Urbanism: Comparing Miami With New York City

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Recently I visited Miami, the second time since December 2017. The visit inspired me to compare Florida`s metropolis with New York City, where I live. The first difference is obviously the climate. Miami is a city of light - just 162 miles (260 km) north of the the tropics. The tropical sun immerses the city in soft pastel tones. I also enjoyed there temperatures in the high 70s (20+ C) and the almost tropical vegetation. They are growing coconut trees there. When I came back to New York - early May - the quicksilver column stayed at 52 F (11 C ).

 

Miami is very modern, classy and cool (even though it can be hot there). I spotted many new office towers and condominium palaces and the city looks fresh & neat. In contrast New York is old and dirty. The streets in my Lower East Side neighborhood are rotten, spoiled with holes, and dangerous to walk.

 

 

Miami has a lush tropical vegetation which is shaping the face of the city. The metropolis looks like a garden city, making her more livable than New York City.

 

 

 

Miami is still a boom town. I noticed lots of construction, more than in Big Apple. It seems that climate, relatively low taxes and a southern life style (partly by the Latino influences) are attracting a lot of new residents. Apparently the newcomers aren`t scared by rising sea levels and hurricanes (even New York gets hurricanes. They are still repairing damages by Hurricane Sandy from 2012).

 

Going out is more fun in Miami because the climate allows more outdoor activities. I got the impression that Miami has a more attractive restaurant scene than Manhattan. There are more fancy Asian & Peruvian + (blend of Japanese & Latin American cuisine) places per square mile than in Manhattan. My wife and I were lucky to get a outdoor table at Komodo (just made a reservation the day before). This is a highly popular & fancy place, which also offers an excellent Asian cuisine. 

In contrast New York´s restaurant industry is troubled. Extremely high rents and uncooperative landlords are driving many chefs out of business. New York`s restaurant crisis got worse in the recent months. Unfortunately some of the better place didn`t make it through the pandemic. They depend on foreign tourists and business customers, both stayed away during the crisis. But the tiny fast food dives in my Lower East Side are booming, fueled by the generous government checks. When the tourists come back to New York, they might not like what they will find.

 

Walking in Miami is fun, less so in New York. The streets in my south Manhattan neighborhood Lower East Side are filled with beggars, some of them aggressive. The neighborhood blog Bowery Boogie reports about frequent mugging, stabbing and shooting on the streets and subway stations ( boweryboogie.       boweryboogie ). And New York`s beaches (Rockaway, Coney Island) are slums and spoiled by a ridiculous amusement park.

Miami is hipper than New York!