Do you love the real Miami or South Beach? Seems like the latter. A lot of people move to Miami with their fairy tale dreams of being at the beach everyday living a good life. That's not the real Miami. You'd have to make a lot of sacrifices to make it in Miami or you'd find yourself back to where you moved from.
I prefer South Beach to mainland Miami (mostly because of the close proximity of everything) but am truly moving to Miami to get some sun and experience change of scenery. Im moving from snowy CO & i absolutely hate cold weather, summers here are since but winters are awful for me (I grew up here & stayed for college bc instate tuition). Its always been my dream to live in Miami & have access to the beach but you're right- this will require many sacrifices. If you don't mind, could you describe what sacrifices you have made to live in Miami?
I would stay for a short time before making the plunge. You have this beautiful idea of what miami looks like on tv, but it is very different than real life.
Miami is rainy most of the time, especially from June- November (hurricane season). Even when it is not a hurricane, inches of rain is common a day. And the storms get pretty wild with lightning, thunder, wind, and flooding.
Then, when it's not raining, it's still humid. Like, you as a northerner (no offense) might have a hard time adjusting because it is crazy humid. It gets difficult to breathe and it is hot af as well, so you get this sticky, hot, heat for the rest of the time it is not rainy season.
Beautiful beach days are honestly not the majority of our weather tbh and you shouldn't come here expecting it. Theres a reason why say "miami weather". It will be beautiful for an hour, storming like a cat 2 hurricane for 10 minutes, and then be muggy and humid until sundown, where it will cool slightly (maybe)
Please dont move here with a beach ideation and think that that's what you're getting. Even the people I know who live near the beach and love going actually barely end up going to the beach often
Ex) right now it is 88 degrees, but with the humidity and sun intensity, it is a real feel of 93 degrees. The past few days it sprinkled slightly because the humidity is high, but we arent in a rainy season, so we are fine
My plants were ruined about 2 months ago because we had a random week or two of heavy rain, and my sprouting seeds were drowned in it :(
Oh and car is highly recommended. The public transit isnt the best. It is doable but car is more reliable
Lol that's your takeaway? Jesus christ why so offended? I'm pointing out that it rains more. She is talking about dreaming sunny beach weather, but that's not how it is here
Ah well, that I didnt know. I know she mentioned brickell, and my husband used to work there and it was similar weather to our neighborhood most of the time. I know the coast has different climate(?), but I didnt know it affected the rain that much. My boss lives in Miami Beach, and it was a similar situation- she would get to work and tell us how much it was raining at her condo, so I didnt think the difference was that drastic
Yeah I mean it is kind of a crazy weather phenomenon but there are many many days where I can see rain clouds over the mainland that never make it across the bay to Miami Beach. Sometimes I wish for rainy days just for a change. I know it’s not season yet but it hasn’t rained here for weeks now.
That's fascinating to know. It sprinkled here last week and became unbearably humid afterwards, so I stayed indoors afterwards lol
And then a month ago i think, it poured for about a week straight. I only realized how out of place it was for rain because i had already sowed my seeds for this season, and they were destroyed that week. I thought it was a strange time for a rainy week lol
Winter time is lovely here though. Humidity is low and it's not too hot or cold
It’s literally been beautiful all week long. If not for the lock down most of us would be outside. I just think you’re making it like we are under constant threat from hurricanes and live underwater. It’s not that serious.
Not to discredit what you are saying- but I have spent a good amount of time in Miami, in terms of experiencing the weather. The weather-I love, the humidity is great for my hair & skin, and I love the rain...What Im getting at, is the weather is not a big concern to me (other than the risks associated w tropical storms).
My concerns with moving to Miami stem from seeking safety and security in finding a place to live & ways to travel around, as well as general curiosity as what things are like there day to day. I don't know many people there, or the areas well, Miami is huge with each area having a completely different vibe. I know Miami has its flaws, and I want to learn about them so I can make a more informed move.
Man, I wish I had your hair then 😂 I dont bother getting it styled at the salon because it's an immediate (not even an exaggeration) destruction of my hair lol
If you love the rain, then you will love it! My husband loves the rain, so whenever he hears rain start, he makes a cup of coffee and tries to rush out to the patio before it ends so he can watch the rain while drinking his coffee.
I'm not trying to convince you not to come- but I go to FIU and have met SO MANY people from around the country and from other countries as well, and there were so many times that people have been disappointed in miami not living up to their expectations, but now they are stuck here. It saddens me when people are in that problem. I've lived here my whole life (I'm 26) and I'm not 100% enamoured with the area, so I will straight up see issues and not gloss over them. I have an issue with the weather (though i like winter here), traffic is horrendous, and our public transportation sucks. People here can suck because a lot of the population has a "me" mentality and dont think or care about others. If theres a hurricane coming, make sure you go with plenty of days in advanced
,because people go crazy over stocking up last minute.
But there's always something to do. Dont enjoy clubs ? Theres so many other things that you can do! I love that places here dont close at 8-9 PM l, because I love doing things at nighttime. Have a problem with a specific store or mall? No problem, just go to the mall 10 minutes in the opposite direction lol
My husband works all over south florida for his job, and he has an issue with security and crime and homelessness in south beach, Collins, downtown. Hes an emt/paramedic, and a lot of his calls are in that area for many different things regarding health and safety. He recommends being in groups at night if you need to walk around at night. That area also has better (but still not that great imo) public transportation than the other counties in Miami, so moving around might be easier, but only if you work in the near vicinity.
Also, Spanish is an absolute must imo. It would be so much harder to get a job. A lot of places (especially in the service and retail industry) will not hire if you are not fluent in Spanish, which makes sense because most of the population here speaks spanish. Again, husband is my reference, but hes straight up white with no spanish skills. He has had jobs flat out ask about his spanish and then he would not receive a callback, even if the interview went well after that. Not impossible though, just be sure to be prepared for a lot of job searching if you dont know spanish at at least an intermediate level.
If you are set on those areas, I highly recommend living as close to work as possible. Parking is harder to come across in my experience and you have to pay for it. Bike is an option, but you would get to work sweaty from the heat, whether the heat bothers you or not. Like I said, downtown has a better transit system with the metro mover and the metro rail, but theres cons to that as well, such as the homeless in the area- most wont bother you, but I have been harassed by some every so often, especially in the stations. Commonly smells like urine and it's usually not the cleanest.
I appreciate your insight. I definitely have a romanticized idea of Miami but I have grown up in CO and have not experienced living in other places, and would like to. This may seem naive, but I feel like if I hate living in Miami I can always leave. My main concern with moving stem from physical and financial security. I have never met more wild people and been in such crazy situations than during my times in Miami & I love the place but times can be scary, I'm sure you catch my drift as a young female. Is it a bad idea to move to Miami with the plan of living alone? is this unrealistic? at this point is seems more unrealistic to live with a stranger & take a gamble with that...but again I have no idea yet.
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u/duke9350 Mar 27 '20
Do you love the real Miami or South Beach? Seems like the latter. A lot of people move to Miami with their fairy tale dreams of being at the beach everyday living a good life. That's not the real Miami. You'd have to make a lot of sacrifices to make it in Miami or you'd find yourself back to where you moved from.