OCTOBER 2019
We were gifted a hotel voucher for our wedding and decided to put the voucher to use in Miami. Miami consists of many neighborhoods, which are more like little cities itself, and together they comprise Miami. This means Miami is very stretched out and you need to move around quite a bit to get a feel of the city. It also creates that there is no specific area that is good to stay at, as you will always be far removed from other interesting parts of Miami. We visited the several areas by using Uber and the few free trolleys that drive around town. We were a bit disappointed in the lack of public transport (besides the trolleys), as taking a bus into another part of town could take you 1,5 hours because you have to switch buses several times. Besides the public transport, we really enjoyed ourselves in Miami. The activities and neighborhoods are super diverse and we loved hearing Spanish everywhere! Miami is among one of the cities in the US with the highest number of inhabitants that originate from other countries, with a high percentage of Cubans living in Miami. We had lots of Uber drivers from Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and other Latin American countries! Visiting Miami definitely was a good preparation for our next travels through Latin America, as we were dusting off our rusty Spanish 😉 In this blogpost I will explain about some of Miami’s neighborhoods and the activities that we did.
Wynwood Walls
The Wynwood Walls were on top of my list of things to do in Miami. The Wynwood Walls is a street art initiative that was opened in 2010 in the Wynwood district. The Walls can be visited for free, but they do have opening times (10.30 AM to 11.30 PM). You will not only find murals at the Wynwood Walls, but also art galleries. We were super lucky when we visited because one of the art galleries had an exhibition with work of the famous Brazilian street artist Kobra! It was such a nice surprise to be able to visit this as a bonus! The whole Wynwood area is full of great murals, we have never seen a district so full of street art. It is definitely worth it to just walk around the Wynwood district to spot some artworks yourself. Wynwood is also a really cool, hip place to have some food. You will be spoilt for choice with taquerias and healthy restaurants. Most of the restaurants and shops in Wynwood have some kind of mural that relates to their store, which makes this whole neighborhood super vibrant and a highlight of Miami.
Miami Design District
If you think Miami only has beaches to offer, you are wrong… Miami has a interesting design district as well. The design district features an art museum (ICA) which you can visit for free as well as luxury stores, these stores are surrounded by many cool design elements. Stores such as Louis Vuitton really take it up one notch to stand out in the design district. The design district is also full of murals and art installations, which definitely makes it worth a visit. We had lunch in the St. Roch Market, which is a more upscale food hall, where we stocked up on lots of veggies as there were many healthy options (in comparison to some of the road trip stops we had). The ICA currently has an infinity room by the amazing Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Unfortunately we only discovered that while we were already in Miami and the tickets were already sold out for the next three weeks.. Make sure you visit the website of the ICA timely if you want to go!
Little Havana
Another classic to visit in Miami is Little Havana. Little Havana is an area where there is a high population of Cubans and in Little Havana they tried to recreate some Havana vibes. The touristy and safe part of Little Havana is centered around Domino Park in Calle Ocho. Here you will find many bars, where you can listen to Cuban music, and cigar shops. We walked around for a bit and had some drinks and listened to a Cuban band. You should not expect the buildings to look like Havana as you will be severely disappointed 😉 Domino Park was super cute, it is a spot where locals and tourists come together and play Domino or chess and is an important part of the history of Little Havana.
South Beach & Ocean Drive
The most famous beach of Miami Beach is actually South Beach. South Beach is located next to a park, where you can watch super fit people skate by and check you out… and you can check them out.. South Beach also has many pastel colored beach look outs that belong to the coastal guards, you might recognize them from tv. Almost next to South Beach you will find Ocean Drive. Ocean Drive is one of the highlights (and lowlights) of the Art Deco district. Miami features many Art Deco buildings, we loved walking by to watch the amazing typography, the pastel colored lights and the round forms of the buildings. Ocean Drive is also home to some “beach clubs” and bars where it gets pretty rowdy depending on the season that you visit. It feels a bit like a bar street in Spain, but then with more interesting architecture.
Villa Vizcaya Museum & gardens
Villa Vizcaya is a beautiful villa that is built in a European style, mainly taking inspiration from Tuscan villas. I thought this was kind of a strange activity to do as a European in Miami, but was glad we went after all. The pictures don’t do this place justice, the details of the villa were breathtaking and everything was put together so incredibly well. The house is centered around a patio, that used to be outdoors, but is now covered with a glass ceiling to preserve the house. I loved the lush greenery that was located in the patio, the well designed rooms, colorful frescos and amazing stained glass.
From the house you can go to the outdoor terraces, which have amazing views over the bay as well as the house. In the bay you will find an old barge, which has pretty much been torn down by the weather conditions of Miami. Somehow, we liked that the house and the other outdoor parts were influenced by the weather conditions as it gave the limestone a more raw look. I think Villa Vizcaya would otherwise look too pristine and this gave it just the right edge. The gardens are truly enormous, but again these were also very well designed, with some “secret” alleys and grottos. In contrary to the Tuscan villas, the surrounding landscape is more lush and jungle like and this created a super interesting contrast with the house. A ticket to Villa Vizcaya costs § 22, but I brought my student pass and paid § 15.
