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Why I moved to Miami

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Re: Why I moved to Miami

#111

Post by Patrick_Devine »

redthrowaway wrote: post #81
hackula1 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who grew up in Milwaukee and moved to Charleston, I agree 100%. One of my largest clients is in Milwaukee now and I can say definitively that I have lost all tolerance for that bitter cold. And to all you Canadians living north of the wall... I don't know how you do it.

Being in Vancouver/Victoria helps. It's basically Bay Area climate.

Well, not quite. In the summer Vancouver/Victoria are both way nicer than SF. I personally don't think there is a nicer place to be in August. In the winter, they're both colder.

Neither compare to the peninsula though. It's still mid-20s in Palo Alto during the day right now whereas its mid-teens in Vancouver.

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#112

Post by XorNot »

paul9290 wrote: post #60

Taxes here in the states are overall disgusting, though you don't realize it until your salary inches upwards. When your making 40K to 55K here in the states the amount of taxes taken seems like a fair share. Though when you almost double that you wonder what's the point of making more money on paper as in your pocket you only make 60 to 65 percent of of your earnings - WTH?

Naturally I assume you[ve started declining raises and promotions now because you "don't see the point".

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#113

Post by XorNot »

waps wrote: post #64
akavi wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in a very affluent school district in Texas, and I still had to deal with being harassed for being an atheist and having my biology teacher preface her lessons on evolution with "Now, this is not what I personally believe, but...". That said, even with those little unpleasantnesses, I did get an excellent education.

I don't get why people are under the impression that (a small portion of) atheists are any less extremist than extremists of any religion. You wouldn't believe the lengths some people go to to spite believers.

Atheists aren't a religious group. They're the absence of one.

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#114

Post by dxhdr »

mp3tricord wrote: post #105
dxhdr wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but consider that the majority of people in SF/SV are priced out of the market and are instead renters -- they're getting the worst of both worlds.

But the additional property tax is already built into your rent price and increases?

The point is that as a non-homeowner, you don't pay property tax so you don't benefit from low property tax rates. Instead you're paying rent that's among the highest in the nation. And your salary, which better be large to deal with the outrageous rent, is being taxed at one one of the highest rates in the country. It's the absolute worst tax situation to be in.

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#115

Post by potatolicious »

grogenaut wrote: post #73
leif wrote: post #63

It often happens that someone outside new york talks about the amaaaazing food in their city. I used to laugh, or correct them. Nowadays I just feel pity. Nothing compares to the food of new york city. Absolutely nothing. Don't even fucking try. "I live within walking distance of two zagat top 10 rated restaurants." There are sixty restaurants within walking distance of my apartment and they're all better than anythi…

your bbq and pizza sucks. seriously, it does. your "immigrant" food however is quite good.

> "your "immigrant" food however is quite good"

As an immigrant I'm struggling to find a way to parse that sentence that isn't at least slightly derogatory.

Isn't pizza an "immigrant" food? Or General Tso's chicken? California rolls? In the context of being in the USA, wouldn't French food be "immigrant food"?

I'm not trying to be purposely obtuse - but like the word "ethnic food" I can't see any reasonable definition that doesn't betray an unfamiliarity with what's being discussed.

I have a feeling that "immigrant food" falls into the same category as "I like ethnic food" - it's a concept that doesn't even parse if you've got even a basic familiarity with a wide range of cuisines.

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#116

Post by girvo »

moron4hire wrote: post #70
javajosh wrote: post #13

I'm not sure if others have experienced this, but my brain doesn't function very well in tropical heat and humidity. It just seems to slow down, and mental games don't seem as interesting. It may be that I've been conditioned by many episodes of tropical vacations growing up, but whatever the reason, I can't (and indeed, don't really want to) code below about 30 degrees latitude.

Having once lived in Florida, there is a greater culture of AC in the far south than in the far north. I have been more uncomfortable during the summer in Connecticut than I ever was in Florida. That said, I think there is a mindset to enjoying the heat as well. You should probably not expect to go hiking through the woods in the summer in Florida. It's just not pleasant to be in such places in such humidity with suc…

Sounds similar to the Melbourne vs Gold Coast divide here in Australia.

I grew up on the Gold Coast. I love sand. :)

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#117

Post by ars_technician »

mp3tricord wrote: post #61

Can someone explain to my why its an advantage to live in a state with zero income tax? Does it really matter how the state makes its money. If it does not come from your paycheck directly they get it other ways. For instance in Florida you pay ~2% property tax on your assessed value and in california you pay ~1% on your purchased value. If you bought property at 500k and its appreciated to 1 million in CA you pay 5k…

You assume both states ultimately take in the same amount of money, which is false. California just takes more money from its residents. Florida isn't 'hiding it' in other taxes.

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#118

Post by JDDunn9 »

I recently moved to Orlando from Hawaii for the cost benefits.

Pros:

- Florida was the hit the hardest by the housing collapse, so it's like houses are having a 50% off sale.

- Lots to do. Many cities here like Orlando and Miami were built on tourism, so there's a lot of interesting things to do compared with cities built for business as usual.

- Decent beaches and nice weather in season.

Cons:

- The state government seems extremely backwards/frustrating. Even getting your driver's license switched over requires ~7 documents. Florida representatives frequently say stupid things, so you get to see comedians like Jon Stewart tear them apart on a regular basis.

- The weather. You have to put up with hurricanes and regular storms. My sinuses bug me a lot more here.

- Social life. If you're more progressive/liberal, you'll have to get used to being the odd-man-out. You can also feel left out if you don't speak Spanish in many places here.

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#119

Post by goatslacker »

I was born and raised in Miami and my family still lives there so I visit quite often. I moved to the Bay Area not too long ago (3 years) for work and IMO it's no comparison.

Miami is a great place to live if your priorities are partying. There are excellent night clubs and beautiful men and women everywhere.

The Bay Area holds an advantage over almost every point the OP made.

Rent is ~$2k for a 2 bedroom 2 bath if you want to live in a nice area in Coral Gables that isn't full of roaches, or was built in the 1940s and has dwarf-sized rooms. Rent is about the same in the peninsula. If you want to purchase it's a whole different story however. What costs ~$1m here is ~$300k there and probably in a lot better shape.

Food is a push. I must say the Bay Area probably offers a larger variety of food. Miami is mostly all Caribbean and Central/South American food which is excellent but not as varied as the Indian, Mediterranean, Afghan, Thai you see out here.

The neighborhoods are even more awesome here in the Bay Area. I say this because the strangers I meet on the street are a lot nicer than the strangers in Miami. There's a unique, wonderful, and rich history to the cities and towns in the Bay Area and there are a lot of neat places to explore like the Open Space preserves out West or the forrest in Santa Cruz. The only mountains in Florida are the smelly trash ones.

The Developer ecosystem pales in comparison. It's not even close and it won't be for a while. There are very little tech companies out there and no real major players. While it's very nice to see it blooming the reality is that it's still in its infancy and if you're moving out there just for the tech you're doing it wrong.

The weather. It's just terrible. It's like a sauna all the time. It feels like you're breathing in liquid water sometimes and it's difficult to make it from your house to your car (which will be a scorching inferno) without sweating.

The only great things Miami has that I truly miss is the water; it is beautiful and warm.

Re: Why I moved to Miami

#120

Post by ars_technician »

leif wrote: post #100
fchollet wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in NYC for a year, working right next to Hell's Kitchen. While the food is great, it's certainly not "incomparable". Paris has better restaurants. Tokyo has better restaurants (cheaper too in that case). Even San Francisco has comparable food standards. You end up sounding just like so many New-Yorkers --annoying and conceited. But no, living there doesn't make you special. It's just a big city, and not the o…

Paris only has good french and moroccan food, san francisco actually doesn't have nearly as good food, so just stop.

Why are you so defensive? Are you worried you are going to find out you've just been enjoying the taste of your own smugness rather than spectacular food?
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