rcamp004

This street used to be a great place to live. There was a massive golf course running through the area that brought the land value up and helped keep the area safe. Once the golf course was sold out to Shoma Homes, gangs became more prevalent than they had in years ( they were kept at bay before), crime has gone up as a result, and area looks terrible. The verdant golf green is now gone and replaced by soil, rock, and the sound of bulldozers and pickup trucks carrying contractors around the construction site. People used to be able to walk their dogs and go for leisurely walks around the golf course, however, now people are being charged with trespassing for stepping over the back yards and into the construction site. This road is a terrible waste, the golf course and it's trees used to insulate traffic noise from the living complexes, however, now the noise is audible and will only get louder with the increased traffic that will inevitably come from unwanted neighbors. Avoid this area if you are moving here because of the traffic noise, the crime rate, and the construction that will be going on for a few years.

When people talk about the Calle Ocho festival, this is the street they're talking about. This is a massive road because it is also US 41. If you take this road all the way west you'll find yourself somewhere in Naples (on the other coast of Florida). If you're worried about going to far west then you can use the Miccouskee Indian Gaming Resort and Lodge as a landmark. If you pass it - you've gone too far. Being a casino, naturally there a few things to do. Mostly eating and gambling - and they don't offer that much food. They do have a place where you can drop of your kids while you go and gamble their college tuition away though. After all - who wants to have their kids bring them down while they're on a hot streak?
If casino's aren't your thing but you like barbecue then you can stop at "The Pit" a few miles before the casino. It's a rickety looking wooden shack with an ever more rickety looking thatched hut gazebo outside, but the food more than makes up for appearances. Be sure to bring cash as last time I was there they didn't take any electronic money and provided no ATM's. They also have a killer gator burger there!
The Calle Ocho festival is actually near the downtown area - all the way to the East where 8th becomes part of little Havana and then Downtown. You'll know Little Havana when you see the Versailles restaurant. It's more than just an expensive restaurant with good Cuban food, it's the heart of the Cuban community in the area. The who's who of the community come here to socialize, and because of that fact this restaurant has helped shape Cuban history for the past 50 to 60 years.
If history isn't your thing keep on heading towards 17th ave. It’s held in Domino Park at the corner of SW 8th Street and SW 15th Avenue for one week in March.
It's worth attending once, but be warned, there is a lot of pick pocketing, public drunkenness, and a lot of unsavory characters on every corner at this party. Go in a large group, and stay together and this should be an enjoyable event.

I love planes and I love flying. So, it stands to reason that my overall vibe is biased and gives 5 stars to this road. This is a great road! You can drive along side taxiing airplanes on the run way on your way to where ever it is you need to go. Perimeter road has access to Lejune, the airport itself, 56th ( where the national headquarters of Burger king and a few other major companies have buildings - like Oracle and VW) and leads to NW 12th st. This road isn't great to cut down on the morning commute time anymore. It used to be great, but eventually people caught on and word spread. This road is best avoided in the mornings and the evenings as it only leads to traffic jams, and congestion. It is great to use on the weekends to cut down on time!
This also used to be an awesome place to sit and plane watch, however, that was before 9-11. That isn't allowed anymore.
You can also grab a bit to eat at the 94th Aero Squadron. It's a WWII themed restaurant. It's a little expensive and requires semi-formal dress. You'll recognize it by the massive green airplane sitting outside the restaurant, literally 60 feet from the fenced off tarmac!

SW 107th is a really, really, really long street. I would say this thing runs about 15 miles from end to end. At the southern most end you'll find the Don Shula Expressway and an extension road leading into the Florida Turnpike. Near to that side of 107th is Miami Dade Community College - South Campus. This is a great school with a lot of great people, friendly people. There isn't much to around there, so continuing North you'll see a bunch of strip malls on either side. Eventually, near Coral Way ( SW 24th st) you'll come across the only state university in South Florida - Florida International University. There's a couple of strip malls with a few places to eat - including Tops China buffet on 107th and 16th (Jose Canseco/ Ram Road). Continuing further North you'll pass International Mall (on the right) near NW 12th through NW 14th. Taking a left on either of those roads leads you to Dolphin Mall. Continuing North the road becomes a cul-de-sac in the upper NW 50s - ending somewhere at the Border of Doral and Medley.

This is a little known back street with a bit of controversy surrounding its name. The Street was originally named Ram road because of the mascot of the local high school (Coral Park). Later it was named after Jose Canseco the famous baseball player, because he had gone to Coral Park. Later on, it was made clear the Canseco dropped out of Coral Park, never actually graduating, and thus made naming the road after him a bad example. To some its still Jose Canseco street, to others (like myself) its Ram Road.
There isn't much to find on Ram road. There is an elementary school directly on ram road, another elementary school just off Ram road and of course Coral Park High School. Taking Ram road all the way to the west one finds the entrance to Florida International University. In effect, you can grow up on this street and get educated from kindergarten all the way up to your PhD! It's a very quiet street, only have rare events disrupted this quiet back road. Once there was a bomb threat at the High school ( just after the Columbine tragedy), and a few other times when a few bad seeds beat up a teacher (again at the high school).
It's not always bad, every year around October the high school has a parade marching down Ram Road and into FIU for the homecoming football game. It's a pretty nice thing to stand on the side of the road and see the ROTC and marching band kids march around and play music. There are usually some great floats to look at as well.
Depending on how close you are to 107th ave the University can be quite a walk to get to (as any place in miami). Once at the university you'll find a busy bus hub with buses going to Dolphin Mall, Miami Dade community college, and Downtown Miami and Miracle Mile.
On 107th ave and Ram Road there are two shopping centers opposite each other. This is a very dangerous area as people are rather reckless exiting these facilities. I personally saw a speeding car get clipped by a careless person sticking the cars nose to far into the road, causing the pickup to flip on its side! However, once you know to be careful here you will find a Chinese buffet, Publix, Dept. of motor vehicles (the Publix parking lot doubles as a DMV testing range for people getting their licenses), Thai food, Marine corps recruiter, dollar store, pawn shop, and a bunch of other stores.
Needless to say the University is at the heart of this area and the closer you get to FIU the more things you'll find to do and eat.

Coral Way aka. 22nd st aka. 24th st aka. 27th st. This is a street with an identity crisis and the view along the way shows this. Ending near the financial district of Miami this road spans some of the richest land and some of the shabbiest. This road runs east to west and travels into Miracle Mile in Coral gables. The financial center is not really interesting (even if you are working there). Fortunately, the remaining length of this street offers a lot more. There is an amazing Greek restaurant on Coral way and 12th called Mykonos. Heading further west one will find a variety of shops at Coral Gables Miracle Mile. There is a Barnes and Noble ( with obligatory Starbucks serving coffee shop), Payless shoes, another Starbucks (surprise), and plenty of family owned business stores like the bridal shop. Near the Palmetto and Coral Way, there is a popular juice shop and a hobby store called Crown Hobby. On Coral way and 107th Ave, during Spring ( March), the largest fair in the county happens. Also, Florida International University which is the only State University in the local area.

NW 12th st is a road taken for granted. This is a road leads to Dolphin Mall - a new outlet mall. Within a mile or so is International Mall on 107th ave. Both malls offer a lot of shopping. Dolphin offers a Cobb cinema, gelateria parmalat, Borders, Polo, Ralph Lauren, Brookes Brothers, Sport Authority and the brand new, massive, Bill Bass shop. International mall has a Sears, JC Penny, Dillards, Macy's Old Navy, etc. Both have great steakhouses - Dolphin has the Brazilian steak house "Texas de Brasil" and International has the Argentine steak house - "The Knife". This road also offers 4 or 5 car dealerships, including Esserman, Dodge and Toyota. There is a Walmart near nw 12th st and 87th Ave. Following this road further east, past Milam Dairy (72nd ave) this road become Perimeter road. This road runs along the circumference of Miami International Airport. This can cut time from traffic down at times. However, peak times to avoid this road would be weekdays during the mornings and evenings. Many people try to use this road as a shortcut. In the past it worked but inevitably as word spread it simply caused congestion and delays. It's best used during lunch time and weekends. Assuming you went on a shopping binge on this road, you could easily spend over $100,000 in day and end up with a plane ticket in hand to another country!

South Federal Highway offers a lot to do and a lot of fun nearby places to go to. On US 1 and 27th East you'll find Coconut grove. There is a great night life and artistic community in Coconut grove and you can only get there by crossing US 1 or taking US 1 to 27th. Continuing North US 1leads to I-95 which is a major artery in every city across the eastern seaboard . Bearing right and continuing on US 1 will take you into Downtown Miami. Here you can experience a major part of Miami's culture, nightlife, and food. Here you will find Bayside mall. Bayside mall has a lot to offer - including boat rides that give you tours of celebrities mansions near Star Island and some great food like Bubba Gump shrimp co. Back south, US 1 intersects LeJune road which leads to Miracle Mile - an area well known for its shopping venues.
Further south still, near 88th US 1 comes within less than 1 mile of Dadeland mall. Going further south US 1 comes in close conjunction with the Palmetto expressway - another major road way running north to south.
Continuing on a south bound path one will pass a Whole Foods grocery (there are only a handful in South Florida) and one will eventually run into The Falls - a beautiful open air mall with manmade water falls, fountains, and a river running the length of the mall. US 1 can lead you into the Keys if you take it all the way south. Near the 300 blocks you will find the major Raceway for NASCAR, an outlet mall, and Coral Castle. Coral Castle is an amazing wonder - built by a 5 foot tall immigrant for his sweet 16, he somehow single handed-ly moved bolders of limestone rock over 5 tons on his own.

Eighty-eighth is near Dadeland Mall and The Falls. Following 88th East past the Palmetto expressway will take you to the Dadeland Mall. Following the road a little further will take you to US 1 (which offers a lot of entertainment). Following this road west, at 107th Ave one will find a large shopping center with a Macy's home, a McDonalds, Blockbuster, NY diner, Starbucks, Wolf Camera and a well stocked Publix. Living on this road is quite peaceful. The neighborhoods tend to be quiet and well insulated from the street noise. The Palmetto and the Florida Turnpike are within a few minutes in either direction. There are plenty of shopping plaza's with diners, steakhouses, sushi and book stores. Going west from 117th past the turnpike overpass one will find three shopping centers, 1 on the left 2 on the right. To the left you can find the Rock Fish cafe - an awesome, down home seafood shop. They get Conch daily from the Bahamas. The Chili's in the shopping center is clean, with friendly staff, and not always busy. There is also a Macaroni grill.
To the right you'll find a shopping center with Gatsbys (a local bar/grill/club), a movie theater, Nova South East university, Payless, Old Navy, an old diner (known for stealing credit and debit card numbers) and an On the Border ( which is quite nice, great staff, good food).
Going west further, at 137th ave you will find a Panera bread and another Starbucks. Further still and near the 150 mark you'll find a Steak and Shake and a Walmart on the right hand side. Opposite that there will be a highschool.
Cell phone reception is great on the full length of this road. Internet can be had at the Starbucks for a price and free at the Panera.

Sure, it isn't very flashly. It's not the prettiest street in the city. It's worn down, almost always congested with traffic morning, noon, and night on any given weekday or weekend. However, Galloway is a major street connecting several different cities together. Aligned north to south, following Galloway can take you from Hialeah, into Doral, past the Fountainbleau area, across Coral way, across Bird Rd, into Kendall where it abruptly terminates near US1 and The Falls mall. It might not be pretty, but it'll get you to where you're trying to go.
There are a couple of Latin cafeterias on the street between 8th and Coral way. In Doral, in between NW 12th and NW 36th you can find a Walmart, some gas stations with mechanics, a places to eat: like the Doral Ale house, Roadhouse, Longhorn, Tony Roma's, Macaroni Grill and the new Mondongo (Spanish for tripe). Branching off from Galloway on the side roads near NW 12th and NW 17th are curious oddities such as a warehouse run by the Peruvian Airforce and the United States SouthCom. You can also find the Dade county elections building here (which formerly was Samsung's Latin American branch), behind which is a very large, brand new park.