renting an apt at the beach.

that's all great to hear - most of the friends i've made so far are my age (21-23ish) and all into the edm bubble so i don't know too many places to look for other live music.

311 & Slightly Stoopid at Cruzan, July 17. It's a Tuesday, unfortunately.

i know! we're super bummed that 311 isn't doing pow wow this year.

I only listen to live music now and there is far more shows down here you just need to know where to look. Example Culture Room, Boca amp and Pompano amp are over looked by TNL for live acts...

You then have AAA, Bank Atlanic, Mizner and WPB Amp.... It's not NYC but we get enough to keep you happy... I have Maroon5, DMB, Mumford and Sons, Slightly Stoopid and Passafire all booked.... Just did Roger Waters last week.. You also get sunfest once a year, which has a lot of great acts...

This is true. And, for smaller, bar-acts, look to The Stage, Tobacco Road, PAX, Van Dyke Upstairs, Blackbird Ordinary, Jazid, Wood, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, Joey's (I think), Bardot, Vagabond (sometimes, not often), The Goose, Sandbar. Those are just the ones in the city core. There are others in the outlying places like Coral Gables, Kendall, etc, depending on where you move.

thanks for all the recommendations - going to start looking into those places and checking them out little by little.

as much as i love going to a club or dance event, i still think there's nothing like a rock concert. after a few years of mostly hitting clubs/wmc/edm festivals etc., going to coachella this year was the most refreshing and fucking fun experience ever. my girl originally wanted to check out kaskade over radiohead - i made sure i won the argument and she's thanked me ever since. now she's the one wanting to skip out on space or pacha and spending our money on all different kinds of music

I said a 'nice' 1 bedroom / bath would be $1600 and a studio could be close to half that -- forgive me if I did not blue print out that 'nice' was including what you'd usually expect in an apartment of that price -- washer/drier/central AC. Those of us who want those things do pay a premium for the convenience and if you can make do without them then good for you, seriously.

So here's my two cents:

I just moved back to Miami after living in NYC for almost 7 years and I live on South Beach. It wasn't my choice for the same reasons you're somewhat staying away from SoBe, but honestly i'm really happy to be where I am which is on West Ave and 12th with a killer apt overlooking the Bay. Like you want, i get to drink my coffee on my balcony watching the cruise ships go by and see the LED lit mansions changing color on Star Island.

My bf and I looked at apartments in Brickell, Midtown, Downtown, you name it and even signed a contract for "2br" loft at a really pet friendly building called Neo Lofts that reminded us of NYC for $1500 which we thought was a steal. Thank god we didn't get it because we now pay less than that for way, way more.

We ride our bikes down to Ocean up to the boardwalk, we walk to Lincoln Road to people watch, and take our dog to the park without having to take our cars out from valet.

I've lived on the beach before in an older apt on Meridian directly across from Flamingo Park (about 10 years ago) and also in Midtown last year and honestly, while i liked to think that Midtown was great when i lived there, I didn't feel safe and the other apts i looked at were a joke for what they were asking.

I agree that if you're in your early 20's, being close to the action and being used to the pedestrian aspect of NY you wouldn't be remiss looking at SoBe apts on West Ave for the bigger buildings (amenities), a lot of the name streets for something more quaint in a smaller building, or south of Fifth for a bit of both.

I agree that you don't need a whole lot of space. Lots of places have huge bathrooms, foyers and other wastes of space that people get impressed with but really aren't necessary when you get down to it. Living in NYC taught me to appreciate good space planning and I realized that lots of homes in Miami have colossal space wasters (formal dining/living rooms). Get a nice place in an area you love, i get the feeling you're not really a total homebody.

Don't bother with a realtor unless someone comes recommended or is a friend because they won't show you everything. Yet don't get discouraged looking on your own because lots of ads are fakes, duplicates, old/rented and there are people who are just downright lazy when it comes to returning calls.

If you have any questions or need advice, feel free to ask someone who just made the same big move not too long ago.

If you have any questions or need advice, feel free to ask someone who just made the same big move not too long ago.

thank you and PM sent - although it looks like it's stuck in my outbox so let me know if you don't receive anything

PM stay in the outbox until read.

And yes, the arrangement of space is key too.