Updates to Kneedl

We’ve been working hard on getting the new data ready for Washington DC, our next city. But we’ve also been making lots of improvements and fixes to the live site.

• Added a new footer with contact form and latest blog posts
• Create a ‘Non recommended‘ page to show all neighborhoods in Miami. We’ve always had these neighborhoods in the database so it made sense to make them visible. If you think we should be recommending a neighborhood for any particular user-type then there is a suggestion form on the page.
• Added some Zillow data to the real estate details pages
• Added a stats page (this is very much the first version)
• Added the family neighborhood Pinecrest

We know we’ve got some speed issues with the server so we’re working with a development company to get this fixed before we make any PR noise. We also have a bunch of larger scale features we want to add too which should hopefully all come as part of the next release.

Things to do in Miami when it’s raining

We’ve just stared hurricane season in Miami and don’t we know it! Last week we had a month’s worth of rain in just two hours. This resulted in some pretty bad flooding in South Beach. Many of Miami’s activities are outdoors, so what can you do when it rains?

Booze ‘n’ Food

Well obviously there are the countless bars and restaurants, but how about a few frames of pool at one of the bars (we particularly like Mikes just over the causeway). Or throw a few arrows (that’s Darts) at Abbey Brewing Company. If this is all a little low-brow for you, how about afternoon tea at The Biltmore?

Sport & Games

The rain can’t spoil a trip to the pool, you’re wet already after all. The Venetian Pool is back open again. How about bowling at Lucky Strike (they have some bargain day-rates at the moment). But if you prefer to watch people being active, how about seeing what’s on at the American Airlines Arena, see if the Dolphins are playing, or catch a bit of Jai Alai.

Wildlife & Tours

The Duck Tour is a covered amphibious bus that travels round Miami. It’s worth a trip for both tourists and locals. If you’d rather be in the driving seat, how about a jet-ski tour? If it’s not raining too heavily, the Lion Country Safari could be an option. You’ll be nice and dry in your car at least! Miami Metro Zoo has a reasonable number of covered/indoor attractions too.

Shopping

There are lots of shopping options, but for maximum shopping within minimum rain exposure, it has to be a Mall. Try Sawgrass, Ball Harbour or Dolphin.

Culture

The Wolfsonian museum in South Beach has a good permanent design exhibition as well as hosting touring exhibitions (don’t be put off by their terrible website). Downtown’s Musuem and Art Gallery are also worth a visit. Quite small as individual attractions, but you can visit both for a discount. The Miami Science Museum in North Coconut Grove is worth a look. Again, quite small, but some imaginative exhibits and an aviary in the back yard!

You could also check out Miami’s numerous theatres such as; the Andrienne Arsht in Downtown, Jackie Gleason in South Beach and Tower Theatre near Coral Way.

I hope there were a few ideas there for you.

Miami Foreclosure Figures

The folks over at the politically charged ‘Eye on Miami‘ have undertaken some interesting research in the foreclosure figures in Miami.

In the first 4 months of this year we have had 25,577 foreclosures in Miami Dade County. That is almost as many as we had the entire year in 2007 (26,391) and more than 3 times as many as we had the entire year in 2005 (7,829). [...] If we keep up with the current trend, we will close 2009 with more than 75,000 foreclosures.

Miami-Dade could achieve six years worth of foreclosures in just one year. Although we’re assured that the economy is flat-lining and not getting any worse, these figures show that we’re definitely experiencing one of Miami’s real estate bust periods. Yet, even though many of Downtown’s apartments are struggling to fill their vacancies, we’re still building new high rises. I suspect global warming will flood Downtown before it reaches anywhere near capacity.

Read the full article on Eye on Miami

South Florida Retirement Destinations

The warm climate and clean air has always made South Florida a popular retirement destination. Because of the down-turn in the housing market there are now some great bargains to be had across the region. But there’s more to the area than Golf courses, no state income tax and sunny beaches, US News’ feature on the ‘best places to retire‘ in the USA features South Florida heavily for various reasons.

Melbourne Beach for good value for money, Doral for it’s low tax, Pembroke Pines because it’s political mix and Fort Lauderdale for those seeking a more active retirement. The proliferation of local NFL teams (Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars) made Miami Beach a good location for football fans. Even winter sports are possible in the South with Clearwater’s Ice Arena and the Tampa Skate Academy enabling residents to skate and sunbathe on the same day!

Our top three picks for best retirement neighborhoods in Miami are; Coconut Grove (an active community with great facilities but without the bustle of central Miami), Key Biscayne (for the outdoor retiree who isn’t ready to hang up their fishing poles quite yet) and Coral Gables (a more Hispanic neighborhood but featuring lovely, quiet, tree-lined streets). Miami isn’t full of white haired old people waiting to pass over, it has a lot to offer retirees of all ages, abilities and interests.

Cycling in Miami

Miami may not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of a cycling friendly city, but it’s being touted as an up and coming city for cyclists. The Kneedl team are keen cyclists and we’ve been pleasantly surprised at the the amount of cycling there is here.

If you’re looking at relocating to Miami and have heard it’s a no-go for cyclists, don’t worry.  We won’t pretend it’s perfect (despite the occasional share the road license plate, it can be a battle with drivers) but it is certainly putting a lot of effort into making itself a more bike friendly place.  There’s still a long way to go but as the Miami Herald noted, Miami has now held more car-free bike events than any other US city all thanks to Bike Miami Days.  Good Magazine has put Miami in the top seven cities with a burgeoning bike scene.

Road riding in Miami

If you’re a roadie, there are organized races/rides and a few teams who ride here. Key Biscayne is the main drag for roadies and time-triallists thanks to its long straight roads with good bike lanes. It also has the biggest hill in Miami if you want to practice some hill climbs!  There is also a monthly Critical Mass ride.

Mountain Biking in Miami

If you’re more into fat tyred antics then you’d be amazed that, despite the fact it’s flat, Miami has some pretty awesome mountain bike rails.  Oleta Park has plenty of man-made singletrack and the trails are rated from beginner to expert. Some of the trails are pretty technical too. Oleta also offers mountain bikes to rent.  If you’re after a bit of wildlife watching while you’re riding then Shark Valley in the Everglades is the place to go. There are also organized full moon rides along Shark Valley.  Just make sure you don’t puncture, as there are plenty of gators around!

Bike rental in Miami

If you’re visiting and fancy renting a bike, you can head to Oleta Park and hire them there. Or if you want to cruise around the beach and city there are a few places to hire bikes. Bike and Roll offers guided tours as well as hourly rental.

Hopefully that’s a good enough intro to cycling in Miami. If you want a bit more detail, there are some great blogs focusing on cycling in Miami:

Miami New Times Bike Blog

Miami Bike Scene

Bike Miami Days

Slow Bike Miami

Transit Miami

Spokes ‘n’ Folks