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Miami. It's a city built for tourism. The Sun. The Beach. It's a launching point for Caribbean cruises. It's a gateway for Latin American travelers. It's a winter escape for Northerners. It's a final destination for retirees. It's a party zone. Miami was created as a beach resort community so it's no surprise the City has a bit of a tourist trap feel running throughout it's major destination areas.
The challenge with Miami is escaping the tourist vortex to experience local life. Is it worth the effort or should you just kick back, relax, and enjoy resort life? |
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MIAMI SUBSECTIONS
MIAMI DINING
The dining scene is heavily influenced by the various Latin cultures that have settled in Miami. The Cuban and to a lesser extent Haitian cuisine can be found throughout the city. Wherever you are staying, a Havana 1957 is likely nearby, although El Palacio de Los Jugos is the more local route to go. Two local specialties are Stone Crabs and Conch Fritters.
October to April is Stone Crab season in Miami. There's several places to try Stone Crabs, the most famous being Joe's Stone Crabs in South Beach. Nearby Joe's is Monty's Sunset which seemed to have a more local vibe. You can order crabs by the claw here starting at $5 for a medium claw. Garcia's Seafood on the Miami River has a great ambiance, however, I liked Monty's stone crabs much better. The primary factor when deciding is avoiding a place that freezes the claws before serving them - easier said than done.
Conch Fritters are the must try appetizer on Miami seafood menus - you could make a trip out of trying the best conch fritters in the Miami area. Garcia's had great conch fritters. Conch fritters' taste comes down to two factors - the amount of conch and the amount of cornmeal filling. Too much filling or not a great filling can drown out the taste of the fritters.
My Ceviche is a local Chipotle style chain specializing in...ceviche.
The dining scene is heavily influenced by the various Latin cultures that have settled in Miami. The Cuban and to a lesser extent Haitian cuisine can be found throughout the city. Wherever you are staying, a Havana 1957 is likely nearby, although El Palacio de Los Jugos is the more local route to go. Two local specialties are Stone Crabs and Conch Fritters.
October to April is Stone Crab season in Miami. There's several places to try Stone Crabs, the most famous being Joe's Stone Crabs in South Beach. Nearby Joe's is Monty's Sunset which seemed to have a more local vibe. You can order crabs by the claw here starting at $5 for a medium claw. Garcia's Seafood on the Miami River has a great ambiance, however, I liked Monty's stone crabs much better. The primary factor when deciding is avoiding a place that freezes the claws before serving them - easier said than done.
Conch Fritters are the must try appetizer on Miami seafood menus - you could make a trip out of trying the best conch fritters in the Miami area. Garcia's had great conch fritters. Conch fritters' taste comes down to two factors - the amount of conch and the amount of cornmeal filling. Too much filling or not a great filling can drown out the taste of the fritters.
My Ceviche is a local Chipotle style chain specializing in...ceviche.
Stone Crabs
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My Ceviche
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OTHER NOTES
- Most of Florida's roads are toll roads. The tolls are charged via a license plate photo, however, if you are renting a car it's worth considering obtaining a SunPass to pay for the tolls. Otherwise you will be charged a higher than necessary administrative fee for accessing the toll roads with a rental car.
- It's tempting to stay in South Beach, however, it can also be a hassle driving back and forth across the MacArthur Causeway. The Mid and North Beach areas of Miami Beach are a little quicker to reach from Miami.
- Parking - hotel's will charge $35-$45 to valet your car. There's usually a public parking garage a block or two away from the hotel that charges $1 an hour. You can easily save $20 a day using public garages. Fountainebleau had a parking lot a quarter mile north of the hotel that didn't charge fees between 6PM and 8AM. That's free vs. $45.
OTHER THOUGHTS
Miami has four distinct and somewhat related features:
1. LONG AND WIDE METRO AREA: The metropolitan area is long [the distance from Homestead in the south to Palm Beach in the north is about 100 miles] and narrow [at it's widest, the distance from Miami Beach to the Everglades is less than 30 miles]. Flying into Miami at night highlights this difference, literally and figuratively. On the approach into Miami there's a stream of lights with darkness to the East and West due to the Atlantic Ocean and Everglades, respectively.
2. DECENTRALIZED DOWNTOWN: Miami sits on the Southern side of the metropolitan area, unlike Los Angeles or Philadelphia, who's "downtowns" are in the center of a radial sprawling metropolitan area. The result is that there is no area for citizens to centrally congregate. Where do you go to people watch? There's no core, "this is Miami" area. I-95 acts as the connector between the different metropolitan areas instead of a series of highways and interstates.
3. DISPROPORTIONATE CITY TO METROPOLITAN AREA POPULATION: Miami's metropolitan population of 6M is similar in size to Philadelphia. Miami, the city, population is 400K. Philadelphia is 1.5M. It means that Miami, is not really the defining feature of Miami. This creates an interesting dynamic - when driving through Miami neighborhoods the question "where are all the people" starts to be asked. Aside from the Downtown and Little Havana areas Miami neighborhoods feel disjointed and largely non-residential. The surrounding communities, like Coral Gables, feel residential, however, the stretch from Wynwood to Midtown to Design Destrict appears to be slapped together and absent of organic growth.
4. RETIREES, PART TIMERS, AND TOURISTS: Miami Beach and the shore towns to the North are lined with high rise hotels, apartments, and condo complexes. Miami lacks the small town vibe of Southern California. The hotels are filled with people in town for conventions, a weekend retreat, and those about to depart on cruises. The condos are filled with retirees and others looking for a warmer climate to escape the winter. The impact of this demographic is seen in two areas: the local dining, coffee, brewery scene is weak and the driving is out of control. It is not until you get south of Miami and heading to the Florida Keys or to Fort Lauderdale and North that Miami begins to feel local. Miami's drivers may be the most reckless in the nation. For every person going 10 below the speed limit in the left lane there's someone speeding 20 over in the right lane - they both share the common characteristic of an aversion to turn signals.
Miami has four distinct and somewhat related features:
1. LONG AND WIDE METRO AREA: The metropolitan area is long [the distance from Homestead in the south to Palm Beach in the north is about 100 miles] and narrow [at it's widest, the distance from Miami Beach to the Everglades is less than 30 miles]. Flying into Miami at night highlights this difference, literally and figuratively. On the approach into Miami there's a stream of lights with darkness to the East and West due to the Atlantic Ocean and Everglades, respectively.
2. DECENTRALIZED DOWNTOWN: Miami sits on the Southern side of the metropolitan area, unlike Los Angeles or Philadelphia, who's "downtowns" are in the center of a radial sprawling metropolitan area. The result is that there is no area for citizens to centrally congregate. Where do you go to people watch? There's no core, "this is Miami" area. I-95 acts as the connector between the different metropolitan areas instead of a series of highways and interstates.
3. DISPROPORTIONATE CITY TO METROPOLITAN AREA POPULATION: Miami's metropolitan population of 6M is similar in size to Philadelphia. Miami, the city, population is 400K. Philadelphia is 1.5M. It means that Miami, is not really the defining feature of Miami. This creates an interesting dynamic - when driving through Miami neighborhoods the question "where are all the people" starts to be asked. Aside from the Downtown and Little Havana areas Miami neighborhoods feel disjointed and largely non-residential. The surrounding communities, like Coral Gables, feel residential, however, the stretch from Wynwood to Midtown to Design Destrict appears to be slapped together and absent of organic growth.
4. RETIREES, PART TIMERS, AND TOURISTS: Miami Beach and the shore towns to the North are lined with high rise hotels, apartments, and condo complexes. Miami lacks the small town vibe of Southern California. The hotels are filled with people in town for conventions, a weekend retreat, and those about to depart on cruises. The condos are filled with retirees and others looking for a warmer climate to escape the winter. The impact of this demographic is seen in two areas: the local dining, coffee, brewery scene is weak and the driving is out of control. It is not until you get south of Miami and heading to the Florida Keys or to Fort Lauderdale and North that Miami begins to feel local. Miami's drivers may be the most reckless in the nation. For every person going 10 below the speed limit in the left lane there's someone speeding 20 over in the right lane - they both share the common characteristic of an aversion to turn signals.