I will be moving to Miami next month and I thought I would ask the Floridians here some advice about where to live. I am looking at renting near where I could bike/run and also near a good gym, but not too inconvenient to go to work (I will be working in Miramar).
I searched some previous posts and it looks like that most people ride/run on Key Biscayne. So, is it the best option to live near the Key Biscayne (Brickell…)? What are other options? I also heard good things about Aventura, but I am not sure how training would be around there.
wow. Miramar that’s a hawl from just about anywhere other than Miramar. Where are you coming from? How used to sitting in traffic are you?
Brickell is definitly the most convienient place to live due to it’s proximity to Key Biscayne. Plus its close to restaraunts, grocerie stores, downtown, the beaches, etc.
But I couldn’t even hazzard a guess as to how long it would take to out to Miramar in the morning. Perhaps an hour? Maybe someone else has a better idea.
South Miami might be an option as well if you don’t mind the whole suburban sprawl/mini mall asthetic.
I’m more than happy to provide as much info as possible though. Miami is a truely great city. PM me if you want and we can talk.
Miramar is rather far from the Key Biscayne area. Traffic here is a nightmare; you’ll want to kill yourself with that commute. You will be going with traffic… expect a 45 minute commute each way in heavy traffic. You would be best off looking in the Aventura, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, or Hallendale area. I don’t know what the tri scene is like up there in those specific areas, but I know that housing is MUCH more affordable. These are nice suburb-type areas, particularly if you have kids.
If you were to live in Miami I would recommend the following areas as the most tri-friendly: Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove (where I live), Brickell, Coral Gables, South Miami, and Pinecrest. I would put KB, the Grove and Brickell at the top of that list since they are closest to I-95, which you will need to take to work. The main running/cycling route is basically Key Biscayne/Virginia Key, to South Miami Drive/Bayshore Drive, to Old Main Highway, to Douglas Road, around Cocoplum Circle and out in various directions from there (usually to Old Cutler Road, which takes you into Homestead). Unfortunately, these are also probably the most expensive areas to live in Miami. No matter what, crossing US1 (South Dixie Highway) is a major cycling problem.
I can’t comment on the training up north of here, but sometimes it gets very frustrating to bike/run here. There are no trails. There is a bike path on the Key and in the Grove. When I leave my place in the Grove and I can either run left or right. That’s it. Traffic is a bitch, so I only ride in the mornings. After work is too dangerous to ride, IMO - and being a girl. However, it balances out because the Key is beautiful and you can do open-water swims there pretty much year-round w/o a wetsuit. January-February you would need a wetsuit.
There are gyms around. I don’t think you will have a problem finding one, but if you decide to move to somewhere in my area, PM me, and I can try to help you find a good one.
I lived in North Miami for a couple years and know that FIU’s north campus has a nice pool and grounds for running. also is close to a few nice parks. don’t know where you’d ride though. I used to just ride laps on the FIU entry road, which I think was about two miles round trip. That got pretty old pretty quick. Plus it’s hot as blazes cause that stretch gets no wind. I called it The Inferno.
I concur with skid marks, (that name cracks me up) and miami79. The good thing is that Traffic flows into the city in the Am and Vise versa in the Pm so your commute both ways shouldnt be that bad.
Key Biscayne is where most people in Dade county Train.
Weston is another great area for cyclists, lots of open paved roads with a cycling lane.
A1A from North of Ft Lauderdale to West Palm beach is another heavily populated cycling route.
Aventura is good for running, there is a 3 mile circle that everyone runs around but not good for cycling.
Pools are everywhere and you can find a nearby park or track to run on.
Theres a great velodrome in Plantation and there is a criterium in miami lakes.
If your single then definately find yourself an apartment near downtown, lots of spanish hotties, good nightlife and good training nearby.
If I was you, I would be worried about living close to work due to the commute times in South Florida, since you mentioned Miramar, I would reccommend Pembroke Pines, Weston or Miramar depending on your budget. Less commute more time to train…
If you are interested in being really close to work, there is an excellent Condo Conversion right on Miramar Parkway and Flamingo it is called Enclave at Miramar, a lot of investors are getting into that project so there will be alot of units for rent, I saw the property and they have a nice gym, etc. very nice gated community I think one bedrooms rent for approx $900 and two bedrooms $1,100. Here is a link so you can see what it looks like (http://www.apartmentguide.com/Property/property.asp?wsv_qsGeoKey=1%2C10%2C84&wsv_psPropertyID=14299)
The roads around broward are good for riding and there are a lot of roadie riders in the mornings…I would say that the road in broward are good for riding b/c there are long distances between traffic lights compared to Miami…also they are better paved then in some parts of Dade county…
There is an LA Fitness on Flamingo and Sheridan Street, it is approx 10 minutes North of Miramar, and they have an indoor pool.
Up the road from Miramar there is a new Running Store that recently opened (Runners Depot - http://www.runnersdepot.com/) it is on Miramar Parkway
If you do not want to get much training done, you can alway live in South Beach…
Same here actually–will probably be settled in early August. Our condo is close to Dadeland Mall, in Pinecrest I believe…? Glad to read that it’s on the list of OK places to live/train Yeah, crossing US1 on a bike doesn’t look like a good idea from my few visits to MIA.
Dadeland is more in Kendall, which neighbors Pinecrest. Kendall is west of US1, Pinecrest is east of US1 - basically. Kendall is the land of strip malls, it’s not too bad. Lots of chain restaurants, Starbucks, developments with identical houses, etc. Pinecrest has a really nice Wild Oats store and one of the 2 major runner stores, Runner’s High. The other is FootWorks in South Miami on Sunset Drive. I would suggest finding some locals to ride with for your first few rides to help you get familiar with the routes and the traffic. There is a nice new LA Fitness that opened up in Sunset Place (off Red Rd. - SW 57 Ave) that you may want to look into for gyms. Has a pool, babysitting, spinning, yoga, and good hours.
I currenlty live in Detroit, and face about 1 hour traffic each way to work. Very frustrating, so if I have an option I would definetely prefer living closer to work.
I will take a look at the areas you mentioned around Miramar, but being single I have to say it’s tempting to shoot for Miami beach…
Ok, move there if you want, but IMO, it sucks. you are on, essentially, an island with only a few roads that connect to the mainland. It’s expensive ($1200+ for a single), congested, lacks parking, higher crime rate, full of touristas, and there’s no real biking. Every other weekend there’s some festival or event that clogs the whole beach (Food and Wine Festival, Winter Music Fest, etc.). Plus, every time there’s a hurricane, you will have to evacuate and bug your inland friends to let you stay at their place. You can get the whole beach/club/binge-drinking experience by visiting there on the weekends, if you really want it. I think this is probably a great city to be a single guy, especially if you are Latin (which I assume you are). There are beautiful girls everywhere here, so whether you’re on the beach or not, you’ll be fine.
Yeah, crossing US1 on a bike doesn’t look like a good idea from my few visits to MIA.