5 Reasons to Love Coconut Grove: It’s Not What You Think

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Growing up in Miami I lived out west, think 127 Avenue past a land called “Horse Country.” All our friends and family lived out west too. We went to school there. My parents worked there. My family’s favorite places were out west too. It was a wonderful place to grow up, just lovely. As we got older, we moved even further west like 152 Ave. (Back then it was literally the end of Miami.) Then we became teenagers and started driving. Then yep, you guessed it!  We drove away from West Kendall as fast as we could!

I have such great memories growing up in Miami! We spent summers on Pier 555, Crandon Park Lot 1, and of course South Beach – back when it was just a beach. Sometimes we would head out there twice in one day!

The general summer schedule consisted of: early morning gym visit then head out for a beach day. Drive all the way back home, say “Hi!”, shower, eat and drive back to South Beach, Coconut Grove or Key Biscayne for a fun, usually late night.

Funny, none of my memories include complaining about the long drive. (I have a feeling my parents may have a different version of this.)

Fast-forward about 30 years… My husband was lucky enough to come across the worst house (it was abandoned for 3 years) in the best area we jumped at it knowing what the future had in store for us. The idea of driving to West Kendall not once but twice in one day makes me exhausted just thinking about it. Even worse the idea of having my future teenage kids drive back and forth in Miami traffic returning late at night would make me an insomniac. So, being in the center of it all was a priority for us as a couple and for the family we planned to have.

Living in Coconut Grove has given us so many wonderful opportunities.

  1. In the Grove its ok to go to your neighbor’s house and ask for a cup of sugar, battery or an emergency glass of wine. There is a real sense of community since the moment we moved in.
  2. Many a weekend afternoon with nothing to do we would walk to the beautiful Kennedy Park, grab an AC’s ICEE and enjoy the beautiful Biscayne bay.
  3. We often bike into The Grove for lunch. We can bike to Key Biscayne and bike to the market for groceries. I think it’s one of the few areas in Miami where you can somewhat enjoy a pedestrian life.
  4. As my kids got older (ages 13-15) they would volunteer at community summer camps and they could ride their bikes!
  5. By now my kids have walked, biked, skate boarded, been dropped off, driven themselves, and lastly been able to take a short Uber into one of the many areas I used to frequent. I can be at ease and find comfort that they are a just short ride away!

I can thank my younger self. Parenting teenage “adultish” children comes with so many fears and joys. I am so happy they get to experience Miami as I did.

I am even happier I don’t have the long drive home to stress about as my parents did.