stimpy

I need to choose a base in Florida. Travel would be mostly up and down the eastern seaboard, but occasionally to the west coast and Europe. What do people think is a better place as a base? I'm taking into account an apartment rental and airport convenience. The other qualification is doing this without owning a car. It needs to be a quiet place that is walking distance to shops and restaurants and using Uber or taxis to get to the airport.

For flights to Europe, are fares better from MIA or MCO?

All ideas welcome!

pbiflyer

Much like the song "No one walks in LA", no one walks in Florida.
It would be expensive, but you could check out the Brickell area of Miami. You have MetroMover which connects to the MetroTrain. Still no direct transportation to the airport without taking a bus.
But there is a grocery store, tons of shops and restaurants. It is a growing downtown area.
I don't know the Orlando area from a living standpoint.


MIA is an American hub, so domestically, they would be a primary carrier for you. But it also depends on where you are going on the east coast. NYC, you will have a variety of choices.

Since Orlando is the home of theme parks, you have a ton of carriers going there. Cheaper airfares domestically, for sure.

Internationally? Depends on where you want to go. South and Central America? Miami way more convenient. Also, a lot of European carriers have directs into MIA - BA, Virgin, Al Italia, Air France.
Not sure about MCO though.

LPDAL

First of all, one must realize that Florida is not the beach paradise that so many make it out to be. While we may not have winters, we have other problems that far overtake the benefits of warm weather. Not to mention that half the year it is boiling hot, and not "warm weather", so the novelty of "nice weather" quickly wanes. That is, of course, when it isn't raining or hurricaning, which is pretty much half the year. If you are required to live in Florida, or have your heart set on it, move here, there are some big perks. But just realize that we have just as much or even bigger caveats than living in a snow covered northern state.

-LPDAL

stimpy

Trust me I know a bit about Florida having visited there regularly since the 1970's. And I like the heat. I'm just concerned with choosing the Miami area versus Orlando.

LPDAL

A good portion of people who live here moved here because they vacationed here, subsequently finding out that Florida is a place best vacationed to, not resided in.

I am just pointing out that you will face just as much problems here as any state up north. The only difference will be that there's no snow, and yes, the weather is a novelty which will eventually fade like all novel things do.

-LPDAL

dbuckho

MCO would probably be cheaper both living and travel-wise, but if you google Orlando walkable neighborhoods you will find a link to a few but also a story about how Orlando ranked last of the top 30 metro areas in walkability. I think it would be hard to pull off without a car (though you could perhaps do Celebration and just live a Disney existence!).

I lived in Miami Beach as a consultant for a couple years In the early 2000s and it was great. Had a car but did not use it that much. Pretty quick access to MIA and could get almost anywhere non-stop (though I did drive to FLL sometimes for WN and Metrojet/US). I understand a little bit of where LPDAL is coming from as it is different living there vs vacationing, but I was gone M-Th most weeks so MIA and Miami Beach worked out well for me.

writerguyfl

LPDAL: I've seen you bash Florida on several threads. I get that you don't like living here. There's nothing wrong with having that opinion. But, stimpy isn't asking for advice on whether she or he should move to Florida.

I'll let other people comment on flights from MIA or MCO, as I don't fly much.

While the vast marjority of Floridians drive, it's not impossible to live without a car. Since my ancient car broke down last February, I've been car-less here in Fort Lauderdale. It only works because 1) I work from home, 2) I'm three blocks from a grocery store, 3) I'm two blocks from two bus routes, and 4) there are four car rental locations within walking distance. It's possible if you carefully select your residence and use the internet to have big/bulky household items delivered instead of carrying them.

Although I'm in Fort Lauderdale now, I lived in Orlando from 2001-2005. Whether just perception or actual reality, I always felt that the airport was a bit isolated. To live in Orlando without a car, you'll probably want to be in Downtown or Winter Park. The airport is 15+ miles away. The one thing I will caution you about is to avoid living in tourist areas. I had a condo right off Universal property. Dealing with tourist traffic was a nightmare and the main reason why I left town.

One thing I love about Fort Lauderdale is that the tourist areas are fairly consolidated. By plan or by happenstance, the airport is adjacent to the port, which is adjacent to the beach. Port Everglades serves about 3.6 million passengers per year. Due to the geographic set-up, however, most of those people stay away from the residential neighborhoods and Downtown.

Unfortunately, the location of the Port of Miami isn't as ideal. Both cruise passengers and cargo end up travelling through the greater Downtown area. I think pbiflyer offers good advice about looking at the Brickell area.

LPDAL

As I am allowed to "bash" Florida on as many threads as I please as long as such "bashing" complies with the FlyerTalk TOS.

See above. I can repeat my opinion where applicable to my heart's content as long as it complies with the FlyerTalk TOS.

Please don't internet lynch me by discrediting my argument by claiming, suggesting, or otherwise implying that I'm going off topic, because I am not. There is a huge difference between living in Miami (South Florida) and Orlando (Central Florida). I was pointing out what caveats choosing the former would have, because I do not have any experience with living in the Orlando / Sanford metropolitan area.


-LPDAL

writerguyfl

[Redacted]

Since I really have no desire to argue over the internet, I have deleted my last response.

I will happily respond to any questions stimpy or other posters have about my experiences living in Central or South Florida.

pbiflyer

It would be a far, far better place if the people that whine about it would just move out.
And quit trying to make it like it back home here.

Back to the topic. Walkable far better in MIA. Cheaper living and flying in MCO.

djk7

I agree with writerguyfl that the most walkable areas around Central Florida would include downtown Orlando and Winter Park, unfortunately, those would be among the most expensive areas for housing. You might want to consider weather too, the Miami area isn't too much hotter during the summer, but is often 5-10 degrees warmer in the winter which can be nice on those rare days when the temperature does dip.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

How about downtown Coral Gables. Three miles from MIA, a trolley system to get you around and easy access to MIA by Metrobus or Uber. Lots of areas for walking.

stimpy

Thanks, that sounds great. However for business reasons I've had to put this off for about a year. I'll keep note of all the useful info in this thread.

Bear96

Have you considered the Tampa Bay area. Downtown St. Petersburg in particular is very liveable and walkable.