Ken Ross
By Lesley Abravanel
Miami is a city where the paparazzi camp out for days hoping to catch a glimpse of something, or someone, fabulous; where former presidents pick at stone crabs while pop stars party until dawn; where Old Cuba meets the 21st century with a techno soundtrack; where you can do everything or nothing -- and that's just a small sampling of the surreal, Fellini-esque world that exists here.
Photo Caption: South Beach nightlife
The Florida A1A oceanfront route runs north up Miami Beach and embodies the essence of South Florida. The A1A is one of the most heavily trafficked roads in the state, and time-warped hotels steeped in Art Deco kitsch and multimillion-dollar modern high-rises dot its path. The A1A travels through Sunny Isles, Hollywood, and into Fort Lauderdale, starting at Ocean Drive and First Street in Miami and merging onto Collins Avenue before running north.
Photo Caption: The Fort Lauderdale "Strip"
Miami's got countless clubs and lounges where you can boogie down until the sun comes up. LIV, SET, and WALL, where the likes of Justin Timberlake, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Cruise, some random reality star, and Sting mix with a colorful crowd of local and international hipsters, are just a few of a long list of world-class hotspots that include FDR, Skybar, Mansion, Cameo, and more.
Photo Caption: South Beach nightlife, Young women walking
Unfettered by jet skis, cruise ships, and neon bikinis, the Everglades are Florida's outback, resplendent in their swampy nature. The Everglades are best explored either by slow-moving canoes, which really get you acquainted with your surroundings, or an airboat that can quickly navigate its way through the most stubborn of saw grass while providing you with an up-close and personal (as well as fun) view of the land's inhabitants, from alligators and manatees to raccoons and Florida panthers.
Photo Caption: Airboat through the Everglades
Some consider dining on the Miami River to be industrial chic; others consider it seedy in a Miami Vice sort of way. However you choose to look at it, by all means do look at it; the sleepy Miami River is nestled below the sweeping downtown Miami skyline, reminding you that even though you're in a major metropolis, things in this often-frenetic city are capable of slowing down to a more soothing pace.
Photo Caption: Sea bass at Garcia's Seafood Grille & Fish in Miami, Florida
Built in 1916, the Italian Renaissanceñstyle Vizcaya Museum on Biscayne Bay features 34 rooms of antiques, art, and tapestries; 10 acres (4 hectares) of Italian gardens, statues, and fountains; a new orchid display; and a picture-perfect view of the skyline and Key Biscayne.
Photo Caption: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Once a month, on or near the full moon (except during July and Aug), the Barnacle State Historic Site hosts a concert in the backyard of their charming 1908 Coconut Grove bungalow, built on 5 acres (2 hectares) of waterfront property. Listeners are welcome to picnic and bask in this sublime setting for a modest $10.
Photo Caption: Barnacle State Historic Site
The iconoclastic, gaudy Cuban diner Versailles in the heart of Miami's Little Havana is humming with the buzz of old-timers reminiscing about pre-Castro Cuba, local politicos trying to appease them, and a slew of detached people only there for the fantastically cheap and authentic Cuban fare. Much like its French namesake, whose image it mirrors, Miami's Versailles provides a palatial view of Miami's ever-changing Cuban landscape.
Photo Caption: Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho in Little Havana
Unless you're already on a boat, you can't get a better view of the monstrous cruise ships leaving the Port of Miami than from South Pointe Park, located at the southern tip of South Beach. If you stare long enough, you will feel like you're moving, which is almost as much fun as being on board.
Photo Caption: Cruise Ships leaving port from South Point Park
The quintessential South Beach experience, lunching at News Cafe is more of a spectator sport than a dining experience. Its Ocean Drive location is one of the best sidewalk spots from which to observe the wacky, colorful mix of pedestrians on parade.
Photo Caption: News Cafe
The most luxe and expensive hotel on South Beach may not be in everyone's budget, but the Friday night cocktail parties are -- and should not be missed.
Photo Caption: Setai Hotel
You haven't truly seen South Florida until you've checked out the view from the southern point of Key Biscayne. Whether it's the turquoise water or the sight of Stiltsville -- seven still-inhabited aquatic cabins dating back to the 1930s, perched smack in the middle of the Biscayne Channel -- it may take a little coercing to get you to leave.
Photo Caption: Bill Baggs Cape Florida beach, lighthouse
Learn to communicate with and touch, swim, or play with the mammals at the non profit Dolphin Research Center in Marathon Key, home to a school of approximately 15 dolphins.
Photo Caption: Dolphins showing off at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida.
The winter playground for the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous set, Palm Beach is lined with jaw-dropping palatial estates. Though many of them are hidden behind towering shrubbery, head south on South County Road, from Brazilian Avenue, where you will see some of the most opulent homes ever built.
Photo Caption: Architecture colonial style, Palm Beach
The waterway that connects the natural bays, lagoons, and rivers along Florida's East Coast snakes around from the Florida-Georgia border all the way to the Port of Miami. A ride through the Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal provides a sublime view of million-dollar waterfront houses.
Photo Caption: Water Taxi on Intracoastal
If the only salsa you're familiar with is the kind you eat with tortilla chips, get over to Bongo's, the hottest salsa club north of Havana, where you can learn from Miami's most talented salsa dancers.
Photo Caption: Bongo's Cuban Cafe
Miami is a city where the paparazzi camp out for days hoping to catch a glimpse of something, or someone, fabulous; where former presidents pick at stone crabs while pop stars party until dawn; where Old Cuba meets the 21st century with a techno soundtrack; where you can do everything or nothing -- and that's just a small sampling of the surreal, Fellini-esque world that exists here.
Photo Caption: South Beach nightlife
Photo Caption: The Fort Lauderdale "Strip"
Photo Caption: South Beach nightlife, Young women walking
Photo Caption: Airboat through the Everglades
Photo Caption: Sea bass at Garcia's Seafood Grille & Fish in Miami, Florida
Photo Caption: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Photo Caption: Barnacle State Historic Site
Photo Caption: Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho in Little Havana
Photo Caption: Cruise Ships leaving port from South Point Park
Photo Caption: News Cafe
Photo Caption: Setai Hotel
Photo Caption: Bill Baggs Cape Florida beach, lighthouse
Photo Caption: Dolphins showing off at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida.
Photo Caption: Architecture colonial style, Palm Beach
Photo Caption: Water Taxi on Intracoastal
Photo Caption: Bongo's Cuban Cafe