This was published 1 year ago
Miami, Florida travel guide and things to do: Nine highlights
By Keith Austin
Miami Florida's downtown district.Credit: iStock
THE ONE WALK
On the first morning, staying at the Hilton Miami Downtown, the concierge suggests I take a walk along the Venetian Causeway, just around the corner from the hotel. Connecting mainland Miami with Miami Beach, the causeway has 12 bridges connecting 11 artificial islands and takes about an hour each way to walk. It's popular with locals, who use it for jogging, cycling, roller-skating and the like, and it's a good way to get a sense of the city's geography. Take in the expansive views across Biscayne Bay and perve on the jaw-dropping real estate. Who doesn't need a waterfront house with somewhere to park one's yacht?
THE ONE BICYCLE SHARE SCHEME
The Citibike share scheme, like the Velibs in Paris and the Boris Bikes in London, is a wonderful way to see the city. There are more than 165 bike stations all over the metro area and out on the beaches so you'll never find yourself at a loss to find a bike. The bikes are well-maintained and easy to use, the traffic in the city isn't too bad - and made safer by a plethora of dedicated bike lanes. You can join for a month ($US35/$48) or use your credit card to rent bikes by 30-minute and hourly increments. Download the app for maps of the stations and you're good to go. See citibikemiami.com
THE ONE EXPERIENTIAL ART CENTRE
Yes, you read that right: experiential art centre. This is because Superblue Miami isn't exactly an art gallery and it certainly isn't a museum. There's a reasonable explanation on its website: "Superblue was created in response to … the needs of artists working outside the realm of object-based practices." Housed in a building that looks like it dropped out of the sky and landed in an abandoned industrial area, Superblue is a maze of large-scale, immersive but fleeting works. When I visited there were works by revered light artist James Turrell, Es Devlin's labyrinthine mirror maze, teamLab's interactive Every Wall is a Door and the Cloud Room, a fun experience which necessitates donning booties, a protective poncho and goggles. Trippy and daring, Superblue's got the wow factor. See
THE ONE ART GALLERY
For a more traditional, but no less interesting, showcase of contemporary art head for the Perez Art Museum on the waterfront in Museum Park. Officially it's the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County but to avoid swallowing your tongue you can call it PAMM for short. Housed in a purpose-built three-storey building that opened in 2013, the works inside focus on 20th century and contemporary art and will either make your heart sing or drive you batty. My favourite pieces aren't IN the gallery but are part of the free-to-admire Sculpture Garden outside in the park. Check out the 12-metre head (Looking Into My Dreams, Awilda by Jaume Plensa) and Penetrable BBL Blue – a square of hanging blue PVC hoses that you can walk through - by Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto. See pamm.org
THE ONE MUSEUM
Sitting cheek by jowl with the Perez Art Museum, the Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science is five floors of, you guessed it, science stuff. There's a planetarium, a three-level, 500,000-gallon (1.9m-litre) aquarium, and an area for revolving exhibitions. While I was there these included a fascinating look at skin, and another small but perfectly formed gallery of x-rays of fish. Be sure to check out the manta ray pool if you have kids, and the top floor observation deck for splendid views over Biscayne Bay. See frostscience.org
THE ONE DESIGN DISTRICT
Once a pineapple farm, this area is today a ritzy destination full of designer luxury stores such as Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin, and Louis Vuitton. It is the sort of place where people pay a million dollars for clothes and still look like they've been pulled backwards through a topiary elephant. Great for window shopping and watching the well-heeled and the well-fed swing their Prada handbags. Once you've done that, head for the Mia Market, a bustling food hall that won't break the bank. The centrepiece bar is surrounded by small take-away vendors. Go the three tacos for US$14 at Hot Lime or the moreish sliced porchetta sandwich (US$18) at Foirette. Or? Who am I kidding - I pigged out on both. See miamarket.com
THE ONE ART WALK
Wynwood during the day and Wynwood at night are two entirely different beasts. At night, the main drag of this formerly rundown industrial area is a mind-scrambling funky riot of noise and colour full of bars, restaurants and take-away joints whose patrons spill out onto the sidewalks. I cycled its length early in the evening, returned the same way later that night and could swear I was high by the time the buzz was behind me. During the day it's a different kettle of fish and is famous for the murals at Wynwood Walls, a large outdoor urban graffiti art museum. It's this that put the neighbourhood on the map back in 2009 and is worth a good few hours of your time because the works on display are amazing. Street art isn't confined to the Walls, though, and much of the area is adorned with graffiti small and large. If you're there on the second Saturday of the month, take an Art Walk tour of the area. See thewynwoodwalls.com
THE ONE FOOD TOUR
Once a thriving Jewish area in the 1930s, this buzzy, busy, eclectic neighbourhood slowly grew to take in people escaping Fidel Castro's revolution in the 1960s, hence the name. By the 1970s the area was 85% Cuban and became the cultural and political capital of Cuban exiles. Today that percentage has dropped quite a bit but it's still overwhelmingly Hispanic. Which means plenty of Spanish spoken and … lots of yummy food and drink. The tour takes about two and a half hours and only covers a short section of Calle Ocho (aka SW 8th Street/the Tamiami Trail) so it's not too onerous on the feet. Expect churros, locally made Azucar ice-cream, Cuban sandwiches and mojitos at La Terraza restaurant, empanadas, cigar shops, music blasting out of bars such as the Ball & Chain, coffee strong and sweet enough to singe your nose hairs – but at least you'll come away knowing the difference between a cafecito, a cortadito and a colada. There's some fascinating history thrown in, too, by our entertaining and knowledgeable guide Gina Castaldo. See miamiculinarytours.com
THE ONE FOOD HALL
Just off the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall on the way to Miami Beach is the Time Out Market food hall. Like its counterpart over in the Design District this is a collection of take-away restaurants clustered around a central bar. You name it and it's here: Chick 'n' Jones (go the Jonesing Hot sandwich with its honey fried chicken), Baklava for Middle Eastern desserts and crepes, King Patty's Jamaican patties, Square Pie city's Detroit-style pizza, Pho Mo, and 33 Kitchen Peruvian (trust me, if you try hard enough you'll be able to fit their excellent ceviche de corvina in your belly next to the Jonesing Hot sandwich). It's a great place to graze on some of the world's great cuisines. See timeoutmarket.com/miami
ONE MORE THING
No visit to Miami is complete without checking out the historic Art Deco District at Miami Beach. This distinctive architectural style, with its smooth lines, curves and pastel colours pops up all over the area but most examples can be found at Miami Beach between 5th Street and 23rd Street, along Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue. Nip into the Art Deco Welcome Center at 1001 Ocean Drive for info about guided or self-guided tours. See miamiandbeaches.com
The writer travelled as a guest of Seabourn Cruise Line and with the assistance of The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. See seabourn.com and miamiandbeaches.com
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