My thoughts on Miami (Miami Beach, Coral Gables: mover, condo, credit)

[Coconut1]

I stayed for a while in a condo in Midtown and figured I would share some of my thoughts.

I visited Miami Beach before as a tourist and visited mostly tourist spots. I never ventured off in to the city, or off the beaten path in Miami.

With the thoughts of moving, I decided to do a lot of research on the area. Some areas I thought would be great turned out to be a dud. Others that I didn't think would be too great turned out much better then I expected.

With that preface, here's my thoughts...
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Coconut Grove- By far my biggest disappointment. I was thrilled that Metrorail ran so close to the Grove. I did Google street tours, mapped out different locations and was very excited about what I thought was going to be a perfect part of the city.

The streets are too heavily treed. As I walked along different residential streets in the Grove (not West Grove, I stayed away from there) it almost gave me a creepy feeling since it seemed nobody cleaned up fallen leaves and there was also trash in quite a few places just strewn about.

The smell the decaying leaves gave off was not pleasant.

Mayfair shops was practically empty. CocoWalk was alright but nothing exciting. Much less retail then I thought. The couple of streets down from CocoWalk where the (Fuller St, Via Abitare Way) were nice with the outdoor dining, but other then that lacked a lot, IMO. Again, with all the trees it was far too dark there.
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Metromover- Not bad. I hopped on from Omni/Arsht station and took it to Govt' Center to connect with Metrorail (I took Metrorail in to Coconut Grove and got back on at the Douglas Road station)

I also took it around the city just for a loop and also took it to Bayside.

While it's true that some creepy folks got on at night, I did see some security on the cars and at the stations.
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Metrorail- Very impressed here. The trains moved fast and efficient. When the airport connection opens this will be a great addition. Unlimited rides for $5 for a day is a good value.
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Coral Gables- Houses nice, Miracle Mile, not as much.

I walked through multiple residential areas in Coral Gables and thought the homes were nice. It seems most people take care of them. The prices are high for the homes that are there, but overall it seemed like a decent place.

The Miracle Mile needs some revitalization. I saw on some of the vacant spaces a web link to a new street scape plan.

I didn't make it to Merrick shops which I would have liked to.
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Midtown Miami- Nice... along Biscayne Blvd. So long as I didn't venture off Biscayne, everything was fine. There wasn't anyone that I was scared of and I thought there was a nice mix of dining, services and the like.

I did find it interesting that NE 2nd Ave was so sketchy. It seems few people cross the divide over to Biscayne.

The new shops at Midtown close to the Julia Tuttle were very nice. Loved having a Target and other retail so close. Once more stores populate it there that will be a primo area.
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Downtown Miami- Not a total fan, but I understand it's a bit more business oriented. I was there during lunch time and it was bustling. Not very attractive to the eye, but neither are a lot of streets in NYC.

I did LOVE the Marina Blue condo building. Beautiful architecture. (888 Biscayne)

Bayside Marketplace was nice to have there, although it's heavily tourist oriented. It you live downtown it's nice to be able to walk over or use Metromover to either do some shopping or take in a bite to eat.
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Brickell- Didn't spend a whole lot of time here but from what I saw it was very pretty. Mary Brickell Village was very nice. Loved the shopping and restaurants again. The streets with the landscaped medians were lovely. Not sure I would pay a premium to live here, but nonetheless very nice.
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Aventura- Didn't get to see a whole lot of it, but from what I did it was a nice place to raise a family
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Key Biscayne- Very nice. Reminded me a lot of Naples, but it had a distinct East coast flair. Expensive but perhaps worth it. Having Bill Baggs at the end is great to 'get away from it all' while still being in the city per se. It's not like when you drive out to the Hamptons.
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Miami Beach- Loved it. Although it's not the newest places in terms of the neighborhoods, it has a great beach vibe and I always felt safe there.
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Bal Harbor- Primo!! Some of the buildings reminded me of Hawaii. Certainly a great place to live.
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Surfside- Doesn't get near enough credit. I can't believe how affordable it is. It moved to the top of my list. I think there's a heavy Jewish community here as well. Reminded me of a 1950's shore town.
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Venetian Islands- Again, great place. Very quiet and safe. Loved this as well, but I understand it's very expensive.
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Drivers- Yes, they're crazy. I thought I would be happy to get home to the more sane (yet ignorant) drivers, but I'm surprised to say I will take Miami drivers any day of the week over the folks here.
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Homeless People- I didn't find them to be terrible during the day except a few instances when I saw some passed out in the middle of the sidewalk. What I did find horribly sad was when I was on the Metromover at night. We just got past the Freedom Tower station and I happened to get a look down NE 7th Street (I think that was it) there were homeless people crowded on both sides of the street. It was like a giant shanty town. Terribly sad. I guess considering the climate of Miami (where would you rather be homeless, especially in the winter, Chicago or Miami?) it's to be expected, but still, sad.
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I did think the casinos in South Florida stunk. Pathetic little cheap holes in the wall. Hopefully the state will legalize casinos outside of the tracks to really bring the state up to par on that.

Overall it was an interesting visit. It gave me a lot more insight on what's what and where I'll be looking to settle. If anyone has any specific questions for me (maybe being an outside view helps) feel free to ask