Traveling to Ft Lauderdale/Miami in Oct. Where do I go for good food/shopping (outlets) and cheap/clean hotel?

Looking for a place to buy swimsuits and casual clothes. are there any outlet malls in Fort Lauderdale? Which hotels would you recommend for someone on a tight budget? Are there any places I should stay away from (dangerous neighborhoods/bad restaurants/etc) during my vacation to Ft Lauderdale? how is the public transportation from Miami to Ft Lauderdale?

As for outlets and shopping, I would recommend the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise (West of Fort Lauderdale). It is the 4th largest mall in the US and the largest outlet mall in the world (according to Wikipedia). They basically have any store you might think of and a lot of great outlets such as Coach, Burberry...etc. If you are traveling with kids, they also have a great complex at the mall called WannaDo City. October is not technically "season" so hotels shouldn't be all too expensive, but I would recommend the Fort Lauderdale beach area for your stay. As long as you stay by the beach and in the "tourist" areas, you won't run into any dangerous neighborhoods. Public transportation from Miami to Fort Lauderdale consists of busses or the Tri Rail train. Avoid the busses. Enjoy your stay and beware of hurricanes.

Happy Travels!

well as far as shopping goes you have the Sawgrass mills mall in sunrise and you have the broward mall in plantation - both are neighboring cities to fort lauderdale.

I would definitely say that staying in Fort Lauderdale will be safer and cheaper than in Miami but you dont want to stay on Fort Lauderdale Beach. There are actully some pretty nice hotels on 17th street causeway (the street that leads to fort lauderdale beach). The amerisuites there is pretty nice and only about $109 night
www.amerisuitesftlauderdale.com/

this will put you only ten minutes from the beach, ten minutes from the hospital (Broward General Medical Center - trust me its always good to know where the hospital is) and about 20 minutes from the Broward Mall and about 25 from Sawgrass Mills Mall.

The city is really pretty safe
I would however recommend you stay away from Federal Highway and/or Oakland Park Blvd

Transportation should not be an issue
if you ever need a cab call
954-444-4444 or
954-777-7777
there are buses on every corner if you want to go that route
if you will be travelling between miami and fort lauderdale you will want to rent a car or hire a car service (about $75)

anything else you want to know email me

Look out for the Hurricanes and we are not talking sports teams!

The Sawgrass Mills Mall is where you want! It has all the stores you would need, want or desire. Here is a link to the website that will give you directions on how to get there and the lists of the stores and hours of operations.

http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1262

For a listing and ratings on places to stay in that area here is the site for you:

www.lauderdalehotels.com/

I have found that some of the motels are quite reasonable and a car is truly nice to have so that you can get around with comfort (air conditioning) and ease. You can also check out the spots before you check in without obligation unless you have guaranteed your arrival and prepaid.

For information on public transportation to and from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale here is the site for you:

http://www.miamibeach411.com/trans_public.html

As far as places to avoid, use that gut instinct in your stomach. Miami is eclectic and diverse and truly one of a kind. A wonderful place to visit. Enjoy your time in the Miami area.

Hi maybe I can help with the hotel side of your question. Visit http://www.standby-accommodation.com/budget_price.html and the hotels are listed complete with photos and prices. Unlike most sites which only offer last minute accommodation you can book up to year in advance. Also helpful is you can locate the hotels or motels on a map of the city.
I havn't been there for years and we hired a car so can't honestly help with transport. There is a tour link on the above site which may be helpful for things to do.

Good luck,