Miami has countless things to see and do. Most people go to Miami for the beautiful white sand beaches, shopping sprees, and for the nightlife. I spent many weekends in my 20's enjoying Miami. Lately I've been lazy about the drive but once I'm there I always have a good time. I considered moving there several years ago. I still consider it an option if I ever move out of Tampa. I looked for pictures from old trips and I have so many that I need to split this post into 2 parts: South beach and Downtown.
South Beach
South Beach or SoBe is the southern most beach in Miami Beach. South Beach is famous for the topless sunbathers, the architecture, and the nightlife. It goes from 1st street until around 22nd street. I'm not a big fan of Ocean Drive except for the Art Deco buildings and seeing the Versace mansion. I really recommend not going to Ocean Drive at night. It's safe, but I consider it a bit too touristy for my taste with boas and wild birds on the street for pictures. I do love having breakfast on Ocean Drive at News Cafe which is open 24 hours. Most clubs close at 5:00 AM and it is very convenient after a night of dancing.
I rather stay north of 16th street. The most glamorous hotels in the area are the Delano, the ShoreClub, the Ritz Carlton, the Setai, and the W. There are many price options in South Beach from budget hotels to the most beautiful boutique hotels. Most of these hotels have nice bars to start the night where you can go even if you are not a guest. After a few drinks you can head out to another place. If you are staying at a hotel in the area, ask the concierge to provide wrist bands for night clubs or to at least put you on a guest list. Otherwise, the bouncers are tough to get through and you will be asked to buy a bottle or maybe not even allowed to get in. Also, the dress code is very strict in most night clubs. A black dress and heels for women and a simple button down shirt and nice jeans for guys will do it. Forget about wearing flip flops or sneakers at night. Leave the casual wear for the beach. Most places love to have a reputation of being the "most exclusive" or to have the "tighest door policy", so be ready to look your best.
South Beach, Miami
The Pool at the ShoreClub Hotel
Fun nights with friends in South Beach
South Beach
Most restaurants and bars are trendy for a while. Some of the places that I've been no longer exist. Mynt Lounge has been popular for at least 5 years. I'm lucky to have friends that live there and take me to new places all the time. The only place that I keep going back during the day is Nikki Beach. They make the best mojitos in Miami and the brunch on Sundays is amazing. They always have a DJ playing and the lounge beds are perfect for a day in the sun.
Mojitos @ Nikki Beach
Champagne Bottles Celebration
Parking in South Beach is hard to find. Most hotels charge approximately $30 per day for parking. The best option is to walk or take taxis instead of trying to find a new parking spot. A taxi from the airport is probably at least $40 each way. However, having a car will let you explore the rest of the city.
Photo Credit: www.southbeach-usa.com
Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road is practically part of south beach and this is probably my favorite place in Miami. Lincoln Road is a pedestrian street between Alton Road and Washington Avenue. There are several unique stores, art galleries, movie theaters, hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafes. There is even a church in the middle of Lincoln Road. Most restaurants have indoor and outdoor seating and offer late night dinner. Also, stores are usually open until midnight. The best part about Lincoln Road: people watching. My favorite itinerary (day or night) will include visiting the Romero Britto gallery, Segafredo for coffee or drinks, and Nexxt for dinner.
After a fun night we had a hard time getting out of bed. My plan was to have lunch in South Beach, and window shop on Lincoln Road. However, we were not feeling so well this day. We never go out dancing, and we are definitely getting old. We had a late breakfast at the hotel and we went to see one of my childhood friends in Downtown. We didn't even feel like relaxing at the beautiful pool in her building. We parked at the meters by the Intercontinental hotel and walked one block to her building. That is where I took the pictures of Biscayne bay.
Chopin Plaza
Bayfront Park getting ready for ULTRA 2012
Coolest Lounge Chairs
A pool with a sculpture is a perfect example of Miami Style
Brickell Key from the pool
Nap Time?
After the short visit, it was time for lunch. Our last stop in Miami was at La Carreta, a great cuban restaurant. There are 8 locations in Miami including one in the AmericanAirlines terminal at Miami International Airport. The one at the airport is fast food style, so the quality of the sit down restaurants is a lot better.
After a delicious cuban lunch we drove back to Tampa. Weekends are never long enough and they are even shorter when there are so many things to do. I am sure that we will be back to Miami soon and on my next trip I will take more pictures. I promised a friend to write about my favorite places in Miami for her upcoming trip. I will find some old pictures and do a long post about it.
Miami is a 4 hour drive from Tampa. We were lazy and decided to drive Saturday morning instead of Friday night. The reason for the trip was a Juan Luis Guerra concert at the AmericanAirlines Arena. I reserved a hotel room at the Marriott in downtown Miami. This hotel is within walking distance to the arena and a short taxi ride from the club where we were planning to go after the concert. I really wanted to stay at the Viceroy again specially because they have the best pool that I've ever seen. However, spring break and the upcoming Sony Ericsson Open, Ultra Music Festival, and the Winter Music Conference had hotel room prices in Miami extremely high.
We drove with another friend from Tampa. It is always nice to have as many people as possible in the car for the long ride. I felt that it was a shorter drive just because we didn't stop talking. We dropped her off at her sister’s place in Miami. We were going to meet them at the concert later that night. Andre and I headed to one of my favorite restaurants in Miami where he had never been. The Knife is an Argentinean style steak house that is also affordable. We payed $25.75 each for an all you can eat style meat grill (parrilla) and a great salad bar. The price includes one bottle of wineper person (or 2 beers) and one dessert from the menu. I started going to this place about 11 years ago and I still like it. The price varies from lunch to dinner and between weekends and weekdays. We didn’t order 2 bottles of wine because we still had to drive to our hotel. The one bottle that we had was really good. For dessert I ordered the dulce de leche crepe and Andre was too full for anything other than ice cream. Andre was so happy with his meal that he said he would consider moving to Miami just because of the knife.
After our large lunch we headed to the Marriott in Biscayne Bay. We had a very nice room with partial bay view. We decided to walk towards the arena and start the night without worrying about our car. We met with our 2 friends inside and had an amazing time at the Juan Luis Guerra concert. You can read all about the concert here.
The view from our room
Biscayne Bay from our room
Downtown Miami
After the concert, it was time to party Colombian style. There is a club that is originally from Cali that was so successful that they opened in 2 more cities in Colombia and one in Miami. I love this place, Kukaramakara, because you dance with a live band instead of a DJ all night long. We completely underestimated St. Patrick’s day. I really thought that nobody cared about this day in Miami. We were in the car for at least 1 hour because of traffic when normally that drive takes 10 minutes or less. Finding a parking spot was another challenge that night. We finally made it and we got a small table close to the stage. The 4 of us ordered a bottle of Aguardiente and danced the night away.
Andre and I left at around 4:00 AM and took a taxi to the hotel. Considering that most clubs close at 5:00 AM, we left early. We were exhausted after a long day and were ready for bed. Kukaramakara was a lot of fun. I would love to go back on our next trip to Miami.
A few months ago, I found out that one of my favorite singers was coming to Florida. Juan Luis Guerra is a very famous merengue singer from Dominican Republic. He has been around for as long as I remember. I learned how to dance with his songs in the 1980s. He announced in his twitter that the US tour included Miami, Orlando, and NYC. The Orlando show was never scheduled. I debated if I should spend the money to go see him. Two weeks before the show we decided to drive to Miami and see him. I was going to regret not going to his concert. His last album is as good as the ones from 20 years ago.
Photo Credit: Guaberry.net
American Airlines Arena, Miami
I went to a Luis Miguel concert in Miami alone last year. I won’t mind going to another concert alone except that this kind of music makes you want to dance. I’m OK singing alone, but dancing alone is different. Andre is not a big fan of any kind of tropical music, but he knows how much I like Juan Luis Guerra. He said that he would come with me to the concert. I gave him an opportunity not to go since I was going with 2 other friends. He surprised me when he said that he likes Juan Luis Guerra. The best thing about his concerts is that he doesn’t just sing merengue, he also sings bachatas, boleros, and even a rock song with Juanes (on a screen). I enjoyed singing all of the old and new songs. We didn’t stop moving our feet for 2 hours. The concert was last Saturday and my voice is not completely back.
The arena getting full minutes before the show
Since we didn’t get the tickets in advance, we had seats on a high level section. When I got the tickets, I was informed that the concert was close to be sold out. I didn’t see a single seat empty in the AmericanAirlines Arena. I enjoyed every single minute of the show, but it is not the same as a watching the concert from the floor. I’m only 5’3” (161 cm) and I can’t see that much on the floor. However, the energy is completely different. I got a few pictures and videos but the quality is not great.
Juan Luis Guerra, a son de guerra tour, Miami
from our seats
The last song of the night was an acoustic version of "Ojala que llueva Cafe". I made the video below which is probably the only one worth sharing. All of the others have me and my friends screaming and singing with my not so beautiful voice.
Last weekend, my uncle turned 70. He had a birthday party in his country house in Brooksville, Florida. This is a small town located about one hour north of Tampa. My plan was to find a perfect spot to take sunset pictures and wait for the sun to come down. However, dinner was served right around this time. I was only able to take one picture before and one after the sunset. If you want to see the pictures from the party click here.
Last Saturday, for my uncle’s 70th birthday, we went to a costume party. The theme was Indians and cowboys. At first I was not too excited to dress up but after getting there It was more fun than I expected. The party was in my uncle’s country house in Brooksville which is located about 100 miles north of Tampa. I only go there once a year for our family’s Christmas party. They had a live band playing Country music. I don't like country but it was nice to have everything themed. After the band, the real party started. Sadly, I had to work last weekend and we couldn't stay late.
The big Chief aka Birthday boy
my parents
My dad's 70th birthday is in May. We have some large shoes to fill. Does anyone have any fun ideas for a party?
