Condo Living

OK so two weeks living in a condo does not an expert in condo living make. But at least the memories of living between our own private 4 walls are still fresh in my mind to make some comparisons. I’m sure I’ll be sharing more as things come up.

Time definitely does not run at the same rate as everywhere else. Even if you forgot your glasses in the car, it takes some thinking before you head out to the elevator, wait for it to arrive, maybe make a stop along the way, walk to the parking deck and finally reach the car just to turn around and do it all over again. And hopefully when you get to the car, you hadn’t forgotten the car keys. Definitely something that requires some getting used to.

One thing that could be thought of as a huge negative is the heavy traffic and lack of parking spaces in South Beach. However this is turning out to be a blessing in disguise. I wrote earlier that I didn’t see myself bicycling to the Post Office as I did in Emerald Isle. Well I was wrong. I don’t see myself going to the Post Office in something other than a bicycle. The one day that I attempted to drive to it, I went around the block so many times looking for a parking space, that I ended up parking at a parking deck which was as far from the post office as if I had walked from home. Now, I just get on my bicycle, or hop on the bus, and the trip is 100% more enjoyable and just as quick. South Beach is definitely a bicycle-friendly kind of town, and now I can see why.

Living in the building has been quite enjoyable thus far. We haven’t even taken advantage of the pools, gyms, valet parking and other amenities, but dealing with the helpful staff has been quite refreshing. Managing a building of this size must be almost like running a cruise ship, except that the staff gets to go home in the evenings just in time for the second shift to take over.

However the highlight of living on the 31^st floor is definitely the views that we get every moment of the day. You can almost stay glued to the windows all day just watching what goes on below. The weather changes; the huge cruise ship maneuvering at the distance; the smaller boats and jet skies zipping about in the Biscayne Bay; watching from above the pelicans and other birds fly on their way somewhere; waiting for Gloria Estefan or Rosie O’Donnell to step out onto their backyards; watching the traffic on the Macarthur Causeway driving to/from the mainland; the loading or unloading of the container ships at the port of Miami; tour boats of all kinds and sizes waiting for Gloria or Rosie to step out; and in between some of the natural world, such as dolphins and manatees, that are still visible in the midst of all this confusion. The show it’s definitely worth the price of admission.

As we sit back at the end of another day, we look at the calendar and realize that those that gave us only two weeks of honeymoon with SoBe, were dead wrong. The jury is still out on two months, but so far so good.