Miami – My Independence Day Weekend in Paradise

Dear lilioftheworld.com reader, this is your co-editor Dani. The recent months have been challenging for all of us. If you are tired of the shelter-in-place order, let me take you on a new (virtual) adventure. Today we are traveling to the Sunny state. Moreover, we are heading to the largest metro in the state, namely Miami. This is the story about spending the Independence day in Miami – a weekend visiting KeyWest, Wynwood and Brickell. Moreover, we will stop in the Little Havana and South Beach as well.

Prolog

To begin with, it was a hot and humid summer. The heat was so sticky and unpleasant, that I wanted to run in the kingdom Far-Far-Away. While I was having Saturday afternoon gathering with some close friends and we were discussing whether the coffee we were having is Turkish, Greek or Arabic style, one said that we have long weekend ahead of us. Namely, the weekend of Fourth of July was approaching. It didn’t take us long to decide that we want to go to Miami. It is to be noted, however, that the alternatives were equally good – San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Juan and Santo Domingo. As a matter of fact, all of us had been to Miami before, thus we could skip the popular tourist attractions and focus on even more interesting things to do there.

Things to do in Miami:

• Lodging in Brickell
• Dinner at Mandarin Oriental
• Visit Key West
• Spend half a day around the pool
• Visit the graffiti in Wynwood
• Spend a day on South Beach
• Visit Little Havana

Welcome to Miami

How many of you remember this great song of Will Smith?

There are 2 airports in Miami metropolitan area, specifically Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The first one is the big airport. It is closer to the city of Miami. Moreover, it is a big hub of American Airlines and there are plenty of flights to and from Central and Latin America. The second one is situated 25-ish miles (40 km) north of Miami. It is to be noted, however, that it is home of many of the low-cost carriers – Southwest, JetBlue, Norwegian and others. Norwegian offers non-stop flights to and from Europe. Furthermore, there is a train from FLL airport to Miami. It runs at least once per hour and costs less than 10 USD.

Lodging in Brickell

Pick carefully your stay in Miami. Most of the visitors opt for hotel either in Brickell or South Beach. The latter is a very long vibrant beach, full of hotels and attractions. South Beach is situated on an island. A bridge, which passes by the cruiser port connects the island to the main land. On the other hand, Brickell is a neighborhood of the city of Miami. It is situated close to Miami downtown and most of the buildings are very tall. For this stay I picked an AirBNB apartment in Brickell, because I wanted to be close to the attractions it has to offer.

Dinner at Mandarin Oriental

I am sure that this chain of hotels needs no introduction to the affectionate readers of lilioftheworld.com. A small island in Brickell hosts the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami. There are several restaurants on premise, but my favorite one so far is called “La Mar”. It offers a stylish modern ambiance, which is complemented by a huge outdoor space. The latter offers an amazing view to the skyline of Brickell.

The famous chef Gaston Acurio owns the restaurant. He is Peruvian and he developed a menu of Peruvian and Asian fusion kitchen, which will exceed the requirements of the finest of foodies among you. All guests are welcomed with plantain chips and tori sauce. It gives a strong start to the whole experience. The food is simply amazing. The delicious desserts are the final touch, which nails the overall experience to the next level. And if the wine you had with the dinner did not make it for you, you can always visit some of the bars and clubs in the area.

My highlight rooftop bar

Do you want to visit the most trendy and posh rooftop in Miami? Then definitely plan a visit to “Sugar”. It holds the roof on top of a 40-floor building.

The cocktails are over the top (no pun intended). The DJ plays nice sets of EDM remixes of the most popular songs of the season. Miami is visible from all sides of the bar. Moreover, a chill and refreshing breeze displaces the sticky hot and humid air of the city. Mojito, gin & tonic, vodka & cranberry juice, long island iced tea – you name it and the skillful bartenders will deliver them for you in a moment. There may be a line for getting into the bar, but the waiting times are below 20 minutes. The wait is totally worth, given the experience. Make sure that you wear appropriate attire for the occasion. More importantly, however, do not leave your good mood at home.

Visit Key West

The Keys are an archipelago of islands, south of mainland Florida. The closest point of the USA to Cuba is Key West. The distance is 90 miles only. You will follow a spectacular road on your way there. The highway that connects the islands alternates between bridges and land roads. Do not drive more than 45 mph (70 km/h) – the speed tickets may get costly. I was lucky enough to pass the longest bridge of 7 miles during sunset. The experience is surreal – you are surrounded by water and you do not see ground.

Moreover, the sun is setting down and changes the colors of everything to 50 shades of golden. Colorful Victorian houses constitute the city of Key West. The countless street cats are friendly, and they give the city a very joyful vibe. Highway 1 of Florida starts in Key West – do not miss the opportunity to take a picture with the sign.

If you have a sweet tooth, definitely plan a visit to “Better than sex”. The place is a dessert bar. It offers a plethora of desserts and all of them have inappropriate names. Many tourists visit Key West for the famous lime pie. The twist of the pastry chef led to “Kinky Key Lime Pie”.

The pie was very refreshing and delicious, indeed. I will not list the names of the other desserts, as we would like to keep the platform welcome for the general audience. Feel free to google the place and explore the rest of the menu.

Spend half a day around the pool

You can go to Key West and back in a day, starting from Miami, but the low speed limit makes the trip longer and more tiring than it could really be. Spending several hours around the pool is always a great idea. Make sure to check the rules of your building. Often, they offer towels for the swimming pool area. Having food and (alcoholic) beverages is usually allowed.

In case you get hungry and need a snack before sunbathing, do not miss the opportunity to stop at “Friends”. The bistro offers amazing Cuban pastries. Moreover, they are both healthy and tasty – a rare combination these days. Once you relax, do not hesitate to explore Miami further.

Visit the graffiti in Wynwood

Wynwood is another amazing neighborhood in Miami. The locals used to call it “The Little San Juan” – after the capital of Puerto Rico. No need to explain that the name comes from the Puerto Ricans, who populate the area, similarly to the “Little Havana”.

 

Over time and a number of crisis and economic downturns affected the Little San Juan and it turned into a very dark place. Crime and poverty overtook the once sunny and welcoming area.

 

 

The Goldman family, and more specifically Mr. Tony Goldman, invested significant amounts of money to rejuvenate the district. Tony Goldman was a successful investor in real estate. He graduated with B.A. in drama and he is the visionary behind SoHo in New York and the 13-th street in Philadelphia. Wynwood offers street art and a number of galleries, small shops and cafeterias. Do not miss the MIAM café. They serve the best coffee in the area. The gelato store next-door offers a variety of flavors worth exploring.

Visit South Beach

Even though the South Beach district is a hop away over the bridge, it is a great place to spend some time. Ocean Ave is the main street and it really feels like a movie set. Loud and noisy muscle cars drive up and down the avenue day and night. And while you will see tourists in swimsuits, carrying around inflatable beach accessories during the day, the scene changes significantly at night. They replaced the benign vacation ambiance with an explosive combination of expensive cars, expensive clothes, expensive jewelry and expensive fragrances. It is a once in a lifetime experience. If this is too intense for you, then you should give a chance to another amazing jewel Miami has to offer.

Play Domino in Little Havana

Little Havana is another neighborhood of Miami. The majority of the residents are of Cuban origin. It carries the culture and the traditions of the Cubans.

The seniors play domino all they long in a park and it is an attraction you should not miss! The clacking noise of the domino pools is somehow magnetic, and the tourists often spend fair amount of time, watching a game. Do not miss the opportunity to stop in one of the many pastry shops and get a variety of “pastellitos” – Cuban pastry, which can be stuffed with either sweet or salty stuffing – jam, chocolate, cheese, etc. In addition, “Ball & Chain” is one of the most famous restaurants in the area and visitors can play domino, while having drinks or waiting for their order. Furthermore, there is a live band and the waitresses dance salsa after midday.

 

 

 

Epilogue

And as it was Fourth of July weekend, I will wrap-up my story with a picture of the patriotic lighting of the skyscrapers in Brickell. It was time for me to head to the airport and fly back home.

If you enjoyed this alternative perspective of Miami, please read about my other adventures:

• The Thousand Islands article
• The story about the San Francisco Bay Area
• Pittsburgh – a City of Great Stories
• Hong Kong
• A Weekend in Seattle
• Comparison of the Airlines in the US

I think that that’s it! In conclusion, I want to thank You for visiting Miami with me!

Any comments / remarks / notes / recommendations are welcome!