Miami Monkies
Hey Everyone,
Relocating to Miami from NYC in the near future, can anyone provide some color on the atmosphere there? I'll be living in Brickell, and coming from the West Village/SoHo/NoLita type area, how different will this area be? I'd really appreciate any info on Brickell/Miami in general. Thanks!
Brickell is definitely one of the nicest parts of Miami to live. If you like clubbing and nightlife you will be quite happy in Miami. It's obviously very, very latin-influenced. If you're not hispanic, note that it will probably be very hard to pick up latin girls (esp. since latin people in Miami are much more latin than latin people in other parts of the country), so focus on the American ones. I know a lot of latin girls in Miami and I can't recall any of them dating a non-hispanic dude. Culture is less hard-working than NYC but don't expect to be on permanent vacation either.
It's not a particularly walkable city so you'll definitely need a car (though Brickell is one of the most walkable parts). Weather actually sucks in the summer (rains just about every day in the afternoon and gets too hot/humid).
As with any large city, it has its plusses and minuses and there's something there for everyone.
Wow thanks for the great info. Not Latin, but speak Spanish quite well - maybe that will help. Unfortunate that it's not walkable, but sounds as though Brickell may slightly be. Very excited to be away from NYC winter..
You'll love Brickell. Wouldn't suggest any other place to live.
I'll describe Miami in one word: vain.
Get used to your hola's/adios'...and roll those r's
EDIT: Forget my advice. If you can speak Spanish you're golden.
It seems like a great place to live. Far from fluent in Spanish, and no rolling r's for me, but I can certainly get by if need be.
Do you know where in Brickell you'll be living? This city's been experiencing a lot of RE growth since the downturn. I was recently doing a market analysis that involved researching all the proposed new condo projects going on from Brickell up to Sunny Isles, and a lot of them look pretty insane. Keep an eye out for the new construction out there, very interesting.
Get used to traffic- coming from NYC, don't think it'll be a problem for you, alexpasch was spot on with the weather explanation lol (although it can get nice during the winter at least for a few days!).
Miami is all about wealth and showing off. The problem is that a lot of people around here are nowhere near as wealthy as they make themselves look, so don't be fooled. On the same note, there are countless successful people who've made fortunes in this city. As far as real estate development, Jorge Perez is my idol.
Enjoy the views of water that is actually warm enough for you to swim in- if youre hitting south beach, the best parking spot is the garage off 7th and washington ave.
Expect to have me as a neighbor in the near future lol will not rest until I graduate and am living in Brickell myself (I live further west right now). Congrats on the relocation!
Edit- Hate to say it, but if you plan on wearing suits in the summer, keep a handkerchief or something with you lol back/underarm sweat is def happening.
Wow, thanks for the great info everyone.
I'll be living right on Brickell Ave - there definitely seems to be quite a bit of development. I'm sure I'll be sweating plenty haha.
Brickell is great. I am a Miami native and went to undergrad in nyc.
most of what was said above is accurate. The comment on latin women is weird. I am guessing this is an isolated observation. (I am latin and female.) my observation: I seem to find it difficult to meet smart people here. Pm if you have further Q's.
i live in and work in palm beach. frequently visit my dads condo on south beach. if you ever want to rage let me know
Brickell is okay, I guess- you do have Mary Brickell Village, which is pretty nice. I find that Brickell has a tendency to shut down at about 6/7pm, and there's not much going on after that, especially on a weekday. Now, you do also have Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita and Blue Martini, as well as Fado Irish Pub, all of which are fairly popular hangouts.
I live on South Beach, right by Lincoln Rd. The garage off 7th and Washington is okay, but if you're more in the mood to go to an outdoor mall, eat at a (slightly less tourist hell) restaurant, and catch a movie, then you should check out Lincoln Rd. The parking garage is 17th and Meridian for Lincoln Rd.
Ditto on "hard to find smart people"- Miami is a play city, not a real city, and as long as you accept it for what it is, you'll be more than fine.
Thanks for the info, it sounds as though it will be quite a change from NYC. How is the nightlife on south beach for those who live in Miami? Is it mainly tourists?
thanks for starting the convo, I am actually relocating in the very near term from new york down to miami. I get the impression that what everyone said here is what I have been hearing about Miami, hopefully it isnt as difficult to find smart people as it sounds.
Miami may not have enough smart people, but the chicks in my opinion make up for it. Probably just me.
Amen.
another nice thing about miami is if it gets to touristy for you Palm Beach and Fort Laudy are right there. night trips up are very easy and always worthwhile to pop around.
It's like the Iphone of cities. Expensive and sleek on the outside, lacking in any real redeeming value/features on the inside and a must have for trendy people around the world. Oh, and if you ask the wrong person for directions, you'll end up at the bottom of the ocean.
That being said, the Iphone is pretty successful because people aren't generally very shrewd with their money. Embrace this fact and you'll be fine. A miamian and his money are soon parted.
What does everyone think of the cocowalk area of coconut grove? I see the area becoming more high end, but I want other people's opinions on it.
Do you mean in terms of living around there? Or going out/hanging out? I love the grove, wednesday nights gets pretty packed around Green Street and Moes with college kids. Wouldn't know anything about living there, but I wouldnt stray very much more west from there as it LITERALLY turns into the hood when you cross the street behind cocowalk. Literally.
I'm in Brickell, but grew up in Miami and have left no stone unturned so i can't speak too excitedly about the city, but i can see how it would be an especially interesting/fun place for an outsider.
Arguably best mix of women (particularly of the Latin sort) in the country, though it's increasingly becoming more important to know Spanish (or to lesser extent Portuguese) as a larger percentage of them are emigrants rather than 1st/2nd generationals. Plenty of white girls in Brickell though if that's what your into, and a lot more of them 40 min. away in Ft. Laud. and onwards (Boca/WPB).
Condo boom is ridiculous, fueled obviously by mostly LATAM investors/expats. Lots of hotel development in Miami Beach, and even on the mainland (we're working on one). Multifamily development is limited to the suburbs since land around here is priced for condo builders.
Nightlife is top notch, regardless of type of music or scene you're into. SOBE has mostly tourists sprinkled with locals in the more off the beaten path spots. Brickell has a local and diversified crowd. Midtown/Wyndwood/Art District is another rapidly growing area comprised of mostly locals and dominated by hipsters or derivations of them.
Good Food/Restaurants is another emerging category here. Lots of new great restaurants coming to town. Large influx of NYC/LA restauranteurs, and of course your long standing staples. Good selection of munchies spots and food trucks too.
Lastly, main reason i'll pick Miami over other US cities is the water. I'm a big watersports guy, and between Biscayne Bay, Ft. Laud, The Keys, and Bahamas/Caribbean in our backyard, it doesn't get any better.
Where exactly are you going to be working?
Also if you want any of the Miami beach hotties start by leasing a BMW/Mercedes/Audi, going to the gym, and learning how to dress.
Relocating on the 11th. Could use a tour guide.
miami is THE place for the banker lifestyle. i graduated from a top school and have been working in consumer products here...and lately i've been trying to break into pwm or asset management or ibd in miami. this is definitely the place to do it, trust me.
In this order if your actually staying within Mary Brickell Village:
1) Brickell Irish Pub 2) Fados 3) Blackbird 4) My Ceviche
You definitely picked the right time. The real estate industry is booming down here quicker than it was in 2007. I can think of 10 high-rise buildings off the top of my head that are going to change the skyline of South Florida. Just for example, 22 units in Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles were purchased by billionaires. The record before that for any residential building was 9 billionaires making investments. That just goes to show people are investing in South Florida. The real estate industry is hot here right now! As for Brickell, it's basically the heart of Miami. Very different from NYC. Get used to humid days where walking outside for over 10 minutes will leave you drenched in sweat. Also get used to speaking Spanish as often if not more often than English. Biggest difference you'll find is people in FL are slow. Traffic is a bitch and senior citizens/tourists only make it worse.
Too add on to Morly, an industrial distribution park (15% office) near the Airport just traded at a 4.5% cap on market rents, or $135 PSF. Pretty steep.
Miami - AM firms? (Originally Posted: 12/06/2010)
Does the city of Miami have a lot of Asset Management companies? I've read that they are becoming the Manhattan of the South and a top city in america for finance. Can anybody attest to this?
Id think it would at least be a really big city for PWM/private banking what with all the rich people living there...
Every large city has a fair amount of AM/PWM firms. Miami is no different
HIG in Miami and SunCap in Boca Raton are very large PE groups.
Brickell has the highest concentratio of foreign banks in the country.
how is cost of living in Miami against other major cities?
Mike Maggi bought a big ass place there... maybe he will move his fund there
Miami is pretty cheap, my family bought a condo, corner unit, nice building, recently redone, marble floors, stainless, unobstructed ocean views, on the beach, wrap around balcony for 250 per square foot. Pricing is 250-500 per square foot depending on the building, our condo was a good albeit not exceptional buy. $1500 per month will get you a decent apartment i.e. 1 Bed, 1 BA in Brickell or Miami Beach, I would look north of 41st street that way you're out of the horrendous south beach traffic and you can hop onto 195 at 41st.
Cost of living in Miami is fantastic at the moment based largely on the fact that the real estate market there is in the doo-doo hole more so than a lot of other places. I've seen a few documentaries about brand new apartment buildings and condo complexes that are completely empty
You don't want to be in one that's "completely empty" in FL banks holding foreclosures aren't obligated to pay HOA fees. Ideally you want less than 10% for sale and more long term tenants. Older buildings are better values, in one case a new one was 600 per square foot, lots of amenities, but is it worth treble the price? Where my family bought is doorman, assigned parking plus valet, pool, beach front with beach access, barbecue area, small albeit nice gym, sauna and garden. Amenities other than beachfront, gym, pool, parking and doorman aren't worth it. I'm also leery of short sales and foreclosures for a litany of reasons. It's a buyers market, if you plan to stay a few years pony up for a nice condo or a home in the burbs.
For this you can take the help of Miami International Business Attorneys.
Met a girl this morning that was just hired by DB PWM in Miami last week. Apparently (this is second hand so I have no idea if this is true) a few firms are starting to bulk up their offices down there as the RE market starts to get moving again.
Moved to Miami (Originally Posted: 07/09/2014)
I just moved to Miami and am currently living in Brickell, what are some spots other than SoBe I should check out?Brickell area has changed drastically over the past few years so interested in hearing your thoughts.
Any monkeys currently living down here as well?
Mid beach, being in the sixties or seventies is so much more relaxed.
Brickells cool. Midtown and the Design District. The best beach is on Key Biscayne (other than SoBe but SoBe's more about checking out the local wildlife...).
Ropa vieja. I am a fiend for Cuban women.
Second the design district, great place for food (Michael's Genuine) and drinks, design can get hipster though.
Downtown is not bad, grab drinks and check out the wildlife at Zuma and Il Gabbiano (grab your checkbook).
If you like gastopubs try The Local in the gables. Wouldn't stray to much further south than The Gables..
Since you live in Brickell, you'll be dragged to Fados and whatever else is in the Merry Brickell these days.
SoBe is SoBe.
Seems like Blue Martini is the spot to go to in Mary Brickell Village might check it out this weekend. Seems like a few spots around there have good happy hours as well. I haven't been to Midtown or the Design District so thanks for the suggestions.
I lived on brickell for a while and this is my quick guide:
Drinks: For Friday/sat it is a mary brickell bar hop scene. Blue martini I would recommend camping at the outdoor bar area because there are lots of girls filtering in and out. Pay cash because they will just claim they don't have your credit card behind the bar to avoid looking for it. Fados is a popular "Irish" pub that you might try next door. Also check out Brickell Irish and its neighbor Segafredos (outdoor area, not the tiny club hidden in the back) on the weekends. BARU location is constantly rebranded and last i remember was a drink ticket gimmick. Red bar is small and pointless. Trullucks has a good restaurant bar and staff that will give you free drinks if you buddy up to them- but the piano guy that is around some evenings is annoying.
During the week it is hit or miss for crowds.
Food: Zuma is expensive but good and trendy at the EPIC. Novacento has been around forever and is good to try every once in a while. Il Gabbiano is very good Italian. There are few new places that are pretty good all lined up together on S Miami Ave between 12th and 11th. I wouldn't bother with Grimpa.
Talking about Miami, which district do you guys think has the potential to become the next South Beach?
I am looking into some properties in Miami to be rented out. Would you consider a high rise condo in Downtown/Brickell to be a good investment at this point?
Like @"eignenvector" said, I think Downtown and Brickell are probably at the peak and you'd be paying top dollar for property there. I lived in Miami right at the depths of the recession and there were so many class A condos that you could pick up for next to nothing: for example you could buy a place the developer originally priced at $2MM for $700k or less. People's biggest fear was that they'd buy a place in a 20% sold building and when the developer's condo fee reserve was gone, 20% of the residents would end up paying 100% of the operating costs of the building. At one point there were something like 30,000 newly built and unsold condos but the South Americans came in and bought them over the years. You could look in more up and coming areas like the Design District or Midtown but I have a feeling they'd be priced pretty high as well. I don't know if now is the time to buy in Miami in general. I haven't really looked at it in detail in a couple of years but from what I've heard from friends who still live there and just general articles about the market there, it seems like it heated up and snapped back after the recession because a lot of offshore money came in and bought it out.
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