Enjoy every surprise
If Bal Harbour’s luxury is not an option for you, don’t be discouraged. Miami has a world of opportunities to satisfy all kinds of appetites when it comes to shopping.
There’s the
Española Way, two quarters of pedestrian streets marked by colonial architecture and European style cafés in South Beach. Don’t look for multinational brands nor shopping malls. This is a place of vintage boutiques, family stores and lots of handmade artwork.
The vibrant feeling will continue when night comes, for many stores stay open late, along with restaurants of Spanish, French, Italian and Mexican food. Not very far, you’ll find
Lincoln Road, where the alternative groove begins to mix with big retail stores and art galleries.
But it’s
Downtown Miami, on the other side of the bay, which holds the true cocktail of experiences that the city is famous for.
Bayside Marketplace, just like the name says, is an open-air market with hundreds of stores and an irresistible view over the marina. Probably Miami’s most visited attraction, situated in its financial and residential heart. If you get caught in the spell of the bay’s beauty, there’s more good news: you can take the boat tour!
North to Downtown, we reach the
Design District. An area of ruined warehouses and abandoned buildings just two decades ago, it became a spot for collectors of art, antiquities and innovative design. Every month occurs a "Art & Design Night" gathering the creative community. The hip environment reaches all the way into the artsy galleries of
Wynwood neighbourhood.
Before you leave, don’t forget to dive in the oldest district of Miami.
Coconut Grove (or simply “The Grove”) is inhabited since the beginning of the 19th Century and preserves the vitality of a bohemian village, with ancient hotels, gardens, eccentric artists and a thriving university life. Many famous names lived here, from Madonna to Tennessee Williams. And it’s where
CocoWalk awaits for you with a multicultural market and street performances.
Every shopping area of Miami comes a vast offer in bars and restaurants. All of these elements feed on one another and life doesn’t slow up at night — on the contrary. The rhythm of each commercial house will seduce who ever is passing on the streets. From the after-hour parties by the water in Downtown Miami, to the glamour of South Beach and the salsa clubs of Little Havana.
And the flavours! Several companies organize
culinary tours through Miami’s neighbourhoods, for this is a truly international city. There’s
haute cuisine in Downtown and Miami Beach, the laid-back esplanades in Coconut Grove and the creativity of the new chefs in Wynwood.
If you can’t do it all, try at least some of the typical treats. Start with
chicharrón, strips of fried pork belly, as an appetizer. Then search for a good
frita, which is a kind of Cuban hamburger filled with onion and French fried bits. President Obama loves it so much he is frequently photographed taking a bite.
Finally, try one of the many variations of the Peruvian-inspired
ceviche. It has become a trend in the fusion cuisine of Miami in the past few years.