251–260 of 342 posts
My takeaway from most of these "why I moved to X" stories is generally not "wow, that seems like a great place to live", but rather "living in SF or NY sucks". (I happen to live in a town of about 200 people in the mountains of Washington State and couldn't be happier)
Minor editorial note: SFO is the airport, SF is the normal abbreviation for the city.
It's pretty common to use the main airport name as a synecdoche referring to the city. I regularly see CPH used instead of Copenhagen, OSL instead of Oslo, BCN for Barcelona, etc. Doesn't work for all cities, of course.
Gainesville, FL, is the best spot for young tech entrepreneurs IMO. Much cheaper than Miami, very little traffic and crime, bike friendly, tons of startups. Gainesville is the Silicon Valley of FL, but with a more laid back and unpretentious atmosphere.
The only thing in Gainesville is students and the ecosystem to serve them. Oh, and trees.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Since you're a native, maybe you can address something subtle: the extent to which the business community favors positive-sum vs zero-sum thinking, and innovation over marketing. One of the things I like about Silicon Valley is that people are generally focused on creating value rather than making money. (The difference being that I can make money in ways that transfer money from your pocket to mine, without a net in…
I lived in South Florida for 5 years, and have lived in the Bay Area since 1986, and you have described what I consider one of the essential differences between the two places. There was an article in a local business magazine or the business section of the paper when I was living in South Florida about the new CEO of the local power company (Florida Power and Light). The new CEO was quoted as saying that one of his…
Isn't it still the cocaine-smuggling capital of the US? California and Texas picked up a lot of the marijuana routes when the center of gravity shifted from Colombian to Mexican cartels. But boat traffic from Haiti and other parts of the area is a huge cocaine route.
Anecdotally speaking: back when I worked in the entertainment business, I'd fly out to Miami for a lot of annual conferences. Maybe it's just the nature of that crowd, but man, they basically dusted the streets in coke. I could almost swear I got some as part of my check-in basket at the Fontainebleau.
I thought cocaine was everywhere in LA -- but in Miami I'm pretty sure you can buy it over the counter at a McDonald's, and no one would bat an eyelash.
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?
Regarding Florida... a vast, beautiful and diverse region with massive immigration that has propelled it to #4 in population (and closing in on #3 New York). I fell in love with the place when my family visited cousins in Ft. Lauderdale.
Interesting to read about Silicon Valley and SF versus New York versus Miami and other urban centers. I wonder whether it's still advantageous in this day and age to spend the extra bucks and be in a hotspot of entrepreneurial activity. The online networking forums dwarf the old computer clubs and networking gatherings of yore. Granted, there's still nothing like face to face for getting "chemistry" about someone, but is it worth spending an extra $200,000 for a house and an extra $25,000 a year in taxes? (actually these numbers are probably understated, depending on where you are)
Your blog describes the lifestyle preferences of a young, single person. Having a family changes everything and suddenly schools and stability of neighborhoods become much more important than diversity of cuisine (and once you have a kid, your restaurant fund is diverted to diapers anyway). From that perspective, I would think that southern Florida wins hands down over, say, San Francisco or Manhattan which are prohibitively expensive for raising families. I mean, people do it, but damn. It's not like when my mother was growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and 40s and millions of families lived in the City, and millions of families bought modest homes all up and down the California coast. And Miami was a quiet city you went for two weeks in the wintertime.
I worked for a VoIP startup an hour north of Miami. They got bought for $300M. I got to live in one of the owner's mansions, by myself. It had nine bathrooms. Oddly enough, you hear a lot of French there. From the Haitian taxi drivers to the Snow Birds from Quebec. You can buy good Quebecois beer at some stores. Miami itself is pretty nice. Reminds me of Vancouver and San Diego. Not a big fan of Cuban food, but the n…
West Palm Beach used to be a lovely working and middle class area (I lived there a half century ago), but it is now the destination for many of the region's Haitian immigrants. They've unfortunately brought many of the same problems that plague Haiti, including poverty and serious gang violence.
some reasons to to like nyc: it's no Tokyo, but it's actually pretty big. each neighborhood has its own vibe, and there are dozens of those in manhattan alone. The food is simply unbeatable. 2000 restaurants at any given time with new ones opening up every week. I'm having a hard time visiting all the good restaurants in my neighborhood alone. it's not too big where there is still a neighborhood feel (i'm super friendly with small business owners and personnel in local shops, my neighbors). in my experience [majority of] people have been very nice and open. i keep meeting people from all over the world every weekend. i have friends that are starting and running businesses that give me energy to go on. shit ton of good jobs. models. rich history on every block.. great for photography hobby, looks awesome in winter with all the snow.. looks awesome in the fall with all the leaves.. looks awesome in the spring with blooming spring blossoms.. easy to meet intellectual people.. models. lots of healthy living options, some nyc areas have turned into shopping malls, but the city still has an edge. to name a few.. i love going to miami to relax and party, but can't imagine actually living there. possibly when i'm ready to "slow down" whatever that means?
Lower Florida Keys resident here. I still own a place in Orlando which I have only visited once in the 6 years I've been gone. I got tired of hearing gunshots in the middle of the night. Between that and the chaotic (and plentiful) highway drivers, you couldn't possibly pay me to live in most (any?) large cities in mainland Florida. Despite being only 120 miles from Miami, I've still never visited, unless you count t…
> I still own a place in Orlando which I have only visited once in the 6 years I've been gone Mind if I ask why you still own the place?
I definitely sympathize with the tax burden component. Here in New York, I only end up taking home half what I'm paid which is especially frustrating for a contractor who could theoretically be working remotely.