MIAMI Then (in MV)……and MIAMI Today (in reality)

[VinceLombard]

MIAMI Then (in MV)……and MIAMI Today (in reality) :cool:Any of you guys that lives, lived, visited, travelled thru, experienced… etc Miami today -how does it compare to the city shown in MV?I am sure that it changed a lot since the 80’s, new buildings, architecture, however does it have similar style and feel to it like on the show? What are the similarities and differences between the city and lifestyle portrayal on the show and today; - please share your thoughts, observations.

[Matt5]

MIAMI Then (in MV)……and MIAMI Today (in reality) :cool:Any of you guys that lives' date=' lived, visited, travelled thru, experienced… etc Miami today -how does it compare to the city shown in MV?I am sure that it changed a lot since the 80’s, new buildings, architecture, however does it have similar style and feel to it like on the show? What are the similarities and differences between the city and lifestyle portrayal on the show and today; - please share your thoughts, observations.[/quote']The City looks a lot worse - losing a lot of its unique appeal since the MV years - Downtown looks the worst imo full of new too tall empty condo buildings shadowing the buildings that were prominent during the MV years . I spent many months in Miami in 2003 ( and later ) and then it was just fine but around 2005 /2006 buildings went up all over Downtown and it became a huge building site.Miami Beach is better due to the historic preservation order which does not allow the demolition / building of structures .

[miamijimf]

I agree with Matt5. Having grown up there and lived there during the Vice filming years gives me a good perspective. I believe Miami is America's, if not the world's, fastest changing city. It is much larger and more crowded. It used to be a medium sized Southern town except when the Yankees came down for the Winter season but now Miami is on it's way to being a mini-Manhatten. The area has a distinctly international, mainly Hispanic, flavor. The architectural situation on the Beach is better due to the preservation policy but some classic structures like the Senator Hotel are gone.

[VinceLombard]

The City looks a lot worse - losing a lot of its unique appeal since the MV years - Downtown looks the worst imo full of new too tall empty condo buildings shadowing the buildings that were prominent during the MV years . I spent many months in Miami in 2003 ( and later ) and then it was just fine but around 2005 /2006 buildings went up all over Downtown and it became a huge building site.Miami Beach is better due to the historic preservation order which does not allow the demolition / building of structures .

I agree with Matt5. Having grown up there and lived there during the Vice filming years gives me a good perspective. I believe Miami is America's' date=' if not the world's' date=' fastest changing city. It is much larger and more crowded. It used to be a medium sized Southern town except when the Yankees came down for the Winter season but now Miami is on it's way to being a mini-Manhatten. The area has a distinctly international, mainly Hispanic, flavor. The architectural situation on the Beach is better due to the preservation policy but some classic structures like the Senator Hotel are gone.[/quote''] That’s exactly what I’ve heard. On the show it looks very inviting, not to crowded, fun but in a good taste, beachy but still classy kinda upscale community. As I look at the you-tube videos from the current time it looks kinda ghetto-ish –a lot og hustling on the streets, heavy slow traffic, crowded, pickpocketing, a lot of street drinking, fake wannabe rappers etc?. It was shock to me because I have the picture of the city like they show in the movie. I thought that maybe just the videos on youtube are from bad areas so that’s why I asked, also as vice fans you guys know what kind of vision I’m looking for lol.I have a few black friends who’ve been there and told me that I would be the only whitey on the streets lol (certainty it’s not like it was on the show –because I thought there were all the races in somewhat equal amounts?). (The reason I am asking –I just moved to San Diego a few years ago, but my other option was Miami. After all those years I am still strugguling and doubting myself wheater I made the good decision….???:confused: So it is still bothering me wherease my picture of Miami and the lifestyle comes from MV, and am still trying to find out the truth, wheater I should still think of moving there or maybe stay in SD… (which perhaps might be closer to what Miami used to be…?):confused:I appreciate any info

[miamijimf]

To understand what Miami was like in the 80s and even what it is like today you need to look at previous decades. Remember culture, attitudes etc do not abruptly change when the calender reads a different year. What is past is prologue. The 70s in Miami were as tumultuous as the 80s. Just came across this excellent summery of the decade's major events in Miami. I still like disco. You also get a fast view of the Nixon property where the mansion at 485 Matheson Dr was built. It appeared in Golden Triangle Pt II, The Great McCarthy, and Yankee Dollar.

[mvnyc]

Although I didn't live here during the Vice days, I used to come down here a lot (I bought a vacation condo here in 1987, moved down permanently in 2005) and can tell you that it was better back then. Some parts of Miami today are borderline Ghetto, and some (like the beach area) are thriving. It definitely has a cosmopolitan feel about it, but (as has been mentioned already), many places are gone from the MV heydays. It has become a city of the have's and the have-nots.

[pahonu]

Many have credited Miami Vice with helping draw interest to the restoration of much of South Beach's art deco architecture. In the 70's and 80's that area was the run down "ghetto" as depicted in the show and today it has near fully gentrified while other areas have declined. It's a constant cycle of change in any city.

[KaeptnCaipi]

We travelled to Miami in 2002 and from 2005 to 2008.I like the "old" skyline (2002 and earlier) much better than it looks today. Also Financial District at Brickell has changed a lot in the past years. I agree with Matt5 that there are too much too tall buildings in downtown Miami. When I first visited Miami the Freedom Tower downtown Miami stood there with nearly nothing around it. When we last travelled to Miami in 2008 there are a lot of huge condo buildings surrounding Freedom Tower. That's just one example.And when you look at all those condo and luxury home websites (trulia.com as an example) there are thousands of condos and homes in Greater Miami that are on the market for sale.

[Stinger390X]

Well from my travels I see that a lot has changed (obviously) but sometimes not for the better?!?!When you cross the causway onto the straights, the area is all built up with new buildings and condos everywhere (I don't know where all the money is coming from?) Florida presently is in dire straights so to speak as the unemployment there is rampent! I posted pics of the Airport where Chalks used to be. It's closed down and abandoned?It's hard to find an english speaking person in Miami (sorry not trying to be prejudicial...just an observation) as the Latin tounges are taking over.The mainland part of Miami and the rest to the west is pretty Ghetto in many areas, although there are the high class neighbourhoods as well to the north and west especially the newer areas near the Everglades such as Pembroke Pines and Sunrise. Some of the subdivisions are fabulous, but the older part of Miami that had all those lovely small pink and green houses and other pastels that Miami is known for, are all deteriorating at a horrible rate. You can see the water damage on the base of the houses from repeated hurricane damage block after block in some parts of Hialeah.I agree with the other poster who said downtown was vacant. I also found that too? Seems all the office towers are lacking in commerce? I deliver to a small farmers market downtown and the streets are narrow and in horrible condition. They need to be paved! The overhead rail transit is in disrepair and full of grafitti! You can see the rail in a couple of episodes of season five and one of season 4. Funny now that I think of it, I never noticed them running???? Maybe I just never saw them or they are running on an odd schedule?The hotels along the beach areas are still looking good as they have tourists, especially the South Beach area. I was recently in the Miami Beach area and the hotels seemed to do ok? I go to Hollywood often and it still does well. The local bars are full everynight with boaters and the docks seem to be doing a booming business as the Marinas there are doing all kinds of repairs on numerous crafts.You can't get near the water at the docks area without a TWIC card (which I have) and a blood sample and your first born male!!! Thank you George Bush and your Patriot Act! Next they will be doing retina scans???????????The skyline has definitely changed since the 80s and there are a lot more cruises going out of the area too. Carnival has their main headquarters ther over in Doral Park area and do a good business. My friends sister works on one of the ships and she is always at sea!Real estate prices are in the toilet however! That recession of 2008 killed the Miami economy and it is having a real time recovering. Actually the entire state is in turmoil still as I have freinds from Jacksonville to Tampa to Miami and they all say the same thing. many of them are educated and in high tech and unemployed? My freind from Ontario here retired and bought a condo right on the beach in Lauterdale for 30 cents on the dollar. The housing crisis made a lot of people homeless and sadly they were put out, but people with money (Canadians) flooded in and bought up lots of property in Miami for cheap! The financial crisis didn't even effect us up here!Miami has definitely changed from the times of MV!just my observations.............

[Matt5]

Jim raises some valid points here

[miamijimf]

Jim raises some valid points here

You are OK Matt, I don't care what Chris says about you.

[Matt5]

You are OK Matt' date=' I don't care what Chris says about you. [/quote'] Funny