We try to get down to Calle Ocho every chance we get especially with our Cuban friends who always…read moretake us to the best restaurants. It never gets boring in Little Havana and that's what I love about it. There's great food from several different countries: Cuba, Nicaragua, Colunbia, Peru, Argentina just to name a few. There are many tobacco/cigar shops. Knick knack shops for souveniers. Great ice cream shops like Azucar's! Fun vibrant art painted on buildings. Impromptu and scheduled parades and festivals. Spanish being spoken everywhere you go. And the best part is to watch the old-timers playing dominoes in the parking lots/sidewalks. Mass traffic on Calle Ocho (SW 8th) with no where to park so go past it a couple of blocks and park in that area or take Uber or a transit bus. No matter what, you will have fun there! Wear comfortable shoes, summer clothes, a hat, and sunscreen.

Calle Ocho in Little Havana is definitely a must stop when visiting Miami. The whole area is full…read moreof life and color from the vibrant murals to the local live music playing from the restaurants you can hear as you walk by, so full of culture... I love it I love it. It's a great place to grab a mojito and some really good Cuban/Spanish food. There are also plenty of small shops with affordable souvenirs and handmade items. It's such a vibe, I love coming here every time!

George Merrick is the founder of the City of Coral Gables. His family came to Miami from PA two…read moreyears after Henry Flagler brought the railroad to Florida. It was the dawn of the development of Florida. George Merrick attended Rollins College in Winter Park and in 1922 he meticulously planned Coral Gables. The houses were so well made that they survived hurricanes before there were building codes and his architecture was so charming that Coral gables is called the city beautiful. He also created the University of Miami. At first he wanted his buildings to be strictly Spanish and later Mediterranean style. Eventually he expanded his vision to include seven unique villages inspired by different international influences. The villages were built during the land boom years in the 1920's. It was a joint venture between Merrick, The American Building Company and former Ohio Governor Myers Cooper. The original plan was for more 1,000 residences in a series of villages based on architecture from around the world. The plan was never fully realized when the housing boom crashed from two hurricanes followed by the Great Depression. In the end only seven villages were built including this Italian Village. By 1928 George Merrick was forced out of the city he founded and ended up in the Keys. He returned to the city two years before he died to serve as postmaster. You can learn more about George Merrick by taking a tour of his family home in Coral Gables. The Italian Village was designed by architects Frank Wyatt Woods, Pierson, Skinner, Alfred L. Klingbeil, R.F. Ware, and Robert Law Weed who took their inspiration from 17th century Italian farmhouses. This is the largest of Merrick's villages. The homes have street facing entrances, walled gardens and exterior stairways. There are seventeen buildings located within San Antonio Avenue, San Esteban, Segovia Street and Monserrate Streets. All are private residences so you can only view them from the street but there are some interior pictures online from when they come up for sale. I love how the outside themes are carried throughout the interior of the houses. The homes in the villages are some of the most sought after residences in the Gables. Today there 80 homes left. Expect to pay well over a million for an Italian village house. They rarely go up for sale and are always in high demand. Once you see them you can easily understand why they are so popular.

Coral Gables has quite a few "Villages", that depict different architectural styles from around the…read moreworld (see my other reviews) for example here in Coral Gables - we have Chinese, French, Italian and Dutch. This review is about the Italian village - see below for some more information regarding it. Please look a the pictures I managed to capture of one of the Italian style homes I saw from my car during the covid. Italian Village Generally bounded by San Antonio Avenue, San Esteban, Segovia Street and Monserrate Street, are seventeen homes inspired by the Italian farm houses. Architects Alfred L. Klingbeil, John and Coulton Skinner, R. F. Ware, and Robert Law Weed designed these residences from 1925-1927.

I wanted to thank Farah for setting up this "sweet suprise" at San Gines on the beach to try their…read moreworld famous churros. From what I understand, this restaurant chain has been open since 1850 and is the best Churro spot in Spain. Me being a dessert fiend, I was definitely looking forward to checking them out and comparing them to the Miami legacy spots. Handmade and fresh right at the store, the churros had a light crisp and not as loaded with sugar as some other places I've tried them. Both the chocolate and dulce de leche dipping sauces gave them a nice boost of flavor. The space is bright and airy inside with a lot of photos of celebrities who've eaten there. The prosciutto croquettes that came with our special were also yummy . All in all, it's a nice spot for a quick pre night out bite on Lincoln Road.

I almost gave up in visiting due to the difficult parking, but luckily things worked out & was able…read moreto make it! The place is super cute, perfect for an afternoon iced late + baked snacks. Their display of croissants, sandwiches & cookies makes you want to try everything, i got a sandwich to go because I could not resist! Out of all the items, i think the tortilla espanola was my fave! Staff was nice & friendly! Menu items tried: Churros, enjoyed the most with dulce de leche sauce Tortilla espanola w/aioli Bolitas de queso Proscuito empanadas Iced caramel late Caprese Croissant sandwich- to go, i have not enjoyed yet, but looks amazing! Do not visit if you're on a diet...

We love art! You got to--to appreciate this space. Great staff Rachel (so informative), Alex in…read morespray paint, and Alex -the one checking tickets- all sooo friendly and great. Rachel is above and beyond awesome. Beautiful art space outdoor and indoor (this was a great break from the heat). The outdoor fans, great idea but they aren't cold so not helping anyone cool off hehe On our second visit we brought the kids and did some spray painting on canvases and a skateboard. Such a great experience. Alex and her partner Andres were so helpful made the experience very enjoyable.

Wynwood Art Walk Tours isn't just walking past murals. It's walking with someone who knows which…read morewalls have stories attached, which artists took risks, which pieces cost the neighborhood something. The murals themselves are massive and they're professional, but scale alone doesn't make art work. Context does. Shepard Fairey's augmented reality layer is the differentiator here. It's not a gimmick. When you scan a mural with your phone, the piece opens up into layers and motion. It's the artist's way of saying "there's more here than what you see." It works because it's restrained, not constantly pulling you into your screen. You're still in the neighborhood. You're just seeing deeper. The guide we had knew the economics of gentrification in Wynwood. Knew which artists have been here for years and which are new money. Knew the politics of murals, why some walls get painted and others get buffed, why some artists collaborate and some don't. That knowledge cost something to build. You're paying for it. We took three teenagers, ages 14-17. Not a group naturally inclined to stand still for street art. They asked questions about technique, about why certain artists choose certain walls, about whether the AR experience changes how you see the piece or adds distraction. They engaged. That's not about impressive art alone, that's about the tour structure creating room for actual thinking instead of passive consumption. The neighborhood is dense and chaotic and intentional all at once. You'll see pieces that are technically flawless next to pieces that are deliberately rough. Some murals are massive, some are character-scale. Some artists are making statements about politics, some about beauty, some about ownership. The variation is what keeps it alive. A sanitized art walk would kill this. Walking it yourself is free and worth doing once. Walking it with the tour is $29 and worth doing if you want to understand why these walls matter to the city and why some artists chose to paint them. The difference is context. Context costs something, but you leave with more than photos. The sun hits different at 4 PM than at 11 AM, so timing matters if photography is part of your thing. The neighborhood gets foot traffic but it's not overwhelming. You're in a real place, not a theme park. That texture is part of why this works.

It's a shame that the traffic is so horrendous and violent crime is out of control. In the 1980s…read morethe Miami Beach area was absolutely beautiful although the magnificent waterways were the same bluish green color. Most of the high rise condos are owned by international tourists and the rent for the little guy is sky high. We had an interesting encounter by a vagrant at a coffee shop which tainted my evening and did not feel safe walking around the city, although, I did see plenty of police in the area near the major interesctions. An historically rich environment for tourists but not for me.

In 1910 Carl Fisher began to transform Miami Beach into a world class resort destination. In 1916…read morethe Miami Beach Improvement Company, founded by John Collins, platted the Oceanfront Subdivision on a two mile isthmus. The Company named the area Miami Beach. In the 1920's during Florida's land boom years, many hotels and mansions were built. The 1930's and 40's were the height of the art deco design movement inspired by Paris and many of the hotels were built in this style. Today the Collins Waterfront Architectural Historic District includes 110 buildings and structures near Collins Avenue. The earliest dates to 1922 and the majority were built in the late 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Architectural styles include moderne, Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival architecture, and the local Miami Modern style called MiMo, a type of mid century modernism architecture style that developed after WWII from the 1940's to the 1960's. Its hallmark is modern simplicity of form influenced by South Florida. Many of the buildings in this district are large resort hotels. The district is defined by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and 24th Street, Indian Creek Drive, Pine Tree Drive, and the Collins Canal. By the 1970's Miami Beach was run down by neglect and salt water damage. Things were so bad that the movie Scarface used to South Beach to stand in for a drug infested ghetto neighborhood. Barbara Baer Capitman and a group of activists banded together to preserve the Art Deco buildings of South Beach. Capitman founded the Miami Design Preservation League in 1976 with Leonard Horowitz which started a movement to place one square mile of South Beach on the National Register of Historic Places. Their efforts enabled 800 of the historic Art Deco buildings to be saved. Formerly run down hotels on Ocean Drive were refreshed in pastel colors chosen by Horowitz. In the late 1980's South Beach had a resurgence. Models and the fashion industry moved in. An area that once had people thinking twice about driving through became home to the wealthy. Today it is walking friendly and generally low crime. One of my favorite things about Miami Beach is the Miami Beach Boardwalk, a paved pathway that runs for seven miles, the length of Miami Beach. It begins at 87th terrace and Collins Ave at the border of Surfside and takes you south through North Beach, Mid Beach, and ending at the Ocean Drive Promenade in South Beach in South Pointe Park. Along the boardwalk are parks, hotels, condos, and restaurants. On one side you have a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean and on the other, a front row seat to the hustle and bustle of Miami Beach. For the convenience of those traveling the boardwalk there are benches and water stations. You also often see people setting up tents and selling things like jewelry. While the historic buildings and boardwalk are important draws for the area, the crown jewel of Miami Beach is the beach itself. Wide white sand beaches meet the clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean beckoning sun worshippers, waders, and swimmers. There are many beach front parks offering amenities like lifeguards, restrooms, and volleyball courts, fitness equipment showers, and playgrounds. Pay parking is available in area lots and along the street via kiosks and apps.

When we visited Miami we strolled through the Dogs and Cats Walkway and Sculptured Garden which was…read morebeautiful. It's in an area with some tree coverage therefore it was a nice area to walk around. It has a nice view of the cruise port which is a plus and there is another park you can stroll through. Everything was so clean and maintained.

It's always exciting when you find something free in Miami. This is a cute and whimsical dog and…read morecat sculpture garden in Maurice A. Ferre Park with a beautiful backdrop of Biscayne Bay. It is a fun walk through the garden to enjoy and read about all the sculptures. This is a nice visit before or after the nearby Perez and Frost Museums.

The Design District has some of the best public art in Miami and this blue glass building façade is…read moreno exception. Completed in 2014 and spanning 17,000 square-feet, it is located over two floors in Palm Court, linking the storefronts with the courtyard in the southern part of the Miami Design District. It was designed by noted award winning Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto who takes his inspiration from nature such as forests, nests, and caves. He seeks to combine nature with architecture. For this piece he was inspired by waterfalls and Miami's torrential rainstorms which is represented by a series of glass fins. I love the blue color and how it cascades over the front of the buildings transforming ordinary store fronts into art. It is one of my favorite pieces to photograph in the Design District. It is so much fun to play with when taking pictures. You can shoot it at different angles and even through it to make creative photos. It is also a great backdrop for portraits and selfies.

While visiting South Beach, as part of my daily South Pointe Park walk, I happened upon this…read morelarge-scale art piece...Obstinate Lighthouse. Looming 55 feet over Biscayne Bay's marina of luxury yachts and mega-cruise ships, surrounded by lush grass, coconut trees, and the finest multimillionaire condominiums, this public art installation stands stubbornly as a colorful beacon to all passersby. Though lit atop the structure with colorful LED lighting, the Obstinate Lighthouse is not meant as a naval guide, it is a firmly placed, staggering fluorescent obstacle meant to welcome all.

Obstinate Lighthouse is one of those places in town where I come to unplug and have a laugh or two…read morewith friends or often times with strangers who are also visiting this place. If you don't like crowds don't come in late afternoons, otherwise it will be as crowded as on my pictures. Mornings are chill, and I'm sure the sunrises here should be epic too and without crowds. The lighthouse is located on the west end of the South Point Park, it's really easy to spot once you get to the park. If you are like myself who likes art blended in within the city, parks, etc, I recommend you coming here, you won't regret it.