My boss is going to a conference in Miami and she wants to know if the neighborhood she’s staying in is safe enough to walk around during the daytime. She’s trying to save money and doesn’t want to rent a car. She asked me what I thought, but I’ve never been to Miami. I was hoping for doper input. Please, oh please? The conference is at the Hyatt Regency 400 SE 2nd Avenue. She’s hoping to stay at the Hampton Inn on 2500 Brickell. Will she be okay without the car? Thank you so much!!
UncleBill used to live in Miami but now he’s in the Atlanta suburbs. Geobabe was also there. They both mostly reside in LiveJournal these days.
I know that there’s at least one fairly frequent poster who is in Miami but I’m drawing a blank on his name.
Is a cab an option if she’s not comfortable with the neighborhood?
Damnit!! Stupid Gerbils or squirrels or hamsters or whateverthefreak.
Just lost my post.
Basically, I never felt uncomfortable walking or jogging in the projects and some of the highest crime/drug areas in my city. So I might not be the best judge of “safe”. I live in Tampa, but I’ve been to Miami many times.
There are no ghettos, projects, section 8, or any other high risk/high crime/high drug areas near that hotel that I can think of. It’s mainly in a financial district, so there will be lots of other people out during the day walking to work or to lunch and stuff. The only residential buildings around there are some apartments/condos in the > .5 million dollar range, so I wouldn’t worry.
The Conference is less than 2 miles from her hotel and she’ll have a nice view of the water on the stroll, and considering this is what the weather has been like, I think she’ll rather enjoy it!!
I definitely give this the thumbs up. Even at night I’d say she could safely walk to some nearby restaraunts. But since you just asked about the daytime, there’s no doubt in my mind she’d be safe. She shouldn’t even feel uncomfortable.
Unless maybe she’s really scared of big cities, tall buildings, or water…
She has no higher chance of being mugged than, say, being hit by a car while walking to the conference.
Former Miami resident checking in. That entire Brickell Avenue area consists mostly of high-end condos and swanky financial buildings. She shouldn’t have much trouble around there walking during the day. I would recommend she call the hotel (or perhaps talk to the concierge when she checks in) and ask for an honest opinion as to what they think of a woman walking around alone in the neighborhood, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be bad. Just tell her to act confident and look like she knows where she’s going. No matter where you are, obvious tourists and people who look confused/lost/scared/out of place are easy marks. But the weather should be lovely for walking, and I’m sure the hotel could pre-arrange to have a cab pick her up if she decides she would prefer it.
Thank you Shib, Bear, and Big Bad. I am passing your info and advice along. I know she will appreciate the input. She just got her PhD and she’s interviewing with some universities out there for her first real professor job. She’s excited about visiting Miami, but broke after 15+ years of paying for higher education.
Lemme go get OhFace, she’s currently living there and going to school at U of M. I’m sure she’d be able to help you out.
Doesn’t the school pick up the interviewing costs? Tell her good luck or break a leg or whatever it is professors do.
During the day, downtown Miami (where your boss will be) isn’t that much scarier than any other downtown for a big city.
During the night, however, it becomes scary. I was staying downtown when I first moved down here, and my car’s window got busted. This never happened to me the five years I lived in Newark, NJ.
She shouldn’t need a car, however. There’s a free monorail thingie called Metromover that she can take all throughout downtown. I’m not 100% sure, but I think the Metromover goes to the Brickell area. If not, there’s also the regular train. For short distances, it’s great. The Miami-Dade Transit website should tell her all she needs to know (or she can just call the hotel).
If she wants to see the “sights” (like South Beach or Coral Gables), she will need a car unfortunately. Miami’s public transportation sucks in general.
Hope your boss has a good time.
snort The things that turn up on a vanity search.
I reside with UncleBill.
Yeah, I thought a vanity search might get you in here.
BTW, did you see where they caught a 12 footer in downtown Miami the other day. Have your boss watchout for bullgators on her way home from her meetings, IzzyBella!
I didn’t see that. It would probably be evil of me to forward it. Therefore I must find an article and email it to her as quickly as possible. 
Shibb, I thought most schools would foot her bill also. At least our school does when they’re interviewing profs. Then again, she’s interviewing at the conference, not the school. So perhaps she’ll get a formal invite down the road.
Thanks again for your help!
Well, I’d made a New Year’s resolution to use my powers for good and never for evil. I guess that one’s shot.
I did see that! The most amusing thing was that it most likely got so big from eating Santeria sacrifices. Only in Miami…
Beautiful! I’ve forwarded it to her. She get all wiggy about it and then I will laugh. Thank you very much, Shibb.
**She will ** get all wiggy…. Note to self: “Preview Post” button is there for a reason.
If she gets wiggy about 'gators, maybe she should reconsider South Florida. Any body of water larger than about the size of a bathtub, you best assume there’s an alligator in it. F’real. I always thought that was kida cool, in a scary way.