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.

How safe is daycare in Miami?

“If you’re poor or a minority, your children have nearly twice the likelihood of attending a daycare with a questionable safety record” that’s according to CBS4’s i-Team . To illustrate the state of Miami’s daycare they put together this Google map. If you’re raising a young family, it will be worth taking a look to find the safer family friendly neighborhoods in Miami.

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

How Kneedl Recommends Neighborhoods

In order for us to recommend neighborhoods on Kneedl.com we’ve gathered information from many different sources and combined this with on-the-ground editorial experience. Our aim is not to tell you about every neighborhood in every city. Our aim is to recommend the best neighborhoods for you.

There are many publicly available up-to-date resources for data such as crime-rates, house prices, schools and healthcare but the latest census in Miami was taken in 2000 and much of this information is actually misleading when you take into account Miami’s property boom and the recent downturn. Neighborhoods that were once small family homes and barren lots now host modern high-rises attracting a younger, more affluent resident.

Statistical relevancy is subjective. What may be an acceptable crime-rate for a young student looking for a bargain apartment may not be acceptable for an elderly couple seeking the quiet life. We’ve weighted the stats by what’s important to our three demographics (young and carefree, family focused and retirees) as well as taking into account the relative desires of Hispanic and non-hispanic residents.

Rather than relying solely on statistical information and trying to develop a fancy algorithm we found the best neighborhood recommendations were made by combining stats with resident testimonial and by unbiased Kneedl staffers actually visiting the neighborhood in person.

Free promotion for Miami realtors

Kneedl is almost ready to go live. We’re smoothing out a few kinks before we let it loose for feedback. The site aims to help people find the right neighborhood based on their preferences. We’re looking for Miami realtors who would like a bit of free promotion for their services.  Leave a comment and we’ll get back to you with details.

Wildlife in Miami Neighborhoods

Watch an episode of Dexter of CSi and you’d be forgiven for thinking Miami is all high-rises and concrete, but with the news that Bald Eagles nesting in west Pembroke Pines last week, I thought I’d cover some of the other wildlife that can be found in Miami’s neighborhoods.

Manatee

These large, slow moving creatures typically inhabit warm, shallow, coastal estuarine waters which Miami has in abundance. Manatee were a common sight in Miami, but sadly their numbers have dwindled. Biscayne Bay is still littered with ‘Manatee Protection’ signs and although the boats usually scare the adults away, Oleta River park (North Miami Beach) is a known spotting location. I have seen wild Manatee in Biscayne National Park just south of the city in the Homestead neighborhood and also near Venetian Causeway in Wynwood.

Raptors

Miami’s high rises create swirling updrafts which large birds such as Turkey Vultures, Kites and numerous Hawk special use to stay in flight with minimal effort. In neighborhoods such as Downtown, Wynwood and Upper East Side flocks of these large birds can be seen every day.

Pelican, Cormorant & Heron

The neighborhoods bordering the bays are home to many fishing birds, but among the pelican, cormorants and blue herons, it’s the large Brown Pelican that are most conspicuous.

Virginia Key is a popular hang out for pelican where the birds often to be found cruising along the road and fishing around the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Parrots & Songbirds

Parrots and parakeets (such as the scaly-headed parrot, white-winged parakeet, the mitered parakeet, the red-masked parakeet and blue-crowned parakeets) can been seen in small flocks in many areas of Miami, but Biscayne Gardens in North Miami is a great area to see a selection of parakeets and migrant songbirds in one area.

Iguana

Although considered as feral by much of the community, Green and Mexican Spiny-tailed Iguanas are all over the region. Many were originally escaped family pets that, once let loose (or escaped) have thrived all over the city. They can often be seen basking alongside the road in the Venetian Islands, in Fairchild Park (Coral Gables) or in the coastal areas in Virginia Key. Do be aware though that they can give a nasty bite if cornered.

Possum & Raccoon

Although considered ‘nuisance wildlife’, if you’re new to the US then you’ve probably never seen a possum or Raccoon. Bill Baggs Wildlife Park (Key Biscayne) is a location where I’ve seen Raccoon as they enjoy foraging along the waterline. Possum on the other hand prowl many neighborhoods, try Miami Beach where the human nightlife often discard tasty treats.

Dolphin

If you’re extra lucky, dophin can be spotted in Miami, either in Oleata Park (North Miami Beach) or South Biscayne Bay (a good look-out is The Rusty Pelican restaurant) or from a kayak off the Coconut Grove coast.

Shark

Big game fishing is popular in Miami, although I prefer to look at wildlife rather than stick hooks in them, it’s worth mentioning that a 14 foot Tiger Shark was caught off Biscayne Bay.

Buying a condo in Miami? The questions you need to ask first.

Life is pretty tough for everyone right now, so if you’re looking at buying in the current climate it’s essential to make sure you’re getting the right place for your money. Most of the newer high-rise condos in Miami offer great facilities: pool, gym, swanky lounges and much more. Plus you’re pretty much guaranteed that you can move straight in without having to  spend money fixing any of the fixtures and fittings.  But before you commit there are a few things you should find out first:

1. Can you show me the minutes of the latest home owners association? You may have fallen in love with the building, but if the residents are at each others’ throats it’s best to find out first. Your dream apartment could turn into a nightmare with the wrong neighbors or a misguided condo commando.
2. Can I see the condo bylaws? Don’t even think about making an offer before seeing this.  If you can, get a real estate lawyer to look them over too.  You don’t want to sign the contract and then find out that Fluffy, your beloved Doberman, won’t be able to move in with you as there’s a no pet clause.
3. What is the relationship with the building’s developer? Sometimes developers retain the rights to certain amenities or parts of the building and then rent them back to the condo association. They could then raise rents and the costs will be passed onto your monthly fees.
4. Are there any lawsuits filed against the condo association? Once you become an owner you could be responsible for covering the costs of any litigation.
5. How many units are owner-occupied? The higher the percentage, the more likely to building is to be kept in good condition.
6. How many units have been sold? Some mortgages may require a certain percentage of occupancy to guarantee their loan, or they might charge you a premium to gain financing. If it’s low, you may have more room to negotiate a good price.  There is the risk that if it’s still low when you come to sell it could hurt your resale value.
7. Are there any maintenance plans for the next year? If so, see if the condo association has enough money in their fund to cover it. Otherwise, yes you guessed it, you will be responsible for a portion as an owner.
8. What does the condo association insurance plan cover? Look through it and see what the plan covers and what you are responsible for.

Happy house hunting!