[s]Probably[/s] moving to Miami - Please advise

[shmokes]

Damn it!  I know better.  So Stupid!   

[DrewKaree]

I don't think so.  It's possible, I suppose, but I have no memory of it. 

Now you're going to get indicted for obstruction of justice.  Good going.

Better get your gun before the law says you can't own one anymore.  Everyone knows once you're convicted you can't get that gun.  Make sure to put this one in your wife's name too, in case you're convicted.  Wait....you should know all kinds of ways around the law, and yer only gonna learn more....nevermind.

JEB BUSH WON!

[shmokes]

Oh, Drew.  Like all your arguments in PnR there are gaping chasms in your logic.  If I'm going to put it in my wife's name either way, I don't need to get the gun before I'm convicted.

[sphetr2]

Hmm...I don't think I would ever want to live in a place where they made a GTA game...

We went to Miami last year (drove from St. Pete) and it sucks pretty bad. The crime is bad (car got broken into), the beach is not really anything to write home about (well, the features of the landscape, that is  ). Oh yeah, and art deco gets old very quickly!

[Dartful Dodger]

We went to Miami last year (drove from St. Pete) and it sucks pretty bad. The crime is bad (car got broken into), the beach is not really anything to write home about (well, the features of the landscape, that is  ). Oh yeah, and art deco gets old very quickly!

Did you have nonFlorida plates?
Did you ask for directions?

My friend lived in Miami for six years, he loved it.

He was born and raised in Chicago, so he didn't think the crime was that bad.



shmokes, don't listen to the nay sayers.

Miami is a nice place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit there.

[jbox]

I don't think so.  It's possible, I suppose, but I have no memory of it. 

Now you're going to get indicted for obstruction of justice.  Good going.

Outstanding! Almost got cola all over my monitor. 

[shmokes]

It's the heat that worries me most, to be honest.  Criminals strike here and there, and maybe I'll get robbed or something at one point (hopefully not).  But the sun and humidity will be assailing me on a daily basis.  If I learn to truly hate the city, I suspect that will be the reason.  We will see.  Crime or heat, though, I'm moving there, so there's really no use in trying to talk me out of it.  It's a made decision at this point.

[sphetr2]

We went to Miami last year (drove from St. Pete) and it sucks pretty bad. The crime is bad (car got broken into), the beach is not really anything to write home about (well, the features of the landscape, that is  ). Oh yeah, and art deco gets old very quickly!

Did you have nonFlorida plates?

Yea, I drove from St. Petersburg, Russia  .

I guess you might be right, though. As you live there more, you get to know it more, and know how to avoid crime, etc.

[DrewKaree]

We went to Miami last year (drove from St. Pete) and it sucks pretty bad. The crime is bad (car got broken into), the beach is not really anything to write home about (well, the features of the landscape, that is  ). Oh yeah, and art deco gets old very quickly!

Did you have nonFlorida plates?

Yea, I drove from St. Petersburg, Russia  .

Riiiight, because it's not possible there's another "St. Pete" in America, and him being so familiar with Florida what with living in Illinois and all, he'd have known you were talking about THAT one

Shmokes, don't worry.  It's not so much the heat, it's the humidity that'll getcha.

[quarterback]

I can't go to Miami and expect to be able to talk to others or even order food and have a chance of anyone understanding me.

While this might sound like hyperbole to some, it's completely accurate.   I used to live in Miami and when I moved there I was stunned at how truly nasty a place it is.     The crime rate is very high, the education rate is low, the number of people below the poverty level is high and it's expensive to live there.

Unless you make lots and lots of money you'll find that normal daily interaction with retail or restaurant employees is a true battle of wills.  At least half the people would just as soon see you dead on the street as anything else.

You'll live in a place with gates and alarms and you'll still be concerned for your safety.   You'll see crimes taking place on a weekly basis during daylight hours.   You'll learn to never stop at a light or stopsign without enough space between you and the car in front of you to allow a quick escape. 

I've lived in many cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, and Miami is without a doubt the dirtiest, worst place I've ever lived and the only place I would never ever live again.  No matter what.

[quarterback]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami,_Florida

Based on the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports Program, Miami ranks as the second most dangerous metropolitan area in the United States, based on the number of murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts that have occurred in the metropolitan area. The city proper ranks 14th.[3]

The city ranks second-to-last in people over 18 with a high school diploma, with 23% of the population not having that degree.

[shmokes]

Seriously, guys, stop it.  My wife sometimes reads these forums believe it or not.  We.  Are.  Moving.  There.   

[shmokes]

But, Quarterback, now that that's out of the way, for someone who will be going to school in Coral Gables, and who's wife will more than likely be working in the design district, which is just a few miles from Coral Gables from what I understand, where should we live?  Coral Gables is out of the question.  We'll be poor.  What do you suggest.  In any city there are high-crime places that you simply want to avoid.  It sounds like you think Miami has more than its share of those places.  Help a BYOAC member out . . . 

[tommy]

Ft Lauderdale is pretty nice, i even have a nice little love shack for you and your hunny-bunny to live in right down the street from me. 

[shmokes]

Yeah, the 60 or 70 mile commute to school every day will be a pleasure.   

[DrewKaree]

Yeah, the 60 or 70 mile commute to school every day will be a pleasure.   

You should get one of those smart cars that're all the rage in places where large trucks/SUV's evidently don't exist. 

Either that, or that Toyotamabob Cruiser.  That'd be a nice drive then, no?

[shmokes]

Yeah, because an SUV is the ideal vehicle to drive 130 miles a day in.   





edit: I just looked it up.  It's only 33 miles.  That's still quite a daily commute.    Maybe by Tri-Rail/MetroRail it wouldn't be so bad (apparently the thing has a stop right on the University's campus).  How much do rail passes cost, Tommy?   

edit 2:  Nevermind.  I'd be looking at $80/mo. for the Tri-Rail pass and $56/mo. for the MetroRail pass.  All this for the luxury of it taking me an hour or more to get to and from school.  I did spend a night in Ft. Lauderdale once and what I saw of the city (which was pretty much confined to just a single street along the ocean) was very nice.

[patrickl]

Maybe you save more than $80 on the monthly rent if you live in Ft Lauderdale instead of Miami.

I went (on vacation) to both Miami and Ft Lauderdale and I have to agree that the latter was much nicer. I couldn't stand the heat in the whole of Florida though.

[ChadTower]

Oh, Drew.  Like all your arguments in PnR there are gaping chasms in your logic.  If I'm going to put it in my wife's name either way, I don't need to get the gun before I'm convicted.

Gun license background checks include a scan of who your spouse is in a lot of states.  It does matter.

[CCM]

edit 2:  Nevermind.  I'd be looking at $80/mo. for the Tri-Rail pass and $56/mo. for the MetroRail pass.  All this for the luxury of it taking me an hour or more to get to and from school.  I did spend a night in Ft. Lauderdale once and what I saw of the city (which was pretty much confined to just a single street along the ocean) was very nice.

What will it cost you every month for gas if you drive to school everyday?  Do you have to pay for parking once you get there?  These factors may make the $80 or $56 cheaper than driving.

[ChadTower]

Parking costs in major dense cities are always quite high.  In Boston you'll pay $200/month.

[DrewKaree]

Parking costs in major dense cities are always quite high.  In Boston you'll pay $200/month.

MrC doesn't strike me as MAJORLY dense, but I'm willing to go with your judgement on this one Chad

[shardian]

MrC doesn't strike me as MAJORLY dense, but I'm willing to go with your judgement on this one Chad

He sure is working his way toward it though.

[Dartful Dodger]

We went to Miami last year (drove from St. Pete) and it sucks pretty bad. The crime is bad (car got broken into), the beach is not really anything to write home about (well, the features of the landscape, that is  ). Oh yeah, and art deco gets old very quickly!

Did you have nonFlorida plates?

Yea, I drove from St. Petersburg, Russia  .

I guess you might be right, though. As you live there more, you get to know it more, and know how to avoid crime, etc.

I figured you started your vacation in St. Petersburg, then drove to Miami.
Rereading these posts, it's more obvious you'd have Florida plates.
Even if you started your vacation in St. Petersburg you would have rented a Floridian car.

[shmokes]

I'm thinking I'll likely get a monthly MetroRail pass ($56) either way.  My wife and I only own one car and keeping it that way will help us avoid acquiring and insuring another one.  With a MetroRail station on campus it seems like a no-brainer.  But living in Ft. Lauderdale would add $80 per month PLUS the commute time, which would include however much time it takes at the transfer station to change trains from the TriRail system to the MetroRail (I have no idea how long this takes or how frequently MetroRail trains come, etc.).  So while living in a nicer, safer area is appealing, it sounds like this is unrealistic.  Plus, I think Ft. Lauderdale might be more expensive than Miami.  Tommy might be able to comment on that. 

BTW Tommy, what is the commute like by rail?  Google tells me it's about 40 minutes by car.

[vader]

I feel for you moving to the Miami area.  I live about 10 miles north or North Miami area and if your going to be farther south, have fun.  English is the second language the farther south you go if spoken at all.

I only browsed through the thread and since your looking to live in Coral Gables I'm guessing you were accepted at UM.

Housing is not cheap near the campus, so you may want to look elsewhere.


Good luck..

[vader]

I'm thinking I'll likely get a monthly MetroRail pass ($56) either way.  My wife and I only own one car and keeping it that way will help us avoid acquiring and insuring another one.  With a MetroRail station on campus it seems like a no-brainer.  But living in Ft. Lauderdale would add $80 per month PLUS the commute time, which would include however much time it takes at the transfer station to change trains from the TriRail system to the MetroRail (I have no idea how long this takes or how frequently MetroRail trains come, etc.).  So while living in a nicer, safer area is appealing, it sounds like this is unrealistic.  Plus, I think Ft. Lauderdale might be more expensive than Miami.  Tommy might be able to comment on that. 

BTW Tommy, what is the commute like by rail?  Google tells me it's about 40 minutes by car.

your looking at around 1:10 by rail.  As far as cities near Ft Lauderdale...   look at Sunrise  .. Plantation ...   Tamarac  ... stay away from anything East of I-95

[shmokes]

Thanks.  Specifics like that are awesome.  I do not want to end up getting my family into an apartment where it turns out that we fear for our safety on a regular basis.  Frankly I'd really like to live much closer to campus than Ft. Lauderdale.  If I can keep it to 15 miles or less I'll be pretty happy.  And, yeah, I'm going to U of M, so if I can live right near a MetroRail stop on the line that stops right on campus that would make it much easier to live further from campus without too much trouble. 

If we could live in Coral Gables that would be awesome, but if I could afford to live in Coral Gables I probably wouldn't be enrolling in law school right now   I'm sure we will be living further away from campus.

[vader]

Thanks.  Specifics like that are awesome.  I do not want to end up getting my family into an apartment where it turns out that we fear for our safety on a regular basis.  Frankly I'd really like to live much closer to campus than Ft. Lauderdale.  If I can keep it to 15 miles or less I'll be pretty happy.  And, yeah, I'm going to U of M, so if I can live right near a MetroRail stop on the line that stops right on campus that would make it much easier to live further from campus without too much trouble. 

If we could live in Coral Gables that would be awesome, but if I could afford to live in Coral Gables I probably wouldn't be enrolling in law school right now   I'm sure we will be living further away from campus.

You might want to consider Hollywood or Miramar then ... possibly Hallandale.  Hollywood has the nearest Tri-Rail station that connects to the Metrorail.  DO NOT MOVE TO HALLANDALE NEAR I-95.

Those 3 cites are between 15-20 miles south of Ft Lauderdale


There's alot of apartment complexes near Hollywood Blvd and 35 avenue and they have pretty reasonable prices .... should be at or around 950-1000 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment.

[MikeQ]

Shmokes, I live in the Orlando area now but grew up in South Florida.   Been to Miami a lot then and now.  It is a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- hole now.  The best advice, don't move there.

Crime is horrible, traffic is horrible, housing is horrible.  Boca Raton is about the only place that is nice in that area but still has horrible traffic problems. 

[vader]

Shmokes, I live in the Orlando area now but grew up in South Florida.   Been to Miami a lot then and now.  It is a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- hole now.  The best advice, don't move there.

Crime is horrible, traffic is horrible, housing is horrible.  Boca Raton is about the only place that is nice in that area but still has horrible traffic problems. 

Boca Raton ? ....  you've got him about 60 miles north of the campus there.  He can get nice housing if he's will to live farther west.   ANYPLACE in Pembroke Pines is very nice and majority of Hollywood is good too with the exception of the area between I-95 and A1A.  He doesn't need to live two counties away to live nice.  Not to mention, but he probably can't afford to live in Boca ATM

[MikeQ]

Shmokes, I live in the Orlando area now but grew up in South Florida.   Been to Miami a lot then and now.  It is a ---Cleveland steamer--- hole now.  The best advice, don't move there.

Crime is horrible, traffic is horrible, housing is horrible.  Boca Raton is about the only place that is nice in that area but still has horrible traffic problems. 

Boca Raton ? ....  you've got him about 60 miles north of the campus there.  He can get nice housing if he's will to live farther west.   ANYPLACE in Pembroke Pines is very nice and majority of Hollywood is good too with the exception of the area between I-95 and A1A.  He doesn't need to live two counties away to live nice.

I wasn't suggesting he live in Boca.  I was just saying that is the only nice place I would live in South Florida.    My original sentance sums it up.  "Don't move to Miami"

[shmokes]

Not helpful, MikeQ.  Seriously.  Miami is where I'm going to law school.  I can't call Berkeley up and say, "Hey guys, I know I didn't get accepted, but it turns out my 3rd choice school is in a city I don't want to live in.  Can you please reconsider?" 

I.  Am.  Moving.  To.  Miami. 

If it's hell, I'll just have to be in hell for at least a year.  Maybe I can get into Cornell or Berkeley as a transfer student if my class standing is good.  Otherwise, I'll just tough it out for three years.  Millions of other people seem to be doing it.  But . . .

I.  Am.  Moving.  To.  Miami.

If you think that Miami is horrible the best you can do for me is give me suggestions that might help me minimize its horribleness as much as is possible, as Vader is doing.

By the way, Vader, any suggestions you have that would put me in a reasonably safe/nice area on the MetroRail, rather than on the Tri-Rail would also be nice, as that would make my public transit costs $56/mo, rather than $136/mo.  Unless there is a cheaper pass I am unaware of that will let me use both systems.  But as near as I can tell the Metro would be $56 (for college students) and the Tri-Rail pass is $80.

[MikeQ]

Not helpful, MikeQ.  Seriously.  Miami is where I'm going to law school.  I can't call Berkeley up and say, "Hey guys, I know I didn't get accepted, but it turns out my 3rd choice school is in a city I don't want to live in.  Can you please reconsider?" 

I.  Am.  Moving.  To.  Miami. 

If it's hell, I'll just have to be in hell for at least a year.  Maybe I can get into Cornell or Berkeley as a transfer student if my class standing is good.  Otherwise, I'll just tough it out for three years.  Millions of other people seem to be doing it.  But . . .

I.  Am.  Moving.  To.  Miami.

If you think that Miami is horrible the best you can do for me is give me suggestions that might help me minimize its horribleness as much as is possible, as Vader is doing.

By the way, Vader, any suggestions you have that would put me in a reasonably safe/nice area on the MetroRail, rather than on the Tri-Rail would also be nice, as that would make my public transit costs $56/mo, rather than $136/mo.  Unless there is a cheaper pass I am unaware of that will let me use both systems.  But as near as I can tell the Metro would be $56 (for college students) and the Tri-Rail pass is $80.

Sorry, didn't read the whole thread.  Didn't realize this was school.  I was just doing some quick scanning.

I have a friend who lives in North Miama Beach.  He's a cop.  I'll ask him for his reccomendations.

I'm not sure how old your kids are.  Is school an issue?

Are you driving here?

[vader]

By the way, Vader, any suggestions you have that would put me in a reasonably safe/nice area on the MetroRail, rather than on the Tri-Rail would also be nice, as that would make my public transit costs $56/mo, rather than $136/mo.  Unless there is a cheaper pass I am unaware of that will let me use both systems.  But as near as I can tell the Metro would be $56 (for college students) and the Tri-Rail pass is $80.

Unfortunately, there is no area around the Metrorail I would want to live without owning a gun,knife,mace,taser and knowing Karate.  I know it's another 80 bucks a month, but for your well being and not looking over your shoulder every minute waiting to get mugged, not to mention the bums trying to get money from you, I'd live farther north and deal with the commute

[Grasshopper]

Wow, this thread doesn't paint a very flattering picture of life in the US.

Not helpful, MikeQ.  Seriously.  Miami is where I'm going to law school.  I can't call Berkeley up and say, "Hey guys, I know I didn't get accepted, but it turns out my 3rd choice school is in a city I don't want to live in.  Can you please reconsider?" 

Actually, that's not such a bad idea. Have you considered deferring entry for a year, and seeing if Cornell or Berkeley will accept you next year?

OK it's another year of your life treading water, but on the bright side, it's also another year in which to save up so you don't ultimately have to borrow as much.

This seems to be pivotal moment of your life and the stakes are pretty high. You don't want your education to be screwed up because you don't like your college and/or the place you're living in.

Also, didn't you say in another thread that you might end up being up to $200,000 in debt? To me that's an insane amount of money. If I was spending that amount of money on going to college then I'd be very reluctant to compromise over where I went.

[MikeQ]

Wow, this thread doesn't paint a very flattering picture of life in the US.

Not helpful, MikeQ.  Seriously.  Miami is where I'm going to law school.  I can't call Berkeley up and say, "Hey guys, I know I didn't get accepted, but it turns out my 3rd choice school is in a city I don't want to live in.  Can you please reconsider?" 

Actually, that's not such a bad idea. Have you considered deferring entry for a year, and seeing if Cornell or Berkeley will accept you next year?

OK it's another year of your life treading water, but on the bright side, it's also another year in which to save up so you don't ultimately have to borrow as much.

This seems to be pivotal moment of your life and the stakes are pretty high. You don't want your education to be screwed up because you don't like your college and/or the place you're living in.

Also, didn't you say in another thread that you might end up being up to $200,000 in debt? To me that's an insane amount of money. If I was spending that amount of money on going to college then I'd be very reluctant to compromise over where I went.

Miami is hardly representative of the entire U.S.

[DrewKaree]

Wow, this thread doesn't paint a very flattering picture of life in the US.

Mike, here's an example of how you respond to a point without having to rehash the entire post he made.  Heck, ya didn't even have to quote him on that one!

Grasshopper, that'd be kinda like saying certain parts of Italy don't paint a very flattering picture of life in Europe.  The area you're referring to (the U.S.) is far more than Miami.  Check out the population of Miami, then compare it against your entire country.  Are you telling us there's no place in Britain you would consider seedy or less-than-ideal?

It's also kinda funny - what Vader said was "reasonable" for a 2-bedroom apartment ($950-1000/month) would be rent for a NI-ICE HOUSE in my area...but then again, who wants to live in a cow pasture in almost-Canuckistan?

[shmokes]

My daughter is 7 months old, so schools are of no concern.  As to debt, $120,000 is probably closer to the mark.  It's still an enormous figure, but better than 200,000 I suppose.  Tuition is $32,000 / year.  Deferring at this point is unattractive to me, both because I deferred my bachelor's degree for so long (I'm graduating in a couple months at 28 years old) and because my best hope of getting into a better school at this point is as a transfer student.  The only way I could increase my chances without starting at another school is to study for and retake the LSAT, which I'm sure I would do even as a transfer student (I scored very well the first time, but I know for a fact that I can do considerably better). 

Also, Miami is a very good school, ranked in the top 25 for international law (around 18 or 19, I believe).  It's important to remember when applying for schools that everyone applying knows that schools standards.  Every school publishes the median LSAT and GPAs for their previous entering class (as well as the 25th/75th percentiles of the LSAT scores and GPAs).  Since it costs about $100 per school to apply, most people don't apply to schools that they obviously have no chance of getting into.  The vast majority of applicants who are turned down were qualified to go to that school.  Berkeley, for example, gets over 7000 applicants per year and they only offer seats to less than 10% of those.  So putting off law school for a year in order to try again is a pretty tough prospect considering the lottery you are up against. 

[shmokes]

It's also kinda funny - what Vader said was "reasonable" for a 2-bedroom apartment ($950-1000/month) would be rent for a NI-ICE HOUSE in my area...but then again, who wants to live in a cow pasture in almost-Canuckistan?

More importantly, which law school is located there that I can attend?