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I'm a single guy that lived and worked in Miami for a year and have returned back to NYC. I was making a nice 6 digit salary that went really far in the local economy, but I still didn't like it. Since I moved away from Miami, so many people have asked me why I didn't like it. Here's the reasons why:
1) Huge Cuban population. I like Cuban people, but their culture tends to isolate against outsiders. I never really felt welcome in Miami. I was never invited over anyone's house for a BBQ or party. I did get invited for a single happy hour and some sporting events where they needed people.
2) If I revealed that I was new to Miami, people never gave me locals advice. Instead, they distrusted me or isolated against me. I had to change my story to: "I live in Miami", in order to get people to open up me to me a little.
3) I lived in inland Miami, which is a totally different culture than Miami beach or South Beach. Anyone new to Miami should live in Miami Beach or South Beach or else they probably won't last (like me).
4) The further inland you go, the more aggressive drivers are and the more unfriendly people are. The less likely you'll get a "Hello" from strangers as you walk by.
5) People often ask me about the crime, but I didn't have any problems with crime. I was afraid of the general populace however. It's perfect legal to just buy a gun from Walmart and keep it in your glove compartment!
6) My female boss had a concealed carry license, so I decided to go check out the class. It was such a joke. Just how to hold a gun and aim it properly. No discussion on grey area situations like: "You are pumping gas at night and someone comes running at you. What do you do?". No discussion whatsoever. This made me even more afraid of the population.
6.5) I never saw a single car pulled over for speeding or other traffic violation the entire time I was there! I guess its supposed to be a self-policing state? Drivers were ultra aggressive since they could be with no fear from cops! (Inland Miami)
7) The heat in the summer is almost as bad as NYC's cold in the winter. I basically had to run into A/C from Jun - Aug.
8) I never understood the dating rules there. I knew I had to be super-aggressive in order to keep up with the other guys. Even after I got dates, I was under the impression that I had to text her every 4 hours or else she would lose interest. Half the women I talked to seemed to be dating as a means for living. It seemed to be understood that men pay for everything and buy expensive gifts for women.
9) Not much to do outside of the beach. Not many mountain hiking trails, no big broadway shows. Didn't seem to be bicycle friendly on the streets (Inland).
10) Most of the transient people that I made friends with eventually moved away. I made some deep friendships there that hurt when those people moved away. Maybe that's the reason why locals keep their distance??
Overall, I didn't hate Miami, it just wasn't for me. I met a lot of cool people there that I still keep in touch with. Obviously, I would have done things differently if I did it again. I would live in Miami Beach somewhere. I would limit myself to talking to tourists or other transient people. The beaches are great!! I really miss that part. I'm sure a whole bunch of locals will refute everything I'm saying with this or that example, but hey, this is just my honest opinion. Part of me really does miss Miami.
A 6 digit salary in Miami is impressive. Did you consider moving to Broward county and commuting?
How is the salary, dating and travel time gonna work out for you in NYC.
Ur definitely right about a greater variety of thing to do in NYC . Manhattan has many transient people too and most of the old timers in the boroughs have the same attitude towards newcomers. Any gun range will teach you how to handle a firearm.
Wow. Stunning....
One only has to mention uneasiness about gun laws/culture and one immediately becomes "left wing"?
The NRA really does run the show in this country, don't they?
I guess I'm a proud left winger and I think I'll stay.
Sure,the people who don't like guns should not mess with them...
No city is perfect. I do agree with #1 and #8 tho. I would say New Yorkers aren't the favorite transplant because they complain a lot. That could have effected your experience also. Much props for you actually being the very few ones moving back because they don't like it.
Miami has changed a lot. I spend most of my time in Broward. The market is slightly picking up. I plan to sell and move
No city is perfect. I do agree with #1 and #8 tho. I would say New Yorkers aren't the favorite transplant because they complain a lot. That could have effected your experience also. Much props for you actually being the very few ones moving back because they don't like it.
Miami has changed a lot. I spend most of my time in Broward. The market is slightly picking up. I plan to sell and move
New Yorkers do not compalin a lot, as you say, because they are inherently predisposed to complaining. They complain because they are used to a real city and this place (Miami) doesn't function like one. It functions like a 3rd world country in many ways. The downtown for example (not brickell, but downtown proper) is a hot mess. With that said, Miami is a place in transition and you have to come here with that in mind. Also, just as a side note, I have met people from Chicago and DC who complain about the state the city of Miami is in, just as much as I have heard NYers complain.
1) Huge Cuban population. I like Cuban people, but their culture tends to isolate against outsiders. I never really felt welcome in Miami. I was never invited over anyone's house for a BBQ or party. I did get invited for a single happy hour and some sporting events where they needed people.
This has NOTHING to do with Cubans. That is South Florida in general. I lived in Broward for many years and it is the exact same way as Miami is. People are not very warm or friendly down here. I have heard the theory that it is because of the transient nature of the local population. Could be, I don't know.
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2) If I revealed that I was new to Miami, people never gave me locals advice. Instead, they distrusted me or isolated against me. I had to change my story to: "I live in Miami", in order to get people to open up me to me a little.
See my response to #1
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3) I lived in inland Miami, which is a totally different culture than Miami beach or South Beach. Anyone new to Miami should live in Miami Beach or South Beach or else they probably won't last (like me).
That was your first mistake, ie moving inland. I always tell peope stick to the eastern neighborhoods ie the Grove, Brickell, Downtown, Edgwater, Midtown, Design District, the beach.
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4) The further inland you go, the more aggressive drivers are and the more unfriendly people are. The less likely you'll get a "Hello" from strangers as you walk by.
I have heard that from others also. I live in the Grove, but I have friends out west and the horror stories they tell about neighbors are just ridiculous.
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5) People often ask me about the crime, but I didn't have any problems with crime. I was afraid of the general populace however. It's perfect legal to just buy a gun from Walmart and keep it in your glove compartment!
I have not witnessed really bad crime in Miami yet. The general population doesn't scare or bother me though. I think a lot of what you are describing may have been personal anxiety.
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6) My female boss had a concealed carry license, so I decided to go check out the class. It was such a joke. Just how to hold a gun and aim it properly. No discussion on grey area situations like: "You are pumping gas at night and someone comes running at you. What do you do?". No discussion whatsoever. This made me even more afraid of the population.
My mother took the concealed weapons class. She said her instructor was very good. Maybe it was the place you went?
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6.5) I never saw a single car pulled over for speeding or other traffic violation the entire time I was there! I guess its supposed to be a self-policing state? Drivers were ultra aggressive since they could be with no fear from cops! (Inland Miami)
I think you are having a laugh here, no?
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7) The heat in the summer is almost as bad as NYC's cold in the winter. I basically had to run into A/C from Jun - Aug.
Yep, a lot of people don't get this. It is a polar opposite of NYC in so many ways. If you can stand heat then Miami is the place to be for you. If you can't take heat/humidity, then avoid this place.
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8) I never understood the dating rules there. I knew I had to be super-aggressive in order to keep up with the other guys. Even after I got dates, I was under the impression that I had to text her every 4 hours or else she would lose interest. Half the women I talked to seemed to be dating as a means for living. It seemed to be understood that men pay for everything and buy expensive gifts for women.
Sounds like you were running in the wrong circles?
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9) Not much to do outside of the beach. Not many mountain hiking trails, no big broadway shows. Didn't seem to be bicycle friendly on the streets (Inland).
There is the free art walk the second Saturday of every month. there is the huge bicycle ride that starts in downtown Miami and travels about 10 miles or so. Some heat players have been known to attend. There is the wynwood art bicycle ride. There are TONS and I mean TONS of bicycle clubs that race road racing bikes all over the Eastern half of Miami. I see them going through downtown, brickell and the grove all the time. The museums are free the second Saturday of every month. Though it isn't broadway there are some shows at teh Adrienne Arsht Center. Im not saying Miami is in par with NYC, it isn't even CLOSE to being like NYC in terms of things to do, but, you can find something.
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10) Most of the transient people that I made friends with eventually moved away. I made some deep friendships there that hurt when those people moved away. Maybe that's the reason why locals keep their distance??
Yep, this place is SUPER transient. Part of the issue is jobs and the lack of appropriate pay, then there is inadequacy of amenties that the "city" has to offer.
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Overall, I didn't hate Miami, it just wasn't for me. I met a lot of cool people there that I still keep in touch with. Obviously, I would have done things differently if I did it again. I would live in Miami Beach somewhere. I would limit myself to talking to tourists or other transient people. The beaches are great!! I really miss that part. I'm sure a whole bunch of locals will refute everything I'm saying with this or that example, but hey, this is just my honest opinion. Part of me really does miss Miami.
New Yorkers do not compalin a lot, as you say, because they are inherently predisposed to complaining. They complain because they are used to a real city and this place (Miami) doesn't function like one. It functions like a 3rd world country in many ways. The downtown for example (not brickell, but downtown proper) is a hot mess. With that said, Miami is a place in transition and you have to come here with that in mind. Also, just as a side note, I have met people from Chicago and DC who complain about the state the city of Miami is in, just as much as I have heard NYers complain.
Then why not stay in NY? To me real New Yorkers stay in New York. I have family members there, while they visited many places, they said nothing is like NY so they never left. I do recall few family members that left for the job opportunity stacked cash and moved back to NY within a three year period. I lived in several cities in the US so it's not just Miami and there is always that New Yorker saying oh this is not NY or if it were in NY it would be done like this. Move back or shut up. lol
Miami, FL is pretty much Cuba, FL at this point so this is why you say that it functions like a third world country. My advice is for people to live in Broward if they don't like the high Cuban dominated population and just enjoy the many festivities Miami has to offer.
To your side note. I also have friends from the same cities and their complaints aren't like New Yorkers. It's basically the job situation along with the mandatory bilingual requirement for a lot of jobs. Also the new "pretentious attitudes" that formed here in recent years. Not every little thing like oh this is not good Pizza. Not like NY Pizza. This mall is not good. Not like the malls in NY. This street light doesn't light like the ones in NY. LOL
Last edited by deboinair; 03-24-2014 at 05:46 PM..
I'm a single guy that lived and worked in Miami for a year and have returned back to NYC. I was making a nice 6 digit salary that went really far in the local economy, but I still didn't like it. Since I moved away from Miami, so many people have asked me why I didn't like it. Here's the reasons why:
4) The further inland you go, the more aggressive drivers are and the more unfriendly people are. The less likely you'll get a "Hello" from strangers as you walk by.
Ok are you from NYC or Upstate NY? Because I don't know too many metro cities where a complete stranger is going to talk to you out of the blue like that when you walk by on a consistent basis.
Then why not stay in NY? To me real New Yorkers stay in New York. I have family members there, while they visited many places, they said nothing is like NY so they never left. I do recall few family members that left for the job opportunity stacked cash and moved back to NY within a three year period. I lived in several cities in the US so it's not just Miami and there is always that New Yorker saying oh this is not NY or if it were in NY it would be done like this. Move back or shut up. lol
Miami, FL is pretty much Cuba, FL at this point so this is why you say that it functions like a third world country. My advice is for people to live in Broward if they don't like the high Cuban dominated population and just enjoy the many festivities Miami has to offer.
To your side note. I also have friends from the same cities and their complaints aren't like New Yorkers. It's basically the job situation along with the mandatory bilingual requirement for a lot of jobs. Also the new "pretentious attitudes" that formed here in recent years. Not every little thing like oh this is not good Pizza. Not like NY Pizza. This mall is not good. Not like the malls in NY. This street light doesn't light like the ones in NY. LOL
The people I know, who are from Chicago and DC complain about the SAME things that New Yorkers I know complain about. As to the whole "real new yorkers never leave NY thing", is a bit much. There are tons of New Yorkers in Florida, North Carolina, Jersey and many other states. NYers who are born and raised in the city. People move for any number of reasons and they have every right to do so, just as they have every right to complain if they want, to when they move to a place they do not like. To each their own I say.
Now to Miami being like a 3rd world country because of Cubans. Cubans arent even in the majority in Miami. From my understanding, Miami has never been renowned for being a well run place. The thing that has always made it popular is the Beach.
Ok are you from NYC or Upstate NY? Because I don't know too many metro cities where a complete stranger is going to talk to you out of the blue like that when you walk by on a consistent basis.
Then you don't know NYC very well. it is not uncommon for people who do not even know you to speak to you in NYC. I can not count the number of times I have been on the train or on the block and someone started speaking to me about any number of things. Normal, everyday people
The people I know, who are from Chicago and DC complain about the SAME things that New Yorkers I know complain about. As to the whole "real new yorkers never leave NY thing", is a bit much. There are tons of New Yorkers in Florida, North Carolina, Jersey and many other states. NYers who are born and raised in the city. People move for any number of reasons and they have every right to do so, just as they have every right to complain if they want, to when they move to a place they do not like. To each their own I say.
Now to Miami being like a 3rd world country because of Cubans. Cubans arent even in the majority in Miami. From my understanding, Miami has never been renowned for being a well run place. The thing that has always made it popular is the Beach.
I still say go back if you don't like it. Plain and simple. It's ignorant to think a place is going to be similar to where you used to live. You are correct I don't know NY well and don't care to. In my opinion it is a very over rated city. I don't like NY, so I don't live there. See how that works?
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