The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
1173 articles
Become a Local Friend
Moving to Houston From California in 2026: the Paperwork or Visa Californians Actually Need, Apartments and the Income Rule, the Car Question Answered Honestly, Money and Taxes, the Weather Nobody Is Ready For, the Culture Shocks, Where Californians Settle, and How Not to Spend the First Month Alone
Moving to Houston from California: the paperwork or visa Californians actually need, apartments and the income rule, the car question, money and taxes, the weather, the culture shocks, where Californians settle, and how not to spend the first month alone, including a local who shows you the city in an afternoon.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
City Guides · Seattle
Things to Do in Seattle: Pike Place Done Right, the Ferry, the Locks, Discovery Park, the Neighbourhoods and the Mountain (2026)
Most visitors do Pike Place, the Space Needle and a coffee, and call it Seattle. Those are worth an afternoon. The city people love is the water around it: a ferry ride for the price of a bus, salmon climbing a ladder, a park on a bluff over the Sound, and Mount Rainier on a clear day.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
City Guides · Atlanta
Things to Do in Atlanta: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Neighbourhood, the BeltLine, Buford Highway, the Parks and the Music (2026)
Atlanta is often a layover: the airport is one of the busiest in the world. Step out and it is a city of history, trees and food: the street where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, a trail that links the neighbourhoods, and a highway lined with restaurants from half the world.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
City Guides · Boston
Things to Do in Boston: the Freedom Trail, the North End, Fenway, Cambridge, the Harbour and the Day Trips (2026)
Boston is the most walkable big city in the United States, and its history is painted on the sidewalk. Follow the red line, then leave it: for cannoli in the North End, a game at the oldest ballpark in the major leagues, a ferry to the harbour islands and a whale watch.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
City Guides · San Diego
Things to Do in San Diego: La Jolla's Sea Lions, Balboa Park, Coronado, the Beaches, Little Italy, Barrio Logan and the Tacos (2026)
San Diego has the mildest weather in the country and seventy miles of coast. Most visitors see the zoo and a beach. The city locals love has sea lions on the rocks in La Jolla, sunsets at Sunset Cliffs, murals under a freeway and fish tacos as good as any in Mexico, twenty miles away.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
City Guides · Washington, DC
Things to Do in Washington, DC: the Free Museums, the Monuments at Night, the Capitol, Georgetown, the Markets and the Neighbourhoods (2026)
Washington is the rare capital where the best things are free: the Smithsonian's museums, the monuments, the Capitol tour. Most visitors see the Mall and leave tired. Plan it well, see the memorials at night, and keep a day for the city people actually live in.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Become a Local Friend
How to Make Friends in Miami in 2026: Why People Say It Is Hard (Transience, Cars, the Beach Bubble, Two Languages), What Actually Works as an Adult (Recurring Rooms, Run Clubs, Beach Volleyball, Salsa and Bachata Classes, Boating, Volunteering), Miami Beach Versus the Mainland, the Apps, and the Shortcut of an Afternoon With a Miamian
How to make friends in Miami, honestly: why people say it is hard (half the city arrived recently, cars, the Beach bubble, two languages), what works as an adult (recurring rooms, run clubs, volleyball, dance classes, boating, volunteering), Miami Beach versus the mainland, the apps, and the shortcut of an afternoon with a Miamian.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Moving to Miami Alone in 2026: the First 90 Days in Order, Where to Live if You Do Not Have a Car Yet, What It Really Costs (and the Honest Answer to "How to Move to Miami With No Money"), Apartments and the 3x Income Rule, Hurricane Season, the Loneliness Curve, and How Not to Spend Month Three Alone
Moving to Miami alone: the first 90 days in order, where to live without a car yet, what it really costs and the honest answer to moving with no money, apartments and the income rule, hurricane season, why month three is the lonely one, and how to not spend it alone.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Things to Do in Miami Alone in 2026: During the Day, at Night, as a Solo Woman or Man, on Miami Beach and on the Mainland, the Places Where Being Alone Is Normal, the Night Problem and How to Solve It, What Each Costs, and the Option of an Afternoon With a Miamian
Things to do in Miami alone, sorted the way people search it: day, night, solo female, solo male, Miami Beach and the mainland. The places where being alone is normal, the night problem and how to solve it, what each costs, and the option of a Miamian for an afternoon.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend
How to Meet People in Miami in 2026: the Places (Run Clubs, Beach Volleyball, Salsa and Bachata Socials, Boating Groups, Classes, Volunteering), the Bars Where Talking to Strangers Is Normal (and the Clubs Where It Is Not), the Apps and Their Real Speed, What Works for a Visitor With Three Days Versus a Newcomer With Three Months, and Hiring a Miamian for an Afternoon
How to meet people in Miami, for visitors with three days and newcomers with three months: the places (run clubs, volleyball, dance socials, boating, classes, volunteering), the bars where talking to strangers is normal and the clubs where it is not, the apps and their real speed, and a Miamian by the hour.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend
Miami Without a Car in 2026: Can You Visit Miami Without One, Can You Live in Miami Without One, Where It Works (Brickell, Downtown, Edgewater, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach), the Metrorail, the Free Metromover and the Trolleys, Bikes and Rideshare, the Honest Limits, and the Local Who Drives
Miami without a car: can you visit or live here without one, the neighbourhoods where it works, the Metrorail, the free Metromover and the trolleys, bikes and rideshare, the honest limits, and the option of a Local Friend who drives.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend
Moving to Miami From NYC in 2026: the Routes New Yorkers Actually Use, Apartments and the 3x Income Rule, the Car and Florida Insurance, Money and No State Income Tax, Hurricane Season, the Culture Shocks Nobody Warns You About, Where New Yorkers Settle, and How Not to Spend the First Month Alone
Moving to Miami from NYC: the routes New Yorkers actually use, apartments and the income rule, the car and Florida insurance, no state income tax, hurricane season, the culture shocks, where New Yorkers settle, and how not to spend the first month alone, including a Miamian who shows you the city in an afternoon.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read