 Miami is hot city with endless days and nights. Miami moves to all the Latin beat that's as torrid as Tito Puente's drums and as fiery as Celia Cruz's voice, and visitors from around the world come to bask in its feverish glow. A recent check of the skyline turned up new architectural confections by the world-famous hometown firm, Arquitectonica. And don't forget that Miami, the self-proclaimed "Capital of the Americas," is at the head of the pack in the bid for the Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The Latin Grammys, Brazilian Film Festival and World Music Conference, draw thousands. And that's not even counting the beaches like Miami Beach, which for the fourth year in a row was named America's "Top Urban Beach" by the Surfrider Foundation.
Even the economy sizzles. When the mayor boasts that Miami is No. 1, he means that the city has more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than all U.S. airports combined and that the city is No. 1 in international freight and in cruise passengers. And the future looks bright: Despite drops in tourism elsewhere, the Port of Miami increased its cargo tonnage by 3.7% over the previous year while the number of cruise passengers grew 8.7%. And the film, television, and commercial production companies have already spent more than $40 million on the local economy.
 Miami's expansion is intended to bring more visitors and help them get around faster, which is how tourism first started in Miami. Today, the city has over 2.5 million residents comprised of transplants from northern cities and Canada, Latin and Caribbean immigrants, and a growing European and Asian population. Last year, 10.5 million visitors arrived to mingle with Miami's multicultural and multilingual population amid a natural playground of subtropical beaches, wooded tracts, mangroves and rivers.
It prides itself on its cultural attractions, which include more than 20 museums, two major art museums, a world-renowned symphony and the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings in the world. Three universities call it home. Fans support five big-league sports teams and an often top-ranked college football team.
Whether your preference is for great nightlife, the great outdoors or a great place to spend time with the kids, Miami has something for you. Here are a few tips on what locals do when they hang up their suits and put away their briefcases.
Miami Beach, its southern South Beach. Aside from the sun, sea, sidewalk cafes and celebrities, there's the whimsical, colorful architecture of the historic Miami Art Deco District. The best way to see it is on one of the Miami Design Preservation League's guided or self-guided audio walking, rollerblading or bicycle tours that depart from the Art Deco Welcome Center daily. The center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guided tours cost $15-$20 and last 90 minutes. They depart Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m.. A new reservation-only tour departs Sunday at 10:30 a.m. 1001 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 305-672-2014
Deco delights, head north on Ocean Drive from the Art Deco Welcome Center. Home of the Art Deco Museum and past the Cardozo Hotel, the Beach's first Art Deco restoration project and now owned by singer Gloria Estefan. Continue north as Ocean Drive curves west and merges with Collins Avenue past the Delano Hotel, which features a classy white interior redesigned by Philippe Starck. Swing west on 21st Street and pause to examine the intricate Deco details on the Abbey, Plymouth and Governor hotels. Don't miss the Bass Museum as you turn south onto Park Street, which merges with Washington Avenue. At 14th Street, cut east one block to Collins Avenue and turn south to gawk at the Essex Hotel, designed after a streamlined ocean liner complete with porthole windows and its neon name rising like a ship's smokestack.
The beach's architectural allure doesn't end with Deco. Española Way is the heart of a historic Spanish village built during the 1920s South Beach boom. Once rumored to be home to Al Capone and other gangsters, it's now an artist's enclave with shops, galleries and restaurants. From midnight on Friday through midnight on Sunday, the open-air Weekend Market turns the street into a lively pedestrian thoroughfare lined with vendors, artisans and entertainers, even some to amuse the kids while you shop. Restaurant tables and chairs spill onto the sidewalks, turning dining into part of the "in" scene. Free 30-minute walking tours of the area depart from the Clay Hotel (1438 Washington Ave.), every Wednesday. Between 14th and 15th streets and Collins and Pennsylvania avenues, South Beach; 305-531-0038
Best neighborhood drive. In Coconut Grove, or simply the Grove, the narrow tree-lined streets wind past the county's oldest neighborhoods (1830s) and commercial district. Start on South Bayshore at Vizcaya, an Italian Renaissance style villa, drive west onto Grand Avenue, past parks, marinas, historic sites, shops, galleries, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and nightclubs, and ease onto Main Highway to the Kampong, former gardens of David Fairchild. Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce: 2820 McFarlane Rd.; 305-444.7270 |
