What’s the friendliest neighborhood in Miami?

OK, stop laughing. We’re friendly! Sometimes. We’d rather run you off the road in our leased BMWs than let you into our lane, and we will run our grocery carts right into the back of your legs because we’re texting Marisleyses. And don’t give us that look. We’re gonna go ahead and take this call even though the movie just started.

And here’s proof we’re friendly: National Geographic Traveler believes at least one Miami community is among the 28 friendliest neighborhoods in the country.

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No, it’s not Hialeah. It’s not Coral Gables or Opa-locka. It’s not Aventura or Westchester.

One of the top 28 most friendly neighborhoods in America, Nat Geo Traveler reports, is . . . Brickell?

Yes, Brickell, the community so friendly there’s nowhere to park and even if there was you couldn’t figure out the maze of street closings to get there.

But no matter. Here’s what Nat Geo says about what it calls the Brickell/Hammock neighborhood (not to be confused with The Hammocks in the mighty census-designated area of West Kendall):





“Gleaming high-rises dominate the Brickell/Hammock skyline. This downtown Miami neighborhood is known for Biscayne Bay views, boffo shopping at Brickell Center mall, and glitzy lounges like rooftop Sugar, for pan-Asian fare.”





We have no idea what “boffo” means, but we have been to Brickell City Centre, and it is nice enough, even if the women in Zara will whip that size 6 skirt right out of your hand if they want it. Nor did the writer mention the Cafetera Sky, truly the most amazing wonder of the Brickell world.

A random Brickell streetscape. Friendly!

Nat Geo used data from its partner Resonance Consultancy to come up with this list, which also includes New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, Seattle’s Capitol Hill and Boston’s Back Bay neighborhoods. Two other Florida cities made the cut: the Old Naples historic district and Orlando’s Thornton Park.

The list, the story says, celebrates urban neighborhoods that “can make travelers feel at home. This ultimate list offers starting points to explore American cities: enclaves full of places to delve into, people to meet, and enough bonhomie to make you want to return again and again.”

So make it past the cement trucks, the towering cranes, the blocked streets, the obnoxious suits who hog the bar at Casa Tua Cucina and experience true bonhomie. Us? We’re just going to stay in Kendall.