
Easy steps to fall in love with Miami
After ten months here, I think I have a solid list of places I will miss the most when I leave.
I always wondered what it would be like to live by the sea. But I never imagined I would end up trying that out in Miami. Truth is, I expected little from the city. I even thought it was going to be boring after a few weeks, with so many hard-core parties, hot bodies at the beach and stores to empty your pockets but not many interesting or hidden gems of history, culture and nature to keep me entertained. How ignorant of me. Miami is nothing short of an amazing home for a wilderness-loving, food-addicted, museum-fan person like me. I fell in love with it, and not only because living by the sea is magical.
I could list 50 places I love in the 305, but these are the ones I think will give me the most “saudade” when I pack again to start a new mini-life somewhere else. For each one, a pic I found/published on Instagram.
1. Go to Vizcaya, the Versailles of the tropics.
James Deering’s gorgeous state built between 1914 and 1922, preserved just as it was when he used it as a winter residence, is now a museum and has beautiful gardens that you can get lost into. It resembles a Mediterranean villa and has a breakwater that is just like a Venetian battleship, one that used to be the venue for the magnate’s opulent parties. What led me to this beautiful place was a yoga class (of course), held in the middle of this room:
2. Wander through Wynwood, epidemic centre of public art.
Within the borders of this neighborhood, expect to see almost every wall and person covered in ink. I fell in love with graffiti when I was living in Sao Paulo, and now I can keep on enjoying the works of many artists I met there because all the greatest are present and, unlike how it is in Sampa, walls here are not constantly going back to grey. I like to just wander through the spray-painted jungle, grab a pint of the local hipster brewers or the most delicious key lime pie I’ve tasted at Fireman Derek’s (a real fireman turned baker).
3. Watch or play at Domino Park, the wisemen’s playground.
To me, the heart of Little Havana’s smells like cigars, cuban-style coffee and late night munchies. It’s definitely a place to visit even if it’s not to hit the dancefloors with some serious salsa moves. And the place I find most interesting here, because it’s where the senior locals hang out, is the “Domino Park”, a public place open every day with tables, chairs and tiles for any player interested, many of them retired cubans with their fedoras and guayaberas keeping their minds sharp with the game. Domino was one of my favorite games when I was a child, so I’m looking forward to join them next time.
4. Bet on a horse at Gulfstream Park, and win
I placed my bet for the first time on a horse race here, a decadent place with people screaming with anxiety while eating junk food. And I won, got $20 out of a $4 bet, so I won’t forget the place and will probably go back whenever I feel lucky. You can catch a race any time of the year, it seems. Check their schedule here. The real place to visit for horse racing in Miami though, is the Hialeah Park: a much more beautiful and fancy racing track in a neighborhood that sadly has gone down in style… Scenes from The Godfather Part II were shot there, so that’s another reason to go.
Some people would also be interested in going to other live sports events, like a baseball, basketball, hockey or football game. I’ve only gone to baseball and hockey and neither were captivating to me. But hey, I’d recommend you go at least once, it’s a staple american experience. I’ll join you if you want to go to a Heats game.
5. Swim with dogs (or naked) at Haulover Park
I live in Miami Beach (which in case you –like me– didn’t know, is a separate city from Miami) and though I really enjoy being just fifteen minutes walk away from South Beach sands, when it comes to soak in salt I prefer Haulover’s. The sand is not as soft, so it’s easier to shake off, the beach is not as crowded and -most importantly- it has a clothing-optional section (aka nudist) where you can take sun bathing to a whole new level. I’ve been there, done that so my tip is to go on weekdays whenever possible, so you find less creeps hanging.
My favorite part about this beach, tho, is this: DOGS. There’s a special section of the beach where dogs are welcome. I’ve never been able to have a puppy, so here I’m the most happy petting as many as I want. It’s a friendly, super social experience between humans too. Here are a couple of the loveliest friends I’ve made in Miami, they go to Haulover all the time to take they’re dogther Jazz (the cutest adopted girl on earth):
6. Hop on the Metromover, the city’s free ride for everyone.
For a public transport supporter like me, a city so dependant on cars like Miami wasn’t the most exciting prospect. In part because I have hardly 10 hours of driving experience and freeways or highways here are a bit scary for my “buñuela” self, but also because I really thought public transport here was near to non-existent. So yes, I had to get a local license that says I can drive, but I also went and got a transport card to move around freely by the limited-but-still-existent public system. And my favorite part of that is the metromover, a small metro wagon of sorts that looks like a monorail at Disney World and rides only on a limited area of Downtown and Brickell. I think it’s the best high and mobile vantage point to enjoy the view and sights of the city, day and night. And best of all: it’s free!
7. Stare at the Wolfsonian museum, beating heart of Art Deco District.
Extravagant and even funny-looking from the outside (so much that it took me a while until I decided to visit), this is one of the gems in South Beach’s Art Deco District. It displays the eccentric objects collection of its founder, Mitchell Wolfson Jr., who was a wealthy guy with a weakness for all kinds of beautiful things, from coffeemakers with an interesting design to painting masterpieces. There’s so many objects on the collection (over 300,000) that the exhibits change very often and cover a wide variety of themes. There’s also a library that you can only visit with an appointment and has an incredible comic and magazines collection. It’s worth every penny you pay at the entrance.
8. Enter the Miami Beach Cinematheque, an intimate screening room.
This, my friends, is another reason I love my neighborhood. I discovered it while looking for a place to satisfy my indie film cravings, and was amazed by the coziness of the small theater room and its unique style, with dark burgundy curtains that hang from the heigh ceiling, nice vintage movie posters framed on the walls and bright red, small but comfortable, chairs. But the best of all is the big display of books it has next to the screen. Where can you find a movie theather where you can grab a very good film&arts book to read while the movie begins? I still can’t believe the answer is South Beach.
9. Visit the Holocaust memorial, a chilling reminder.
Like other places in this country, Miami was a port of immigration for thousands of Jews during the war. In the 80’s, population in Miami Beach was 61% Jewish and today there is still a big and active Jewish community in the city. That explains why on city blocks number 1933 through 1945 (yes, that was on purpose) there’s this monument: an arm reaching to the sky, four stories tall, tattooed with an Auschwitz ID number and on which many dozens of sculpted women, men and children are clinging with visible agony. These figures are very detailed and harsh to look at, there’s even background choral music and a dark reflecting pool surrounding the area, the whole thing contrasting with the easy goingness of Miami Beach. I went to see it with a German girl and we both agreed this has been the most emotional memorial of all, even more than those in Europe.
10. Climb Cape Florida’s lighthouse, oldest standing structure.
In the Miami-Dade County, that is. Still, a beautiful place to relax and breathe the pure air of the Bill Baggs State Park in the southest point of Key Biscayne, just 20min. away from Downtown. And a picturesque beach, artificial as it might be, that you can see from the top of the 95 feet tall lighthouse if you don’t mind the 109 steps climb to get there. Entrance is free and there’s even a guided tour of the building and its surroundings, the site of battles during the Seminole Wars between the Native Americans of the area and the U.S. Army in the 18th century.
Wondering why I didn’t include anything related to food, sports or fiesta? That’s because I have those here:
