My parents decided to move us down to So. Florida (Delray/Boca) my senior year of high school. I couldn't wait to GTFO. Barely survived a few weeks at Sheffield without wanting to jump off of any ugly, densely packed, soulless-looking cookie cutter building after driving out of the neighborhood where every house looks the same.
In fairness, it's a truly personal sense of revolting and loathing and some people might think it's great. After all, taking a vacation to a beach seems ridiculous to me.
Here's the great British comedian Stephen Fry making a visit to Miami. I feel seen.
That’s always incredibly hard to be moved your senior year of high school! I’ve had to move over 30 times in my life to 8 states and that’s one of the worst times a kid can be moved so I bet that was a terrible experience, and I’m sorry you went through that.
You’re right that it definitely depends on your perception and experience. I lived in FL before, once in Titusville and once in Gainesville and I swore I would never, and I mean NEVER live in FL again. The odd thing is people who seem to love the more laid back, kinda country/ Southern/ suburban feel of Central or Northern FL seem to hate or loathe South Florida… but the people that love South Florida seem to strongly dislike Orlando and such. They’re two completely different feels and energies.
I would say if you’re more a homebody or like to stay indoors, have amusement park type entertainment, maybe you’re a big video game/ IT person and the like then Orlando may be more your cup of tea. And that’s ok!
If you’re more an outdoors person, you love boating, fishing, snorkeling/scuba, wildlife, there’s The Everglades, The Keys soooo many more beaches than just South Beach… than FLL/MIA may be more your vibe.
I live in FLL and really don’t go to South Beach, I do love the colorful Art Deco buildings there but it’s over priced and way too touristy. It’s funny to me you say the buildings all look the same because I love architecture and one thing that catches my eye here is how unique and different the houses, neighborhoods and buildings are! At least near me. They’re all so colorful, have a lot of Spanish look to them with beachy and tropical vibes. It’s happy to me. I know Sheffield is up north in Plantation, can’t say how that area looks. But I also love seeing iguanas wandering my around, and even parrots flying by. Had no idea I’d see that! Unlike Orlando where you see alligators at every lake, I really haven’t seen any here… YET. I know they’re around but I think majority might be in Everglades (yes I know they’ll be in any body of water tho). I live near the New River and the water canals and absolutely love seeing all the fishermen go by and standup paddleboarders. It’s just got this very cool marine life, saltwater life I personally love and enjoy. If I can’t have that mountain life anymore, this is it. To each their own idea of paradise…
I still need to explore places like Little Havana, Wynwood with the vast blocks of street art, restaurants and vendors, Venetian Pool, Coral Castle, Vizcaya Museum, Flamingo Gardens and more. I love seeing all the mega fresh farmers markets and food trucks. Yellow Green Market is awesome with smoked meats done right outside and live music and bars to grab a sip while shopping for your fruits and veggies. The art exhibits here are super cool and interactive or immersive like Super Blue, Immersive Van Gogh, Monet, Frida Kahlo and more. Granted drivers here are NUTS, but I love it, lots that appeals to me.
I believe you work for DL correct, are you living in ATL? I have never been and want to explore the area and GA in general, but I have honestly heard extremely conflicting things about ATL as well. Some people say ATL is an amazing city, so much to do with excellent food. And yet others have said they saw some truly horrible things and would never go back again. They won’t even apply to DL because of it. It definitely depends on what you see or choose to see, and how you perceive it all. I do wish you could’ve had a better experience here. I’ve lived in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis and more… next to Denver and Colorado in general, this is my new favorite. <3