What would you say the keys are to having a successful move to miami?

[sportf190]

Hey everyone! so I am moving down for the new year around that time, and was wondering to all of those who were successful in the move to Miami what led to their success. Besides either getting or having a job already what has made your trip successful? Especially those who come down by themselves like me who is used to living with family and having friends? Would you say the big key to success is just doing things and keeping you mind moving the first month or so and adapting to the miami culture? Coming with an open mind ?


Any advice welcome thanks!

[Christy]

Hey Sport,

I think you have to be: open minded, friendly, and hard working. But the thing is, you can move to Miami, try it out for a bit, and if it's not a good fit for you, just move. Plenty of people just stay for a few years. I think the key to success is finding a job that you're already doing where you live now. So many people come and think finding a job in the service industry will be a. easy to find and b. easy, and that's sometimes not the case. You should read Jess' anniversary thread for some inspiration!

[Jess]

I have been here 3 years now, here is my thread with my reflections on each year:

A year in South Beach

I would say the first month: don't freak out, expect times that you will feel lonely and know that it won't last, go out as much as you can, when you meet people accept any invitation to start a social life and go to the beach any time you feel down. The beach will remind you why you chose to live in Miami.

[Maria de los Angeles]

Would you say the big key to success is just doing things and keeping you mind moving the first month or so and adapting to the miami culture? Coming with an open mind ?

I would say this is true of any new venture in life ... putting up resistance never helps in anything. Keep an open mind and don't expect it all to click in any given time frame. What's the worse that can happen? You hate it and you move on. Enjoy the journey!

[Doug]

I would say the most important thing is getting out of the house and meeting like-minded people. When you first move here, if you don't know anyone, it's easy to fall into a very insular life pattern. It's important to motivate yourself creatively, by finding people to interact with. Some people try to fill this niche by going out to the clubs a lot. But this is kind of a trap -- especially if you like to indulge too much. It will drain you of your finances fast and get you into some bad habits. People who move to Miami just to party end up burning out fast. It's better to connect with people in professional/creative ways, volunteering, etc.

[Catt]

yep, agree with maria (as usual, lol)

no matter what actual 'stuff' you do - work, volunteering, or leisure -- imho one of the most important things is, try to make a conscious effort to not compare it to the place you came from. so yes - i would agree that open-mindedness is the key ... try to be open to experiencing how things are here, as opposed to using your hometown as the barometer for comparison. many people fall into this trap, and hate this place cause it's so not like what they know, and/or what they consider to be the only "right" way to do things.

Many people expect it to be the same as any other American city, just with a nicer climate and a beach - and it's so NOT that..... which a lot of ppl just hate. but a lot of stuff really is totally different here - and that doesn't make it bad or inferior, just different. i personally LOVE that, but lots of ppl don't; and they wind up hating it and leaving; cause if stuff isn't the way they think is "right", they can't adapt. anything outside their comfort zone is deemed 'wrong' - and therein lies "the trap"; which is, using one's 'comfort zone' as the basis against which something totally new is judged. and that just doesn't ever work.....

so imho, if you can really be open to getting outside your comfort zone, seeing it for what it IS, and learning totally new ways of doing things, new foods, new cultures, new lifestyles - instead of constantly lamenting what it's NOT - imho it makes for a much more enriching, pleasant, and fun experience. and yeh there are some annoyances, as there are anywhere you live - but imo those are outweighed by the positives of this place.

[Dutchie]

Many people expect it to be the same as any other American city, just with a nicer climate and a beach - and it's so NOT that..... which a lot of ppl just hate.

I came from the North Pole (well, Holland) and therefore was not expecting ANYthing to be like living over there.

I have to say that overall it has been a pleasantly positive impression. Not nearly as bad as Matt's predictions of suburban hell (I live out West, South of the Tamiami Exec airport) -- but then, 99% of Holland probably matches his picture of hell, with the exception of Amsterdam Canal Belt.

Caveat: my familiy in law is Portuguese, so my attitude towards Hispanic-like cultures and ways of doing things has always been very positive and open. In general, I know I am quite open and (sometimes too) flexible in adaptation. That surely also helps.

Additionally, I picked up a totally new job, but one that I had been trying to get for 15 years, so my adaptation wasn't a problem at all. I need to stop working 12 hours per day, though. That's fine as long as I am by myself but will become a problem when my wife and daughter join me in January.

Dutchie
trying to get some idea of Black Friday and succeeding in that pretty well at Barnes & Nobles+Michaels+BestBuy at Kendall Drive.

[Dutchie]

Went to Naples today.

I now understand better what people mean when they say that Miami is on speed. Naples is rather laid back, in comparison.


Dutchie

[Doug]

Naples is where Republican golfers go to die.

[Jess]

I like Naples! I went for the weekend earlier this month. It was nice to visit America.

[rk]

Whether water, electricity etc are included depends on the specific building. In most cases water is included, not electricity, but you need to check. Same with cable TV, Internet, phone etc. Expect to pay about $50+ per month for electricity for a small studio. You can save by not getting cable, just watch the free channels. Some people don't get a landline phone, just use a cell phone.

[Jess]

I actually don't know anyone on the beach with a landline. Everyone uses their cells here.

[Catt]

yep, i also have only a cell phone - and it is also my internet hotspot -- i pay for the unlimited data package on the phone service ($30.00), and use an app (one-time cost: $15.00) - that enables the phone as a hotspot, and connects me to the internet.

So no additional charges on the cell phone bill, and no separate monthly internet bill......

[rk]

Just curious what sort of download speeds you're getting, typically.

[Catt]

rk i'm sorry, have no idea - i've looked everywhere but have not been able to figure out a way to see that info -- at first i was crazy to find out the actual measurement, but then i stopped obsessing about it....cause it really doesn't matter. It's very fast and i'm very happy with it -

[rk]

No sweat, glad it's working fine.

If you did want to check speeds try this site: http://www.dslreports.com/tools

Try at various times and places because it will likely vary.

[dylan]

Two things Determination, and Motivation. That's all it takes.

[Catt]

hahaha rk - thanks that is great info - i had to run it four times cause every time i chose a speed parameter it kept telling me to choose a faster one, cause my speed was too great for it to measure .... finally i got it: 1684 kbit/sec. (not that i know what that really means, mind you)

[rk]

That's really good speed for a cell phone network. You must have a strong connection by your place. Just 3 or 4 years ago that was the best you could do with home DSL (now you can get 10 to 20 Mbps at home for some extra cost). 1.6 Mbps is good for just about anything, incl decent quality streaming video, plus you have you don't have to be home to use it!

[Catt]

yep, works great. and i must be gettin similar speed on the phone itself when i'm out of the house using it for internet or video cause it works great all over MIA and FLL so far. (eta: oh - with the ONE exception of inside Terminal E international arrivals hall at MIA airport)

this is my first smartphone, it's not even a very 'high end' one; it's 3G - but i'm pretty pleased with it!

sorry we kinda went off on a tangent in your thread sportf - but, to bring it back to something pertinent to you...... with the ease and availability of cell phones & wireless connections, I see no reason at all to have, or pay for, a landline in the house -