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Sometimes, You Gotta Remind Yourself Why You Live Here

Sometimes, You Gotta Remind Yourself Why You Live Here

June 30, 2009 By Matt Meltzer in Miami: Local News | 8 Comments

People have accused me of being a little too harsh on potential newcomers. Those visitors from colder climates who come and spend a long weekend or two in South Beach and decide they want to make Miami home are often subjected to a paragraph-long rant about how this is not the place they think it is. How Miami is difficult and expensive and unforgiving and completely not what they expect. And it had been so long since I had seen this city as anything other than all of those things, I had forgotten why people think itâ€™s so great.

IGNORING THE POVERTY, CORRUPTION AND CRIME. AT LEAST FOR NOW

I had the opportunity to stay at an Ocean Drive hotel for a couple of days this week. This hotel featured a rooftop balcony with a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, Ocean Drive and the rest of South Beach. You could even see the skyline of downtown Miami off in the distance. The sun was out, I was sipping a rum and coke, and life seemed pretty sweet. Throw in a week-long party and the potential of getting some vacation action, and I see why people like to convince themselves they could live here.

When the warm ocean breeze is blowing on you and you feel a buzz, moving here seems like the solution to all of your problems. But a quick glance at the skyline reminded me that even from a rooftop bar, you canâ€™t see west of I-95. And as I like to say, thatâ€™s really what Miami is. But when you take a vacation to South Beach, itâ€™s like everything out west doesnâ€™t even exist. So I get it now. I get why people can get caught up in the excitement of a weekend here and think they could make it in Miami.

REMEMBER WHY THE GOOD OUTWEIGHS THE BAD

Folks, Iâ€™ve lived here intermittently since 1998, and this was the first time Iâ€™d had an experience like the one I had this weekend. I have spent exponentially more time sitting on the Palmetto Expressway than I have sitting on South Beach. The friendly service I got at my oceanfront hotel almost made me forget about the endless string of slow, incompetent non-English speakers Iâ€™ve dealt with over the years. It was nice to live like a vacationer in a city where I live as a local. The vacation is a lot more fun.

What Iâ€™m saying here is that sometimes you need to live the fantasy here to keep yourself from getting bogged down by the reality. Iâ€™m not going to use this column to tell you what the realities of living here are, Iâ€™ve done that at great length on this site. What Iâ€™ll say is for you to enjoy those glorious Miami experiences when you can, because thatâ€™s what makes the rest of life here worth it. And if you do live here, get out to the beach and live like a tourist once in a while. Itâ€™ll make you forget all the reasons this city drives you nuts, and make you remember why you choose to call it home.

Related Categories: Miami: Local News,

About the Author: Matt Meltzer is a featured columnist at Miami Beach 411.

See more articles by Matt Meltzer.

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8 Comments on

"Sometimes, You Gotta Remind Yourself Why You Live Here"

Sungal says:

Just don’t live the fantasy too much..I think that’s what I do. Matt, I think as a social/anthropological experiment.. you should do the little sobe getaway 2 X per month. I’m curious to see if it changes your cynical outlook. And we can meet-up for a beach cocktail!

Posted on 06/30/2009 at 6:19 PM

Maria de los Angeles says:

Matt, the issue is that most people consider South Beach to be the ONLY pleasurable experience in Miami. The truth is a sunset cocktail on any nice rooftop with a view by the ocean is going to be pleasant ANYWHERE in the world that meets those conditions. I can enjoy a cocktail in many a pleasant spot around town and still sleep in my own bed at night, so to enjoy the city, you don’t always have to go on a “staycation.”

There is so much more to Miami than vapid South Beach. I know *you* know this Matt, but most people tend to ignore what’s good about other parts of the city.

I think one of the biggest pluses to living in South Florida is the opportunity to enjoy outdoor watersports and a plethora of nature-tropical related experiences year-round. You can’t really get seriously into these things on a regular basis if you’re a tourist. Water and nature is what this place is all about and to live here and not enjoy it is a shame.

There is also a great deal of culture and history, but again, all everyone does is focus on clubs and sunbathing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just few people really get a balanced view of Miami.

Even locals, getting bogged down with their lives, often do not take advantage of what this overall location has to offer.

Posted on 07/01/2009 at 12:57 PM

Maria de los Angeles says:

I don’t think Matt’s point of view will change if he stays at a hotel twice a month. He’s staying at a hotel, relaxing and enjoying himself. He could also do this in Paris or Bali and come back to Miami and nothing will change about living here. The point is that vacation provides a relaxed state of mind and routine that has nothing to do with daily working life in the same location.

Even though I am constantly talking about the virtues of Miami, Matt provides an excellent reality check to naive tourists who think that vacationing and living here are the same. You can stay at Ritz Carlton all weekend but come Monday morning you’re still going to be stuck in traffic on I-95.

Posted on 07/01/2009 at 1:06 PM

M says:

Matt - thanks for all the information you have posted here. I am moving to Miami from California for grad school at UM and it’s helpful to have some realistic expectations. California has some of the same “appeal” as Florida, so I know what it’s like to live in a desirable place, but I know Miami is going to be nothing like the OC, LA, or San Francisco. Thanks again!

Posted on 07/02/2009 at 5:46 PM

Matt says:

Hey M -
I am form California actually (am there right now, oddly enough) and will tell oyu I vastly prefer Florida for a variety of reaons. Well, hopefully you enjoy UM. Miami is totally different than CA, but that’s why I like it. I moved to Newport after I graduated UM and within a year was trying to find a way to get back.

Pleas let us know if oyu have question once you arrive.

Posted on 07/03/2009 at 7:44 PM

asas says:

So, you saying that people that have limited of english are incompetent? If u dont like miami move. Miami is latin and would be for a long time.

Posted on 07/11/2009 at 10:05 AM