I was in Miami for about 14 hours, most of that was sleeping.  It was a shame the trip was so short because there has been tons of new construction there since I last visited in 2002.  I remember downtown Miami being fairly desolate with a lot of cinder block single-floor buildings and empty lots but they've been replaced by dozens of empty 50-floor condo buildings.  We didn't visit South Beach at all.

 

 

 

Leaving the next morning:

 

The elevated people mover system, which gets a lot more use than Detroit's:

 

 

 

Heading north out of town on I-95 to Alligator Alley:

 

 

The Everglades -- mostly a totally nondescript vista like this from I-75:

 

 

 

yeah miami sure did throw up a lot of residential towers. look hardly a light on in any of them -- hey it's a buyer's market!

yeah miami sure did throw up a lot of residential towers. look hardly a light on in any of them -- hey it's a buyer's market!

 

too bad the occupancy in them is super low.  I wouldn't buy in florida if you gave me a 2-for-1 special.

from the looks of it even with 2-4-1 you might have the only two occupied in the building. that is if you put your cat & turtle in the other one.

from the looks of it even with 2-4-1 you might have the only two occupied in the building. that is if you put your cat & turtle in the other one.

 

and I dont have a cat or a turtle!  LOL  So only ONE unit would be occupied.

Oh, you'd buy in Florida if the price were right.  And isn't Miami's PM free compared to Detroit's?

Oh, you'd buy in Florida if the price were right.  And isn't Miami's PM free compared to Detroit's?

 

No, even I wouldn't buy in Florida.

There has been a TON of construction in Miami in the last few years! Its absolutely incredible! I go down there to visit my boyfriend every other month and there is always something new going up. And sad, but true, is the fact that quite a few of these buildings are sitting empty such as the Marquis condominiums (shown in the 3rd picture).

 

Brickell Avenue is quite the show stopper; just tall building after tall building. If you are able to get a panoramic view of the city from Miami Beach, your panorama consists entirely of skyscrapers from SW/SE 26th Road up to I-195.

There has been a TON of construction in Miami in the last few years! Its absolutely incredible! I go down there to visit my boyfriend every other month and there is always something new going up. And sad, but true, is the fact that quite a few of these buildings are sitting empty such as the Marquis condominiums (shown in the 3rd picture).

 

Brickell Avenue is quite the show stopper; just tall building after tall building. If you are able to get a panoramic view of the city from Miami Beach, your panorama consists entirely of skyscrapers from SW/SE 26th Road up to I-195.

 

I agree, but you can also note many of those projects are

• significantly reduced from concept
  
• entire buildings are in foreclosure
  
• This guy I worked with in the past lives in a building that had promised all these luxury amenities, but because so few people live there. They got zilch.
  
• properties were inflated and over valued due to foreign speculators.  A new york size and priced apartment in a miami skyscraper doesn't work when the tower is built on a garage and the immediate area is dangerous as hell.  On top of that there is not street retail along Brickell or in downtown.  The area near that Macys and over to Overtown and any of that stuff north of i-395 is not cute.
  
• If you're on Brickell and go west past the train it gets bad immediately.  Starting by the Publix grocery store going all the way to the airport.
  

 

But yes, the skyline is impressive.

 

I was actually surprised by the mediocre quality of the exteriors of some of these new towers.  Specifically some of you might be aware of the new south shore condo tower that opened this year across the river from downtown Cincinnati (no, not The Ascent).  This new tower in N Kentucky is VERY Florida & Miami-looking, with a white exterior and balconies for all units.  In my opinion it looks cheap from the outside and I was surprised to see that some of these new Miami towers are built from the same cheap materials and similarly are not particularly well designed.  In various parts of Florida you can see the "real" examples of the various recent Cincinnati riverfront Florida-type condos are modeled after, and the quality is typically a lot better.  I was in Clearwater a few months ago and they have some higher quality mid-rises and high-rises there. 

 

Despite it all, downtown Miami seems to have retained much of its very real danger and sleaziness that New York has lost to some extent in the last 10 years.  It continues to be very pedestrian unfriendly, not only because there's nowhere to walk to, but because there's the very real potential for getting knifed.  That said, I still overall find Miami to be a pretty interesting place and definitely the only place in Florida I care about and would consider relocating to for a job.   

Despite it all, downtown Miami seems to have retained much of its very real danger and sleaziness that New York has lost to some extent in the last 10 years.  It continues to be very pedestrian unfriendly, not only because there's nowhere to walk to, but because there's the very real potential for getting knifed. That said, I still overall find Miami to be a pretty interesting place and definitely the only place in Florida I care about and would consider relocating to for a job.   

 

You Sir, are a brave man.

Why people have a generally positive take on miami just makes no sense.  They always say something like"but oh, the weather".  Who cares?  You can get nice weather and beaches in lot's of  other places, and get to keep your life at the same time!!!

  Miami is a fake, false front.  It is a crappy city with almost no authentic urbanity.  Unless you consider gang violence to be urbane....

Why people have a generally positive take on miami just makes no sense.  They always say something like"but oh, the weather".  Who cares?  You can get nice weather and beaches in lot's of  other places, and get to keep your life at the same time!!!

  Miami is a fake, false front.  It is a crappy city with almost no authentic urbanity.  Unless you consider gang violence to be urbane....

 

Its because the media uses MIAMI BEACH (south beach) as a front and when the media discusses the positives of miami, they use the imaging of south beach.

 

What neighborhood in Miami, outside of coconut grove, can folks talk about?

I'm definitely not one of those snow bird people, but I'm even more not one of those Jimmy Buffet people so I find most of Florida's coastal areas intolerable.  About the only place I'd have a chance getting a job in Miami at some point would be U of Miami, and I've been to that area, and while it's not horrible it's not fantastic either.  Trying to live on Miami Beach while working at U of Miami would be borderline impossible without a car commute since the rail line doesn't travel to Miami Beach.  I've actually ridden the city bus from the downtown rail station to Miami Beach to avoid the $50 cab ride and while doable it's pretty time-consuming, not to mention HOT.  One time we rode the first bus back from the clubs at about 5am (first bus) and by the time we were walking to my friend's apartment, it was 7am and about 88 degrees.  But just think about having a job interview in Miami -- you'd have to go down a week ahead of time just to get some new clothes and get in the mindset!   

 

I agree, Miami is obnoxious, but it's way better than most of the rest of Florida, and Miami Beach is walkable and always lively.  We were at some party in 2002 and we walk out and there were a pair of ostriches mating across the street.  That's one of those only-in-Miami moments. 

 

 

 

Miami Beach is used as a front for the entire Miami area in most cases. Being born and raised here in Columbus, going to Miami and experiencing how people live is very interesting. Its just the fact that Miami and Florida, in general, are sooo different from what I am used to, i.e. the prices, drivers, Spanish-speakers, fakeness, and so on. But, I think the Miami area is a very livable area if you know where to live.

 

And yes, a lot of the city of Miami and surrounding areas are nothing but run-down, crime and drug-infested places. But it also has some rather nice areas such as Coconut Grove, Brickell, The Roads, Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Miami Beach up to Bal Harbour, Aventura, and so on; although not all of these areas are pedestrian-friendly i.e. Aventura.

 

But Miami in general takes a lot of time to get adjusted to! Its like New York except it is sunny and warm year-round! ;)

Miami Beach is used as a front for the entire Miami area in most cases. Being born and raised here in Columbus, going to Miami and experiencing how people live is very interesting. Its just the fact that Miami and Florida, in general, are sooo different from what I am used to, i.e. the prices, drivers, Spanish-speakers, fakeness, and so on. But, I think the Miami area is a very livable area if you know where to live.

 

And yes, a lot of the city of Miami and surrounding areas are nothing but run-down, crime and drug-infested places. But it also has some rather nice areas such as Coconut Grove, Brickell, The Roads, Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Miami Beach up to Bal Harbour, Aventura, and so on; although not all of these areas are pedestrian-friendly i.e. Aventura.

 

But Miami in general takes a lot of time to get adjusted to! Its like New York except it is sunny and warm year-round! ;)

 

Yes, But surrounding coconut grove is dangerous as hell.  I went to the movie and dinner at Christabelle's Quarter.  FYI skip the dinner and just t the second floor.  The restaurant has a lot of character,  mean a lot!  and several people were shot in a double drive by.

 

The Beaches (BA, Aventura, etc) and the Gables aren't Miami proper, brickell is a ghost town(think East Ninth after 7 PM in  1970s) .

 

It okay for a four weekend, but I couldn't live there.

Yet you live in Shaker Square, which ain't THAT far from Kinsman.  You shouldn't throw stones, sir ;).

 

It okay for a four weekend, but I couldn't live there.

 

You act like Miami sent you an invitation.

 

I was there for 3 days and outside of the time spent at the hotel (near the hospital on the edge of downtown) and the game, all of our time was spent in the South Beach area.  Downtown sucks and isn't that walkable (although that little strip of activity near AA Arena and Bayside Market is cool) and the rest of the neighborhoods seem poor and rundown (like most of Florida).  The suburban areas look extremely wealthy and nice by the typical Florida standards, but the urban stuff just ain't what it is up north.

Yet you live in Shaker Square, which ain't THAT far from Kinsman.  You shouldn't throw stones, sir ;).

 

Umm...Kinsman is a bit away Sir, and the part of Kinsman that is in my ward, are the three or four blocks prior to the street turns into Chagrin on the Shaker/Cleveland Border (near sutton place).  The north side of Kinsman/Chagrin is in Cleveland and the south side is Shaker.

 

Kinsman isn't easily walkable to Shaker Square.

I think it's funny how Miami's architecture is so hit or miss. Most of the neighborhoods do suck but it's the 7th largest metro so it's going to have some great stuff that you can't ignore. I have no idea why Miami real estate became so expensive recently - the insane Miami housing boom in the early 2000s just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe they got away with it because immigrants don't mind paying really high prices.

I think it's funny how Miami's architecture is so hit or miss. Most of the neighborhoods do suck but it's the 7th largest metro so it's going to have some great stuff that you can't ignore. I have no idea why Miami real estate became so expensive recently - the insane Miami housing boom in the early 2000s just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe they got away with it because immigrants don't mind paying really high prices.

 

As I said earlier, foreign speculators. In the mid & late 90s south american banks entered the miami area (they have a ton of central/south american banks on Brickell) with that and the combination of Miami being a place for many Central/South American's, Caribbean's to vacation/live in their winter (our summer) and American Airlines having a large hub with lots of non stop flights to the above mentioned regions made it easy for the real estate industry to inflate the cost of condos. 

 

Miami was very cheap in the 80s and FL was even cheaper.  Miami, really all of S. Florida,  economy isn't that diverse.  Their, main industry being travel and tourism, I have feeling they are going to have a tough time crawling out from under the mess they are in. 

Condo tower fever. Even if these were filled, they don't make for a good urban environment. These should be spread out over several blocks and mixed-use with some nice public space. Much more attractive than a single tower.

Yet you live in Shaker Square, which ain't THAT far from Kinsman. You shouldn't throw stones, sir ;).

 

Umm...Kinsman is a bit away Sir, and the part of Kinsman that is in my ward, are the three or four blocks prior to the street turns into Chagrin on the Shaker/Cleveland Border (near sutton place). The north side of Kinsman/Chagrin is in Cleveland and the south side is Shaker.

 

Kinsman isn't easily walkable to Shaker Square.

 

Tell these b!thces that (who 'walked' from Kinsman to Shaker Square to go to the movies):

 

 

Dismissed!

Yet you live in Shaker Square, which ain't THAT far from Kinsman.  You shouldn't throw stones, sir ;).

 

Umm...Kinsman is a bit away Sir, and the part of Kinsman that is in my ward, are the three or four blocks prior to the street turns into Chagrin on the Shaker/Cleveland Border (near sutton place).  The north side of Kinsman/Chagrin is in Cleveland and the south side is Shaker.

 

Kinsman isn't easily walkable to Shaker Square.

 

Tell these b!thces that (who 'walked' from Kinsman to Shaker Square to go to the movies):

 

 

Dismissed!

 

I didn't say it couldn't be done, I just say it wasn't an easy walk.  Besides they're whippersnappers in training, they can walk because they are not in a hurry!

 

Dismiss that! (Snap, Snap)  How you gon sit up here and tell me about my damn neighborhood.  Colored folks, I tell you!

Yet you live in Shaker Square, which ain't THAT far from Kinsman. You shouldn't throw stones, sir ;).

 

Umm...Kinsman is a bit away Sir, and the part of Kinsman that is in my ward, are the three or four blocks prior to the street turns into Chagrin on the Shaker/Cleveland Border (near sutton place). The north side of Kinsman/Chagrin is in Cleveland and the south side is Shaker.

 

Kinsman isn't easily walkable to Shaker Square.

 

Tell these b!thces that (who 'walked' from Kinsman to Shaker Square to go to the movies):

 

 

Dismissed!

 

Oh snap!

Yet you live in Shaker Square, which ain't THAT far from Kinsman. You shouldn't throw stones, sir ;).

 

Umm...Kinsman is a bit away Sir, and the part of Kinsman that is in my ward, are the three or four blocks prior to the street turns into Chagrin on the Shaker/Cleveland Border (near sutton place). The north side of Kinsman/Chagrin is in Cleveland and the south side is Shaker.

 

Kinsman isn't easily walkable to Shaker Square.

 

Tell these b!thces that (who 'walked' from Kinsman to Shaker Square to go to the movies):

 

 

Dismissed!

 

I didn't say it couldn't be done, I just say it wasn't an easy walk. Besides they're whippersnappers in training, they can walk because they are not in a hurry!

 

Dismiss that! (Snap, Snap) How you gon sit up here and tell me about my damn neighborhood. Colored folks, I tell you!

 

Yet you live in Shaker Square, which ain't THAT far from Kinsman. You shouldn't throw stones, sir ;).

 

Umm...Kinsman is a bit away Sir, and the part of Kinsman that is in my ward, are the three or four blocks prior to the street turns into Chagrin on the Shaker/Cleveland Border (near sutton place). The north side of Kinsman/Chagrin is in Cleveland and the south side is Shaker.

 

Kinsman isn't easily walkable to Shaker Square.

 

Tell these b!thces that (who 'walked' from Kinsman to Shaker Square to go to the movies):

 

 

Dismissed!

 

Oh snap!

 

RACISTS!!!

You're the second person to call me a racist today!

 

I'm to kind to be a racist.

 

 

 

You're the second person to call me a racist today!

 

I'm to kind to be a racist.

 

No, you aren't too kind to be a racist. 

You're the second person to call me a racist today!

 

I'm to kind to be a racist.

 

No, you aren't too kind to be a racist. 

:roll:  Don't make me get effnick!

 

 

Dismissed!

 

That's not ghetto. This is ghetto: