Personally we live in North Miami, right on the intercoastal, 20 minutes from South Beach and Downtown Miami, 15 minutes to Hollywood, 30 minutes to Fort lauderdale.
Right now there are amazing deals on condos. There was a ton of overbuilding and some of them are going for 25 cents on the dollar.
Personally I would ONLY live right on the water in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Living on the water is tropical paradise, anywhere else, even one block away, just isn't worth it IMO.
Whatever you decide, be sure to rent for at least 6 months first, in order to get an idea of what area you really want to live in, what's important to you, etc...
South Beach is a ton of fun 24/7, but it can suck you in after a while and you can burn out from over-partying, (I've watched it happen to people).
Hit us up when you get in to town, and we will be happy to show you around and talk about what is where....
p.s. You really DON'T have to speak Spanish in Miami, it just seems like it sometimes.
p.p.s. Although a bunch of interiors and street scenes on Dextor are shot in LA, all of the shots showing the water and most of the beach shots are recognizably Miami.... as is the outside of his apartment, and other establishing shots, etc...
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