BBQ at the pool on Christmas... but at what price? - 1/11/2007

Beautiful weather almost all year round (except for a hurricane every now and then). If you don't mind a very high crime rate, terrible schools, english being the SECOND language, over inflated housing and rent, some of the worst traffic (and drivers)in the country, and a goverment that rivals just about any "banana republic" regime; then my friends this is the place for you. So get yourself a "mojito" and pull up a chair next to the pool and enjoy the sun (because that's about all there is to enjoy down here!)

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Things have changed. - 1/6/2007

The cost of living hase gone through the roof.

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What MASS transit?? - 12/24/2006

Hey Cali; If you want my suggestion here it is.... Don't move to Miami. I moved down from Boston about 2 yrs ago and CAN'T wait to get out of here... Public transportation here is pretty much non-existing. The people are rude and the business politics (well let me just say this; I have never in my 26 yrs seen what I have seen here in the last 2 yrs). Nightlife is OK if you carry a 45 and dont have to worry about being mobbed in the parking lot of the club.

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Cost of living is driving everyone away - 12/23/2006

The cost of living is driving everyone away. They are going anywhere they can, because anywhere is cheaper and better then here,

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Thinking about moving to Miami - 12/20/2006

I have lived in Chicago, Atlanta (Yuck!), Honolulu and now live in San Francisco. The average price of a home is 1,000,000+...no kidding. From reading these posts, it seems like Miami is relatively unscathed, so far, by the Chinese takeover. San Francisco is VERY over rated. Racism? Blacks don't even have jobs here. High crime in Miami? You guys have cops? We have (constant) sirens but no observable police force. I now know why CA's divorce rate is 4x higher than the rest of the U.S.: People are extremely self-absorbed and only befriend another if they think that there is some way they can benefit from it. Why do I pay so much to live here? I loathe SF and CA. I wish to move to Buenos Aires, Argentina some day and would like to learn Spanish. Only S. Florida is an option for me b/c I absolutely cannot live in the Dirty South again and, N. Florida is "Southern". How's the mass transit there? The bits I've read about 'low wages' is kind of creepy...

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So Hot - 12/16/2006

It is so hot all the time. Even in the winter, you can't wear a sweater. In the summer, you start sweating the second you walk outside in the morning. Gross.

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There Is No Reason To Ever Live Here. - 12/13/2006

I have lived in 5 other large cities in the last 28 years due to the nature of my business. This is by far the most horrible city in the USA. And on that subject, (the USA), Forget about it, when you move to Miami there should be a sign at the Dade County line stating "You are now leaving The United States" If you were not born in Cuba or another South American Country, you should not live here, they do not like americans, nor do they care to do business with you. I believe we (the USA) should just put up a border and make it another country.

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If you do not speak the language to bad - 12/5/2006

Buying a house here is way out of hand. It hard to get a job if u can not speak the spainsh language. The say part is that I was born and raise here. People feel here that u should spainsh even when they can not speak english language.

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IF u Must live Here try Exploring (beyond Lincoln - 11/30/2006

Vizcaya (Deering Estate), the Wolfsonian Foundation (SoBe), Bass Museum of Art, the Design District, Art Basel-Miami(Dec.), New World Symphony Orchestra, Carnival (Cruises) Center for the Performing Arts (NEW! Opera, Ballet), Coconut Grove Playhouse (theatre), Science Center of the Americas, Parrot Jungle, Calle Ocho /Little Havana Historic Shopping district (8th Street), Cape Fl/Key Biscayne State Park, Sony Ericsson /Nasdaq-100 Tennis Open (March), American Airlines Arena (Miami Heat!), University of Miami campus (Coral Gables), historic Venetian Pool (public) or nearby Biltmore Hotel & Pool(private). Bal Harbor Mall shopping (upscale), Holocaust Memorial (sculpture garden), J.Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park -Key Largo (snorkel, diving), The Barnacle Historic State Park, Barnacle Under Moonlight concert series (Tues) & Starlight Outdoor Movie Classics(Coconut Grove), Oleta River State Park -N. Miami (camping, kayak, fishing), Matheson Hammock Park Beach & Marina (picnics), Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens, Haulover Beach (clothing optional)/ Sunny Isles Beach (families), Winter Music Conference (WMC)& Ultra Electronic/ Dance Music Festival(March). Bayside Marketplace downtown shopping (modest). AND Everglades National Park!

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MIAMI IS FOR ME. - 11/21/2006

What is all this bad mouthing of Miami? We have 350,000 people living in this city. Don't you think it is because there is a lot of good about living here? Thank you.

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It is not so bad - 11/21/2006

I was going to move out of Miami, because of its high priced homes, heavy traffic, and all the rest. I went to three different places. Albuquerque in New Mexico, Houston, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. Although they are beautiful, (specially NM) less congested, and more adhesive as a community, I'll tell you folks, NONE OF THOSE CAN COMPARE. Our sandy beaches, Our warm temperatures Our diversity of cultures The new state-of-the-arts Carnival Center. all of the above and more. If you don't like Miami, leave, but please don't trash it. We folks like it here.

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Miami A Huge Disappointment - 11/18/2006

I moved from Chicago to Miami in March. I actively campaigned my employer for a transfer. What a mistake. I had to commute from Coconut Grove to South Beach for work during my first month. I would often spend 45 minutes or more stuck in crazy traffic. I saw pedestrians running across expressways. People throw bags of garbage on the street. The levels of paranoia and rudeness are off the chart. Many of the immigrants and political refugees are not trying to jump into the "melting pot". I was excited to learn Spanish, but the arrogance of some of the latin community made me want no part of it. Housing is expensive and small. Dining out is crazy expensive or bad. Shopping centers are crowded and dirty. Parking is a major problem. In October I apologized to my employer gave my notice and move to the beautiful west coast of Florida. If you want warmth, sunshine and civility I recommend you do the same.

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Miami is the best - 11/16/2006

Miami offers one of the best places to live. It has nice weather yr round, culture, and a nightlife

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Miami sucks big time!!!! - 11/15/2006

The negative comments are not coming from hatred, are coming from the reality. I give you an example that speaks for itself: I was born and raised in Italy, now I am a permanent resident and I joined my wife here in Miami one year ago, she is dominican-american (so I don't hate latinos per se), she is perfectly bilingual and she's learning Italian as well. I speak English, Italian and Spanish but both my wife and I can't stand Miami any more. We can't stand the arrogance of people who comes here and don't give a damn if you don't speak spanish, I am not a "white american" but I agree with all the people who says "if you go to a country that is not your native one...LEARN THE LANGUAGE!!!!" Last saturday I was with my sister in-law and her husband (he's american) in a Colombian restaurant, when he tried to order the waitress stopped him: "Solamente espanol" (only in spanish)....I was in shock...more than he was!!! Now tell me if you ever happened to be in an Italian restaurant, even in the heart of Little Italy in Brooklyn, or in a chinese restaurant in Chinatown New York or an indian or pakistani or whatever nationality it might be, and being told that you have to speak their own language!!! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!!! I can't wait to move from this miserable place and this third world people who will sink this city and most probably the whole country!!!

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Miami is Not Good - 11/14/2006

Miami is a beautiful city???? Maybe compared to the some of the third world countries that most of the residents come from. The problem is, many of the immigrants here bring all of the habits with them that have made their countries so miserable. I don't know how many times I have seen Latins throwing trash on the sidewalks here. Just the other day, A man was eating a pizza in his parked truck and flicking the crusts out the window. I was sitting at a cafe and I asked him in Spanish why he was doing that. He replied "because I feel like it". I shrugged my shoulders and chucked it up to another classy resident of Miami. I have been all over the world, and you do not see this sort of thing in Europe. Even New Yorkers have better manners than here. Oh, and there is the driving situation here. No one uses their turn signal, people cut you off only to go 25 miles per hour, and refuse to let you change lanes when you have been signalling for 1000 feet. Residents of Miami: A turn signal is not asking for permission to switch lanes, it means I am moving over. Either speed up or slow down so I can pass. Oh, and good luck with people actually moving when the light turns from red to green. Just two weeks ago, I was 2nd in line behind a guy at a red light. He was of course talking on his cell phone, the light changes green and for at least 30 seconds he sits there. I honk my horn and he screams out his window "Why are you in such a hurry?. Hmmmmm, how about I have a job I would like to get to? I am not a racist, in fact I am part Latino myself, but I do not have this problem when I drive in Broward county. My next topic is the rampant corruption in this city in all facets of life. My friend had a problem with mold in her rented house. She need to have the mold inspectors come and check the place out so that she could get out of her lease. The inspector came and said he would need a little something extra to make sure the report was in her favor. When she explained that she didn't really have any extra money and that she didn't think that was very honest considering there was obviously mold everywhere, he told her that she could give him a special little show. This is reminiscent of my experience with the cable guy who offered to "hook me up" with "free" cable if I gave him 300 dollars. I declined the offer and when I recieved my first bill, all of the special promotions which had been offered to me for installation and discounted service were mysteriously lost.

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The good and the bad, an unbiased reflection - 10/31/2006

Miami is not for everyone. I have lived here for three years after living in Missouri, Boston, NYC and Tampa, I have some others to compare it to. 1.It is hot and humid, but if you are a warm weather person like I am, the warm winters outweigh the hot muggy summers. The weather here is beautiful October through April, the opposite of most of the country. 2. It is like living in another country. Some people like it, some people don't mind it, and some people hate it. It just depends on your personality. Spanish is the first (and often only) language of most of the population. The culture is also different than what most people are used to. 3. Assets: Great beaches, nightlife, and shopping. 4. The people, especially the women, are beautiful. It is a very superficial culture, some people like that, some don't. 5. Cost of life: It is extremely expensive compared to wages in the area. I have read that about a lot of cities on this site. I often disagree when people say that, but after living in NYC and London I think I am more expecting of high costs. However,the cost of living especially housing, is very high in comparison with wages because a very large percentage of the people who live here don't work. In addition to tourists, there is an extremely high percentage of wealthy Latin and South Americans who don't need to work. 6. Traffic: Traffic is bad in every big city. However, for some reason in Miami its not just at rush hour. It lasts from 8 -10:30am or so, and then starts again some time between noon and 2 and lasts until 8pm. Thats a pretty big rush hour. And traffic gets worse in the winter and whenever school is in session. 7. There is a lot of crime, but I have never had any problems. But I don't live or drive around in bad areas. 8. There are hurricanes. This can be a nuisance for home owners. As a renter, it is merely a couple days off to drink and relax, and maybe lose cable and/or electricity for a couple of days. Its not as bad as a blizzard (if you are not a homeowner). 9. But it is beautiful here. Almost every time I drive over to Miami beach, the view takes my breath away. 10. Overall, it has its pros and cons, but I haven't left yet.

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Miami is indeed a crappy city - 10/23/2006

I'm a native of Miami for 35 years. I have watched this city deteriorate into the banana republic it has become. Make no mistake; Miami is not indicative of any major American city. It is much more like a major Latin American city, only I suspect even worse. Others have commented about Miami detractors being racists, yet fail to mention the racism between the Latinos in Miami. On an individual basis they may seem to get along with each other, but as groups, none of them seem to like each other. Ask a Columbian or a Nicaraguan how they feel about the Cubans--"the privileged ones" (as Cubans are the only foreigners that can come here and instantly receive residency--every other foreigner must work, fight and pay to get their green card.) Regardless, unless you speak Spanish, your trip to the local grocery store, Home Depot, Walgreens or Toys R Us will be an exercise in futility. Most of the people don't (or won’t) speak English and don't care that you don't speak Spanish--it's your problem. Forget about any kind of actual service. The attitude is usually "you're lucky you're allowed to spend your money in my store." It is just a very rude city, plain and simple. Apparently the concept of assimilation is lost here. Everyone seems to be out for themselves, and the attitude is pandemic. Driving is deplorable and at best risky. Education is sub-par even at "A" schools. The government is well, mostly Cuban, and is here to serve that community. Most of the "white" people have left Miami not because of the people being Hispanic, but because of the kind of people (rude, ignorant & arrogant) that have come to inhabit this city, who also just happen to be mostly Hispanic people. New Yorkers are much friendlier by comparison (and much more diverse). For those who want to comment on me being a racist, I'm sure my Latino (Mexican) wife and half-Latino children would beg to differ. They can’t stand it here either for the same reason. However, I do have something against rude, arrogant, disrespectful people regardless of their nationality, color, or faith. Rude is just rude, whether it is in English or Spanish. As for the crime, this site ranks Miami 3rd worst in the country. L.A., which is 3 times the size of Miami, has far less crime. We have the #1 ranked rudest drivers in the country, and Miami is constantly being slammed for its horrible service levels across the board. But on the upside, we have nice beaches and plenty of beautiful women.

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Miami is a joke! - 10/16/2006

I moved to Miami a little over a year ago, but fortunately have found a job elsewhere and am moving in a couple weeks. When I got to Miami, I was excited to experience the warm sunny climate, beaches and culture. I was disappointed to find a dirty, over-priced, crime ridden, miserable city. Never in my life have I encountered such rude, ignorant, and snobby people. The people here are self centered and I have found it very difficult to make friends. Traffic is ridiculous, the drivers are pathetic- they are dangerous and reckless and you're always glad when you make it off the freeway alive. No one has any manners or social skills, you are lucky if someone actually says, "Thank you" at the grocery store. Everything is overpriced, and the economy is mediocre, so it is hard to make what you need to live. I am sad to say that there is very little that I enjoyed about living here, Miami has been a real disappointment.

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wow, all the hate - 10/4/2006

i am a chicago native, and have lived in miami for the last 14 years due to a job transfer.though i would agree with many of the negative things mentioned about miami. i would have to say that most of the people making comments like they have about this city seem to be themselves the rude racist people that have had bad experiences here. i mean hell dont get me wrong its different very different but i have made freinds with many cuban americans and they are just great people.miami is a very ethnic city with many great things to enjoy if you come here with an open mind.dont expect to see raleigh north carolina or evanston illinois here. one things for sure here if you want to see how racist this country realy is you will see it in south florida.majority of hispanics all live in miami-dade county and white americans live in broward county its unreal. anyhow hispanics most likely would not be the majority in south florida if we did not do what were so good at doing everytime (leaving). when someone looks different or speaks another language moves next to us.

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Miami is out of control - 9/30/2006

Miami's previous immigration from about 40 years ago was better educated (and a few were economically advantaged) whereas the immigration that it is receiving today is not. Miami derived benefits from that immigration which boosted its development, but that is no longer the case. Miami is now suffering from too much immigration that requires too much government assistance from a city that is one of the poorest in the Nation. In addition, Miami is poorly planning its development so that traffic is too congested and public services are over extended. Bottom line: cost of living is too high, salaries are very low, people are not polite or friendly, property taxes are too high, neighborhoods lack sufficient green areas, there is too much overdevelopment, and there are absurd racial tensions between the ethnic groups which lead to insulting one another due to increasing ignorance as you can read in some of the posts from Miamians.

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