Miami is paradise........ or is it?

I have been in Miami since 2017. I went to U Miami and was lucky enough to get a job for a fund in Miami. I love this city. The downtown area is sweet with lots to do, the beaches are nice, the water is always warm, the golf courses are nice, my apartment is brand new and only $1,700 a month. My office is right on the water and I have an amazing view of all the cruise ships coming into Biscayne Bay...

On the surface it seems like Miami is the place to be. But somewhere deep down I feel like it isn't. For example the culture here is strange. I don't want to paint the whole city with one brush but for the 5 years I have been here it has seemed like more people are focused on their image, what clothes they wear, what car they drive, what Rolex they have vs growing in their career. 
Deep down I feel like it is time for me to make the move to New York. There's been a lot of talk about wall st moving to South Florida but I really haven't seen this at all. I think New York will always be the place to be for young people in finance to really grow in their careers and expand their network.
Would it be stupid of me to leave Miami?? A lot of people dream of living here but to be honest I think I'm over it and I need a new adventure. 

 

Lived nearby for over a decade. I think Miami honestly sucks. Culture is trash. Hispanics here are superficial and toxic (I'm Hispanic). The weather is pretty humid year round and anything "nice" in Miami has gotten super ratchet in the Pat years. South Beach is untouchable and you might get caught by a stray bullet in Wynwood. Growing up with people my age it was very much kids flexing their dad's boat and spending hundreds of dollars at clubs as a high schooler. UM social life seems like an extension that.

Edit: it’s like LA minus celebrities and less things to do. At least Miami doesn’t have that many people trying to get Tik-tok famous.

 

Visit Miami often for family. It's the most superficial place I've ever been. I refuse to even consider moving there. It doesn't have the character/walkability/neighborhoods of a NYC (feels silly for me to even compare the places lol). But I totally feel you OP on the rent prices. Crazy what you can get down there compared to tier 1 cities. 

 

Visit Miami often for family. 

Don’t tell me what to do.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Miami better to visit, Atlanta better to live in. Bear in mind that Atlanta can feel very, very Southern, so it’s great if you own a pair of croakies, enjoy skeet shooting, and have an opinion on SEC football, but if that’s not your vibe you might feel out of place. The city overall is decently diverse, but the finance scene very much is not

 

no it wouldn't be stupid. this is my hangup with acquiring a 2nd home in south florida, I love the climate, latin culture, etc., but the superficiality is incredibly offputting and while that exists in NYC, it's moderated greatly but the diversity of wealth in the city. 

that said, if you move this time of year, you're an idiot. move to NYC after Easter

 

What do you mean diversity of wealth?  Both Miami and NYC have residents of all social classes, no?

 

correct, but when you're in south beach you see extreme poverty in the way of homeless people or extreme wealth (or people that like to give the appearance of extreme wealth)

also, the sheer logistics of NYC makes showing off the way people in south beach do impractical. no reason to have a lambo to drive down 5th avenue because literally no one is paying attention to you, people are going to and from their offices, and for 7 months out of the year you have the possibility of snow and ice which doesn't jive with italian supercars. versus ocean ave where people relish in the ability to see and be seen, despite the traffic

now, all of that said, I've spent most of my time in south beach, biscayne bay area, etc., rather than ft lauderdale, boca, aventura, etc., so those may be sleepier suburbs, my point is I think the OP is correct about miami proper

 

I have an allergy to NoVA kids and people from montgomery county so I can't be impartial there. I get douche chills just thinking about some of the people I've met at UVA parties from there

I'd say NYC and Chicago feel the most "real" to me

charlotte, atlanta, dallas, fine, but more superficial

LA & Miami - thank God you have beautiful women and weather

 

Have lived here for two years and agree with most of the points made. The community of non-Hispanic working professionals is just very limited, much more so than I expected before moving here. As a result it's hard to find like-minded people that aren't trying to hustle you with their forex/content branding/exotic car rental businesses. The scene here also revolves around conspicuous consumption. Even among "friends"/coworkers, the expectation is to contribute to a boat or a table at Eleven/Liv/Space/etc every weekend, and if you're not really into that scene and just want to host a house party or watch a movie, you'll be quickly ignored. And as someone who actually likes to experience all four seasons, not a fan of the climate either. 84 and sunny for 350 days a year gets old too.  

 

And honestly the weather isn't that good half of the year, 100 degrees in 85% humidity is fucking awful. SoCal really has the best weather in the country (if all you're looking for is beautiful weather year round), it never gets too hot if you stay within 5 miles of the coast and it gets just cool enough in the winter to warrant a jacket but nothing extreme. Personally I love a proper winter and would love to be in a city like Boston or Chicago. 

 
jarstar1

 Personally I love a proper winter and would love to be in a city like Boston or Chicago. 

As a veteran of hellish Chicago winters - try it before you buy it, my man. On the flip side, those eight weeks of hell keep our cost of living down!

"I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."
 

Just bought a used Porsche from a dealer in Miami. I'm from the Northeast as well and was looking around for a deal for a used luxury car nationwide. Obviously its the worst time to buy a car, but my old honda broke down so didnt have an option. Anyways, I find this dealer that has by far the best deal in the country for that model of Porsche. Apparently the person before me leased the car and then couldn't afford the payments. The dealer proceeds to tell me its so common in South Florida. People will get a leased Ferrari/Lambo, etc. just to show off, but then they cant even afford the payments. He said if your in the market for a used luxury car, then you can find a deal in Miami because of how the culture is there.

 

I don't really get the Miami hype, seems to be coming mainly from Midwesterners and Northeasterners who have shit weather. It's a great place to visit but I don't really get why someone would settle there unless they're Latino and wealthy.

 

It's pretty broad honestly. There's Tampa, St Pete and Clearwater. Clearwater's a typical beach/vacation spot with a bunch of tourists (never been out there really). St Pete's got a great bar scene downtown, pretty wide variety of spots and people down there. Very artsy sort of vibe. Tampa has downtown, SoHo and Ybor. Ybor is like Miami and pretty dangerous at night. Downtown has a few cool spots for the young professional crowd (Sparkman Warf, armature works, harbor island, Water Street soon). SoHo, which is right outside of downtown is a mix of the college and young professional scene (more college tho). 

 

Miami native here. There’s a lot more to the city once you leave the sobe/brickell bubble, and you can find suburbs with better people/lifestyle. Things also change as you head north into broward or palm beach. Most people agree the city itself is great but it’s the people here who detract, and NYC can certainly take your career further.

LA is where you go when you want to be somebody, New York is where you go when you are somebody, and Miami is where you go when you want to be someone else. People come here to spend money not make it and it’s a shame because I like it here.

 

I grew up in Ft. Laud and know exactly what you're talking about. It's all image and flash, no culture... and nowhere to go... if you want a weekend drive trip, where do you go? To the west coast of Florida? The keys? To do what? Go to the beach... again? I work in NYC now. It's a much more dynamic city. Endless amount to do and on the weekend you can drive anywhere from New England to the Poconos to Jersey/Maryland beaches

Miami is a lot of fun to visit... and for the first year or two seems great... but it'll get old. I prefer NYC. It has its downsides too... crazy expensive, seemingly longer hours than any other US city, life can be a grind at times. 

 

Hey man,

Born and raised in Miami, it’s my home and I love it. That being said, I made the move to NYC and don’t regret it. All the points you mentioned were the same points I considered and have panned out to be true. Miami still has a long way to go to ever open the professional opportunities that NYC can, but that being said I do see myself coming back in a couple years when I’ve gotten some solid experience / develop my network here in NYC.

Went back to Miami recently and realized it’s my home, I miss the food, the music, the people and the culture. 

re: Miami haters, slide over to my family’s domino nights on Sunday and you’ll see the real Miami culture. Y’all talking about south beach like that’s all Miami or the pockets of people who are superficial when you haven’t even experienced the real Miami smh. 

 

Actually loved Miami more the further I got from SoBe. Coral Gables and Coconut Grove are great and a lot is happening in Brickell / Midtown / Design District to make it very exciting.

Love NYC too but getting tired of the oppressive people and policies in charge and horrible taxes that are sure to get worse. Also the fact that some of the city is turning into a goddamn homeless encampment and the weather is terrible most of the year.

 
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One thing that I was told of why college is a overprices, which the argument carries in favor of miami, is "Look around, look at all the irrelevant things that you are paying for that are of no interest to you and that you won't use." This is what I feel of New York most of the time. I'm a pretty basic and well paid stereotypical finance bro. 

When I look at all the things New York offers, I come to ask myself, "yeah, but how much of this do I really care about or value?" Many people (for better or for worse) stick to Lower/Mid Manhattan, Hoboken, Western Brooklyn, and that's about it. State Island, Queens, The Bronx, Upper Manhattan/Harlem are of no interest to me but my costs are still paying for it. I find myself wanting to hang out with a select type of people, with occasionally hanging out with people that are a bit different to me. This mentality, if it suits you and I feel like it suits much of this site, carries in favor of Miami. 

Lower East Side/Williamsburg can be replaced with Wynwood, The west side night life of manhattan can be replaced with Brickell, and MeatPacking can be replaced with Mid Beach (Mr. Jones/Space up to Liv). Do I really care about all the different scenes that New York has to offer? No I don't, and my scene, if I don't deviate from it too much, can be easily suited in Miami. In Miami you have good looking women, nice apartment buildings, and a select and limited/concentrate Finance/Law scene. If you don't care for deviating too much from your lifestyle or interest, Miami's value trumps New York. 

All the finance bros on this site, who are pretty basic just like I was/am, go to the same bars and clubs every weekend. This can be done in Miami, and the best part is that your city taxes aren't going toward the common good of 9 million people and services that you probably won't be using. I'm sorry, but taxes that are taking out of my paycheck to help fund the South Bronx after school program just doesn't excite me. The state taxes taken out to pay for Cuomo's nursing homes doesn't tickle my fancy.  

We're not lawyers. We're investment bankers. We didn't go to Harvard. We Went to Wharton!
 

Also.... in what city can you work for Prince Fred's family office, while popping bottles with Purple, and while networking with Grutman on the evenings? 

We're not lawyers. We're investment bankers. We didn't go to Harvard. We Went to Wharton!
 

We're talking risk adjusted returns, or in this case "cost adjusted returns." If Miami is 70% of LA for 50% of the cost then sign me the fuck up. The more and longer I've been to miami, the less money I spent. Go to places like Blackbird in Brickell, The Wharf, etc. and an average night out costs the same as it would as in Chicago or Philly. A nice steak dinner, sushi, etc. costs the same as well. Sure, you want to be seen at Swan or another restaurant whose Instagram page has 250k followers, then sure you can throw your money away, but an actual young professional who knows the scene and avoids the overpriced instagram hyped places will have their money go very very far. 

We're not lawyers. We're investment bankers. We didn't go to Harvard. We Went to Wharton!
 

Miami was a city that was built up off the narcos business from late 70s into the 90s. This business itself increased real estate, banks, and tourism. It's no surprise to me that the theme of the city that was built up from drug money is about being flashy and looking the part. New York has the flashy lifestyle too but it's only one of many themes there. It's all about who you associate with. For your career its a no brainer that a NYC or San Fran would help you move up and increase earnings the most. Just don't expect the problems of Miami you describe to completely disappear especially based on what you do for a living.

 

I've lived in Miami for over two years now (Brickell area to be specific), and I'm not a huge fan. I'm actively planning ways to move to NYC if at all possible. In theory, it's a cool city. The weather is amazing, everything is brand new and pretty, we're right on the water, nightlife is fun. However, I don't like the culture. There aren't many career oriented folks like us, and I've found it impossible to meet other young professionals here outside of my immediate circle. I feel like part of your 20s is meeting other like minded folks and that's so hard to do in Miami, but seems like it happens every single day in NYC

OP, have you managed to come across young professionals here outside your immediate circle? Everyone is either rich from something weird or a rich tourist. 

 

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