Greater Miami is one of the greatest and safest places to get warmth and sun for anybody seeking to escape cold, dark, snowy locales. I once again just spent a week there. To say that it is a boost for the soul is an understatement.
None of us are of party scene age so the South Beach nightlife along Ocean Dr is a put off. However, we do like fun focused on good food, relaxation, activity, and scenery--all of which Miami has in abundance.
I recommend staying in downtown Miami. Using one of the national hotels like Marriott will yield points back on your stay, quality, and nice amenities. Having a view of the city or Biscayne Bay to enjoy on your balcony is outstanding. It is a short ten minute drive over to Miami Beach for meals or a walk by the ocean. Though it's touristy, Lincoln Road does offer some good restaurants with the added plus of outdoor dining in January. The quiet beaches of Key Biscayne are 15 minutes away, shopping in Coral Gables 20 minutes, and the Wynwood area with its Wynwood Walls of street art as well as amazing food like at Wynwood Kitchen 5 minutes. While downtown has tons of nightlife, it also provides a less crazy evening atmosphere than South Beach. Biking from downtown to the beach is also easy due to a flat landscape and the Citi Bikes. Walking to a Miami Heat game under palm trees is a unique NBA experience.
Miami, like any big city, is not absent crime but it is much safer than PR, Mexico, and many US cities. I never feel in danger there.
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I want to mention that in Little Haiti, we have a studio building and gallery in a former Laundromat. The Laundromat Art Space is relatively new, but we always have interesting shows (currently “the New Normal,” work about climate change, and artists are happy to have visitors see work in progress. 5900 NE 2nd Ave.
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miami is a wonderful city. check it out before it’s underwater!
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It's interesting that when travel articles to Puerto Rico get published, readers comment on crime. Miami also has a lot of crime. When I went for a visit to the Art Basel show held in December, I mentioned to several people that maybe I should move to Miami. I was told that there was a lot of crime. And many from Florida move constantly to Georgia to escape that high crime scene.
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Oh there is crime and corruption in PR. We’ve always had that. This year we’ve had 500 plus. In miami last year we had 51. That said, in my 53 years of age I’ve never been a victim of crime. Call me lucky or call me smart.
I've been coming to South Beach for 25 years and Sharon's comments are both cynical and wrong about the cesspool and petty crime. Great place, great atmosphere, and those in the know walk! Bring a car, why? Public transportation is the other alternative; I've taken people from Key Biscayne, through the best kept secret to some (Brickell), up to the Design District and Wynwood and then to SoBe using the free trolleys, the Metromover and $2.25 bus from Omni all in just a few hours. C'mon with such negativism! Of course I'm no Polyanna here, I do agree with some of the other comments about the future of this place with the rising tides. Fantastic construction and architectural wonders going up but is Venice in our future?
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Any business enterprise is now an enemy of the progressive state, I suppose. Airbnb has not been accused of forcing anyone to conduct business with a gun pointed at their head.
This just sounds like more jealousy than anything else.
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Parts of Miami and Miami Beach are already underwater many days and the water table is so high all it takes is a little rain to turn the streets into creeks.
Yes Folks step right up and enjoy the magic show it won't be here much longer!Don't forget to pack your rain boots.
sorry folks the parties over, the city is going to be water logged as are most of the worlds coastal cities.
Poor kids they have no future and hey why didn't the NYT cover the Children's March for the environment that was all over EU today.
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Wynwood Walls is a must see in Miami.
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No Brickell? City Center, Financial Center, Metromover, great hotels and restaurants!?
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The writer chose to give Airbnb a large write up ignoring the hundreds of hotels from 1 to 5 stars and diversified styles that make Miami and the beaches one of the most creative and fun hotel markets in the U.S., where thousands of people make their living.
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All the things in NYC at a third the price! And better weather and less political turmoil.
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The B&B scene is horrible for those of us who live in Miami 6 months or longer per year. It is illegal to rent for less than 6 months in residential settings but many do it in spite of fines starting at $20,000 for first time offenders. In our quiet South Beach Art Deco neighborhood we have almost weekly courtyard dinner parties in which all neighbors are invited but many B&B (illegally rented) have drunken and testosterone fueled parties. Miami Code Enforcement has a squadron of enforcers who are available 24/7 to come and remove illegal renters from the apartment and fine the owners.
By the way, those of us who live here do not frequent, except for a few, any of the restaurants of Lincoln Road or South Beach. They tend to be overpriced and in general serve bad food. We prefer elegant picnics on the rocks by the ocean or picnics on the beach. We do watch movies and listen to concerts in the open air all for free at the New World Center mentioned in the article.
It's a tolerant city, live and let live should be its motto. It's the only city in the world where you can easily get confused and think you are in a foreign country because Spanish and Italian are spoken more than English. It helps to be fluent in both when visiting Miami Beach.
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Somehow, I am sad that Joe's Stone Crab is not mentioned.
They don't need the advertising but they deserve the reference.
imho
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Nice find with the Locust Projects! Ahead of the curve and a gold mine for moving up artists.
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We just moved to Miami Beach from Boca. Couldn’t have made a better move.in addition to all the cultural attractions there is tennis at flamingo park, golf at the Miami Beach golf club, Tons of great restaurants to walk to from where we are at the tip of south beach. Don’t forget the diversity of the different neighborhoods and the youthful vibe of just being here.
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@Robert
Bobert, what wqas wrong with new york?
An excellent article that highlights what is great about Miami and Miami Beach. We have been going to Miami the last five years and have found the restaurant and bar scene to be superb. From Cuban diners on Collins (Puerto Sagua) to upscale peruvian cuisine (La Mar on Brickell Key) and then a night cap at the Broken Shaker's beautiful poolside backyard.
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The kayak tour is a lot of fun and a great little workout. The guides are awesome. It's a beautiful way to spend a couple of hours. Ball and Chain is a fun place to listen to live music, enjoy tasty drinks and the bill comes to you in a little cigar box. Definitely try to make it out to the boardwalk and beach for sunrise at least one morning while you're there. I was able to see a storm miles and miles out on the ocean while the sun rose across the beach. Stunning.
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We vacation in Miami Beach every August. I am an ex NYC Pastry Chef turned Kindergarten ESL Teacher. The best meal we have ever had in the last ten years was last August at Stubborn Seed. Beyond words. Can't wait to return this summer.
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We just returned from visiting Miami Beach. The traffic there rivals Manhattan, just the Palm trees make passing the time and listening to the "honking" a little nicer.
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Hi! I´ve visited Miami for the last 8 years and I´m looking for the next visit to such a changing and exciting city and beaches south of Florida.
Curious when the last time the author of this story was here. I've been living in South Beach for 10 years. There's definitely not miles and miles of mostly empty sand. Boucher Brothers, Esteban's Place, and Blue Fin have filled almost every block up to 46th street with chairs and umbrellas. So much so that locals regularly get into altercations with them when they want to bring out their own things and enjoy the beach that we pay taxes to support. Miami Beach ends at 89th Street. Also, the Art Center on Lincoln Road is long gone.
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ArtCenter Florida is alive and well on Lincoln Road (https://www.artcentersf.org).
The city of Miami Beach goes north until 87th Terrace.
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You are incorrect. The Art Center of South Florida is still on Lincoln Road in a smaller space. The larger building was sold and they are researching where to move to larger space, but in the meantime they are quite active and worth a visit.
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It's nice to know that these NYers know nothing about Miami Beach still. We'll continue to keep our treasures hidden :)
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A visitor would be lucky to hit up one of these per day due to gridlocked traffic. Also, best to avoid South Beach entirely. It's a festering cesspool of crime, both petty and serious.
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@Sharon from a 3x Miamian, if you don't like it please leave. We could use your parking space and less traffic on the Palmetto Expressway. The rest of us love it here, sea level rise and hurricanes included.
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South Pointe Park???
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@Max Entropy
I live in South Beach and I think South Pointe park is my favorite place to go.
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Hmmmmm . . . Coconut Grove was mentioned barely in passing . . . it’s by far the best neighborhood (and oldest) in Miami. Especially to relax. There are many bars and great restaurants (fine dining and dives), including a few on the water. Grove Bay Grill (formerly Scotty’s Landing) is a great dive bar right on the water.
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If you're into beaches, consider heading a few miles further north to Haulover Beach. It's quite a unique beach for America. And you won't even need to pack a bathing suit. A birthday suit is the normal attire.
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@Nature Lover why would you tell the unknowing about Haulover??? LOL I found it when my parents lived in Sunny Isle. Truly a gem where you can find 9 hole golf next to several usually available tennis courts, the kites and fishing charters.
You forgot the new glamorous Upper Buena Vista in Little Haiti, near the iconic Churchill's
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Talk to me in 20 years, when the water level makes this prime real estate into the early stages of swampland.
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You left off Churchill's!
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@Amy Miller
Churchill's is a classic. The best local alt-rock since at least the days of punk.
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Thanks for the needed update for a metropolis whose arts and culinary scenes are evolving at blistering speed. That said, a first time visitor won't want to miss the following "must do's":
- The perennial every-other-Sunday outdoor Antique Show on Lincoln Road's pedestrian mall between Lenox and Jefferson has the look and feel of a Parisian "brocante" mixed with a Barcelona "Las Ramblas", but with an emphasis on Mid-Century Modern. Where else can you stroll outside in shorts in mid-Winter while furnishing your Frank Lloyd Wright style bungalow and listen to the chatter in multiple languages.
- The Wolfsonian Museum on the corner of 10th and Washington is a digestible nugget of Art Deco/Machine Age/Streamline Moderne design with a nod to political history. The frequently changing exhibits are razor-focused and don't have the feel of a stodgy big city museum.
- Just south of Coconut Grove is the largest tropical gardens in the world by area and number two by species diversity. The calming oasis that is Fairchild Tropical Gardens comes as a welcome respite to the hustle and bustle of Greater Miami.
I should also mention that for those who want to sample the latest latin fusion cuisine on a budget, the first floors of any number of small hotels fanning west from the main Collins Ave. in South Beach offer surprisingly adventurous menus without the haughty sticker shock.
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@Polyglot8
Kayak and mountain bike fans can also check out the Virginia Key Outdoor Center for a look at what is left of a natural barrier island flora and marine fauna.
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