<p>I am feeling sad that my son has to travel from western mass to U Miami alone. My husband lost his job four months ago! and with plane tickets for USC and Miami we couldn't swing a parent to come down too. I was wondering if anyone else sent their son/daughter alone and where I should try to book him a room. My older son was able to stay on campus for various visits, but he was applying to small LACs and it seems that UMiami does not offer for prospectives to stay in dorms while visiting.</p>
<p>forgot to say he is auditioning there this Sat.</p>
<p>I would try and book him a room at the Holiday Inn. It’s right across the street from campus, and they usually have a very good rate for UM.</p>
<p>I would contact the Frost school and see if he can stay with anybody on campus. Remind them that he is to young to rent a car. This is school vacation week and the hotels are going to be expensive. Also normal traffic around this area is crazy and will likley be worse during this week. He will not be old enough to rent a car. If you can’t get on campus, I would suggest possibly a hotel at the airport or a hotel that is very close to a train. I have never ridden it but there is a train that goes to the campus from the airport (assuming he is flying into Miami). The hotel Indigo (spelling) was were wer stayed a couple of weeks ago and was very nice and reasonable. They have a shuttle (we didn’t use) that would take him to the University. The only issue might be that I don’t think they start the shuttle until 8am but you could double check. Make sure you ask for the University of Miami rate!<br>
We went on a Friday morning so traffic might be better on Saturday morning. Before you book at airport, I would double check the train schedule and make sure it goes early on Saturday morning.<br>
My son really didn’t need me there at all for the day. The only thing he needed me for was to get him from airport to hotel, hotel to University, and University to airport.<br>
Just an FYI in booking flights. We had to be at Frost at 8am and his audition wasn’t until 5pm. We had to return a rental car that seemed to take for ever but we didn’t get to our gate area until about 7:45pm (we didn’t even check bags). Just make sure he leaves lots of time to get to airport and to gate. Thank goodness we had booked the 9pm out or I would have been a reck.<br>
What is he auditioning for? </p>
<p>Finallyfit, I wouldn’t worry too much. I sent my D out to USC by herself for the trustee interview, and it all worked out. A couple of suggestions though. If your son is not 18, you have to sign a waiver at most hotels taking responsibility. I would definitely book the Holiday Inn, as VHFather suggested. And possibly, start a new post on CC. Perhaps someone with a son will be able to help you out by having your son stay with their kid. We have a very nice group of parents on here.</p>
<p>I would also recommend the Holiday Inn. It is right across from the university and your son could literally walk to the school. He could take the train from the airport to the university stop and walk across the street to the hotel. </p>
<p>@finallyfit5 - As @cluelessbass recommended - I would ask the music department if there are any students who have offered to host high school students visiting for auditions. Some schools do that - definitely worth asking about. I wish I could offer to host him since we are renting a three bedroom place in Coconut Grove for the winter and our current houseguests, my son and his GF, leave tomorrow evening, but the timing won’t work since I will be up in West Palm Beach for India Fest with another _ mom all day Saturday and may also stay over Fri and/or Sat nights. She’s running the fest this year and I promised months ago that I’d be there : ) </p>
<p><a href=“Financial Affairs | University of Miami”>Financial Affairs | University of Miami;
<p>Along with trying to find a student host in order to save $ (since even the discounted rate at the Holiday Inn comes up at $179 plus tax meaning $200) if he is flying into MIA it is really easy to take the metro to campus from the airport. I did it last Friday when my husband flew down and my daughter had the car on campus for Valentine’s Day with her boyfriend. Being in a very generous mood I let her have the car for their romantic dinner and I took the metro to the airport to meet my husband and show him how to navigate from the airport to our townhome in Coconut Grove. </p>
<p>To get to campus from the airport you just follow the dark pink signs near baggage claim for the MIA mover which is one of those automatic trains that just go back and forth between two stations. It takes you directly to the rental car center which is where the metrorail train originates. There are no choices about which way to take either of these trains, the MIA mover only goes one place, and the metrorail starts its route at the airport so no worries about taking the wrong line. On the way back to the airport, however, he needs to take the orange train, not the green train, since the only orange one goes to the airport.</p>
<p><a href=“Metrorail”>http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/riding-metrorail.asp</a></p>
<p>In my experience they are very clear about this - on Friday they made numerous announcements to make sure everyone knew we were heading for the airport to give people a chance to get off before the routes diverge. The campus stop is called, fittingly, University and stops right across the street from campus, near the Holiday Inn:</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/coral-gables/miaum/hoteldetail/directions”>https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/coral-gables/miaum/hoteldetail/directions</a></p>
<p>The tickets are sold from little automatic machines at the entrance to all metrorail stations. A one way ticket is $2.25. I have a reloadable Easy Card for myself but was buying my husband a one way Easy Ticket and it was a bit confusing since the machine I was using only listed a round trip, and some other options that didn’t sound right, but a helpful employee came over to assist and explained that we should select “add funds” and then I got the option of $2.25 for a one way ticket. Each time I’ve been at one of those ticket machines there has been an employee nearby helping people with the machines. This would NOT happen at home in Chicago! </p>
<p>Another really helpful thing your son could do is download the metrorail app. It shows where all trains (and buses) are in real time and also lists the current schedule for each station. I was able to see exactly when the orange line from my local station would leave for the airport and we were also able to see exactly when our train from the airport would leave. There is also free wifi on the metrorail. One thing that is a bit different from our system at home in Chicago is that you need to wave your easy ticket at the gate to enter the metrostation and also again to leave, so tell him to hold onto it since he’ll need it again at the end of his trip. </p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>finallyfit5 How did it go? </p>
<p>cluelessbass! I am such a loser with this list/email stuff. I just saw your fantastic email right now. Well, I wish I had read this earlier but thank you so much for all of that information. My son really was impressed with the people in his audition at Umiami and now he is trying to decide between Umiami contemporary American music or usc thornton popular music. I am flying to Miami with him and our nine-year old daughter (my husband landed a job after six months thank God, so he cannot come). We are flying in Monday and I am staying at a residence inn either at Coconut Grove or Coral Gables. I priceline rented a car for 25 dollars a day because while my son is taking sample lessons, going to a few classes, and getting a general vibe of what it would be like to go there, I will take my daughter I guess to the beach.</p>
<p>If you have any suggestions for anything for us to see of do, let me know. I wanted to try to find a host for him on campus for an overnight but I am not sure they do that at Miami so I think all three of us will be at the hotel.</p>
<p>Thanks again for that information. I am definitely going to have him download the metro/bus in real time. I will click on your other links, etc.</p>
<p>Take care and sorry for the LATE response!</p>
<p>Finally fit</p>
<p>Finallyfit - a few suggestions on things to do while you are visiting Miami. First, tour the campus. It’s beautiful and very pleasant to walk around. There is a food court and other dining options for visitors/students. </p>
<p>Merrick Village is just a couple of miles from campus. Lots of nice shops and great restaurants and very pretty. The Dadeland Mall area has just about every kind of store available but it’s a typical mall where Merrick Village is cosier and an open air concept. Parking in the garage adjoining Merrick Village is convenient and many shops and restaurants will validate the parking. </p>
<p>The beaches on Key Biscayne are a big draw but I highly recommend Matheson Hammock park at 9610 Old Cutler Road. It’s not far from campus or the Residence Inn. The drive south on Old Cutler Road is gorgeous - beautiful homes and lush landscaping. You feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The park itself is ocean front with an atoll for swimming and lots of sand and palm trees for shade. It’s pretty quiet and peaceful so a different vibe than Key Biscayne, etc. Gorgeous views of the Miami skyline, etc. </p>
<p>Some great restaurants in Coconut Grove - we love Lokal. Great fish tacos and burgers and the best key lime pie we’ve ever had.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son. Our son is a freshman at Frost in Media Writing and Production and loves it. Can’t imagine himself anywhere else.</p>
<p>@finallyfit5 - We are trying to make the final decision as well but can’t get back to Frost before we have to decide. What did you and your S think? </p>
<p>cluelessbass - My son thought that the director of the program, Rey Sanchez, was a great guy. He thought the talent in the CAM program was strong, and he definitely is feeling it is a great place to be. He is currently FROZEN in his decision between USC popular music and Frost CAM media writing and production. I do not know how to help him. I was hoping after he visited both schools one would rise to the top in his heart and mind! I personally am leaning towards Frost (but I do not get to go!) because they were very generous with merit aid and I felt the faculty was warm and caring (a mom thing).</p>