Minnesota, It's Been Real

Au revoir Minnesota!

It's all over. After two weeks of goodbyes and wrapping up loose ends, I've moved out of my St.Paul house and I'm heading back to Wisconsin. I'm currently spending the night at my aunt and uncle's place in the suburbs, hanging out with my cousins, aunt and uncle, and my mom. We'll be leaving in the early AM for our drive back to Wisconsin.

From there it's all about ridding myself of extra possessions and other things I don't need, trying to whittle my load to a manageable size. My goal is to take only one suitcase with me to Miami, so I've got plenty of work to do.

I moved to Minneapolis almost six years ago. It's been a good run but I'm ready for new adventures.

Pre-Departure Thoughts vs Post-Experience Feelings

I recently began to think about how my upcoming experience in Miami might have some similarities to my Buenos Aires experience, but not in the "moving from one city to another" kind of way. Let me explain:

Before I left for Buenos Aires, I had all these images of the city being this bustling metropolis, just like New York City. I told everyone I met how Buenos Aires is supposed to be "The Paris of South America." Just thinking that I used that horrible phrase makes me sick.

I came back from Argentina 14 months later with a completely different view of the city. It was a bustling metropolis, but it also had sprawling slums that no one talked about in the guide books. Once you left the safety of the north part of the metro, you got to see the real Buenos Aires. I came back with a completely different, but more accurate and complete, view of Buenos Aires. A true view of the city that I love so much. Thinking how naive I was before arriving in Argentina is laughable.

Right now, my thoughts about Miami are beaches, palm trees, Little Havana and being "the capital of Latin America." All the stereotypical things that a novice would think; just like the thoughts I had about Buenos Aires before I arrived. I wonder if I'm going to look back in a year at my pre-arrival Miami thoughts with disgust/disbelief like I do at my per-arrival Argentina thoughts?

Did that make sense?

A Place to Call Home

It's official; I've found a place to live in Miami!

I just got word back from my future roommate, J, and she says we're good to go. I'll be living in Midtown Miami near 33rd and Biscayne Boulevard, two miles away from downtown and only a few more miles from South Beach. I guess the building has quite a few younger tenants, some of which are into biking, so maybe I'll find a road biking crew.

More details to come!

Storm Excitement

Growing up in Chilton, which is located in Northeast Wisconsin on the east side of a large lake, all the big storms always missed us, minus the Hail Storm of 2000.

My sisters and I would always watch in dismay as the largest, darkest, most ominous part of the storm would split in half, with one part going north of Chilton and the other going to the south of Chilton. There could be thunder and lightning all over the area, but Chilton would be sunny.

That being said, Miami has hurricanes, and I'm really excited about this. I understand that once in a while they deviate from their path, but if AL Roker says a hurricane or tropical storm is going to hit Southern Florida, you better believe Miami is getting at least SOME type of stormy weather.

I don't plan on being stupid and sticking around if they evacuate areas of town, but I'm still extremely excited to sit in my apartment during a torrential downpour, watching palm fronds blow down the streets. How many people from Wisconsin can say they've hunkered down and waited out a hurricane?

What's That In Your Hand?...A One-Way Ticket

Just purchased my ticket, one-way, from Chicago O'Hare to Fort Lauderdale, which is only a $20 cab from the warm sand and palm-lined streets of Miami. I'm glad to see that everything is falling into place. Working the last few days of my internship until Thursday, finishing up some projects and writing an "Intern's Guide" for the future interns to use. Then, Mom is coming to get me this Sunday and it's back to Chilton for a week to pack and clean out my old room. Come Super Bowl Sunday, I'll be hitching a ride to Chicago with Lindsay and Adrian and flying out February 7.

I'm crossing my fingers on a cool apartment I've found in Miami. It's located in a pretty nice neighborhood, the price is right, and my future roommate seems very legit. If/when it's official, I'll write you.

Patrick

ps- I've been scoping new road bikes and I've got my eye set on a beauty. Should I buy said bicycle, you better believe it will get a whole post devoted to its beauty.

Future Employer?

I was in Miami for a week in July and I fell in love with the Fontainebleau Resort. It's the mecca of Miami Beach luxury resorts, and houses some of the best restaurants and nightclubs that the city has to offer. I'm kind of thinking about applying for a marketing position, or maybe just work in one of the restaurants for awhile to make some friends and hopefully meet some influential people. Either way, take a look, it's amazing.

I'm Moving To Miami!

The title says it all, I'm moving to Miami.

I graduated from college in May with a degree in marketing and entrepreneurial management from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. I knew since graduating that I wanted to go somewhere new. I miss the excitement of a big city and having to learn all the nooks and crannies. Eating new food, making new friends, and seeing new sights. So, I chose Miami. I'm bilingual in Spanish and I hate cold weather, where better to move than "The Capital of Latin America!"

I've been interning with a marketing company in St.Paul for the past few months, and I've really enjoyed it. They even offered me a job in New York City to get me to stay, but I'm going with my gut and I'm heading south.

I'm finishing up my internship and restaurant job in Minneapolis within the next week and then it's back to Wisconsin for a week to pack up and get my ducks in a row. I'll be joining my mom, grandpa, and maybe my grandma, on their drive down to Anna Marie Island, Florida, where my grandparents have a condo. From there I'll be spending a week apartment hunting online and walking the beach with my mom and grandpa. Then it's off to Miami and a month-long lease, which will give me time to bike/moped Miami and find a nice apartment that I will most likely lease out for 6 months to a year.

I'm hoping to find a few young professional Hispanic guys to live with, so I can speak Spanish on a daily basis and immediately have a group of friends to go out with and have them show me the city.

I'll be restarting my blog and hopefully posting on a daily basis about my adventures and experiences in Miami. Keep checking back in a few weeks and the post will start flooding in .

So once again, the adventure begins!

Patrick

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If you know what to do with this code, give it a scan. I'm tracking my user-base by seeing where the scans come from.

Thanks

Patrick

Major life development coming up. I'll keep you all posted.