren't around and pay to use the beaches at Crandon, which helps in a big way to avoid overcrowding. I worked at Seaquarium on the Key a couple summers and wondered if it was a hassle for residents coming and going. Probably not if you make one big weekly trip out for things not found on the Key.
It's a beautiful spot of Miami with iguanas lounging in the sun, the lovliest beaches and fantastic views as you're heading in and out.
Unfortunately traffic in all of Miami-Dade is universally a huge headache so it really makes no difference where you live. You will spend inordinate amounts of your life in your car.
That being said, if it were us and we had the $$ for the home AND hurricane insurance (if you could get it) we'd live in Key Biscayne. :^)

[PBCboy]

Aventura is a great area and I love it there. There's tons of traffic, of course, but you're in Dade so that is expected.