Miami: A Mid-Week Wander

Palm trees beckon you to South Beach

When I was but a wee girl of two, my family went on a legendary trip to Miami, Florida.  It didn’t turn out as we’d hoped — something about an argument, a coconut and a plate glass window comes to mind — and I sadly haven’t set the whole experience right by going back since.

But since our beloved friends Nathalie and Mike went mid-week in May and had a wonderful time, I’m finally ready to make the journey from L.A. to this other land of sunshine and gentle debauchery.

Nathalie is an extremely talented Los Angeles artist with a droll sense of humor who loves hotel spas, organic food and a good cocktail.  Born Canadian, she finds traveling in America endlessly entertaining; she has what she calls a heightened fromage meter.  Mike, her husband, is that rare bird, the hilarious producer, and often has to travel for work on short notice to some very cool locations…like, say, Miami.

Whenever possible, Nathalie will travel with Mike on these business trips; while he’s on a set somewhere, she’ll do some exploring on her own, and then they’ll have their evenings together.  They found Miami a great city for couples.

Because Nathalie had never been to Miami before, she rented a car with a GPS — and felt it was a great move.  Despite some really slow drivers, driving was a joy, especially when crossing the MacArthur Causeway towards Miami Beach; she was so distracted by the bluer-than-blue ocean and amazing mansions on the shore, she almost drove the car into the water.   Parking is less potentially dangerous, with plenty of super cheap parking structures everywhere.

Art Deco on Ocean Drive

A dedicated fan of design, her first big tourist adventure was the Miami Design Preservation League Audio Tour of the Art Deco district in South Beach at the Art Deco Welcome Center. You’re given a map and an iPod (bring your own headphones or risk looking like a moron with the big museum-style ones they give you), and audio-guided through the architecture of Depression-era Miami.  The tour costs $15 per person, but she suggests saving money and boosting the romance by sharing an iPod and snuggling up close as you zigzag through the roughly 8 x 3-block itinerary along Ocean, Collins, and Washington.

Along the tour, you should feel free to stop at any of the famous bars on Ocean for a mojito and some much needed shade…and to laugh long and hard when you get the bill.

Walkway at 15th & Ocean Drive

She says that in general, South Beach, or as it’s known to locals, Sobe, was a lot of fun, although a massive tourist trap where everything seems incredibly expensive.  The beach is perfect, with sparkling, calm, blue water, and there’s a lot of good shopping on Collins.  You’ll also find a mix of cheesy and high-end, excellent restaurants, clubs and trendy hotel bars that host regular parties.

If a hotel pool party is up your alley and you’re in town longer than a standard weekend, try the palm frond-y, waterfall scene at The Raleigh on Collins, one of the most romantic spots in Miami; Sunday night’s parties are the most elegant.  Tuesdays are best at Hotel Astor on Washington, and Thursdays the scene travels to the pool at Hotel Victor for a live DJ and dancing.  You could hardly do better, though, than to visit (or stay at) La Oprah’s favorite hotel in Miami, the glamorous Delano, any night of the week.

Every single guide and article on Miami suggests Joe’s Stone Crab, so while in Sobe, Mike and Nathalie felt they had to try it.   There are no reservations for this incredibly popular place — you just go in, put your name on the list, then go get a drink at one of the many bars close by and come back an hour later.  Hopefully you’re liquored up enough to not mind so much when you spend an arm and a leg and receive awful service.  Thankfully, at least, they have very good Dungeness crab and key lime pie.

Villa Vizcaya from the jetty

Villa Vizcaya is a gorgeous turn of the century villa built by one of Miami’s founding fathers, James Deering, between 1914 and 1916.  Here you’ll find breathtaking views of the ocean, beautiful fairy tale gardens with statuary, and plenty of places to sit, contemplate and whisper to each other.  Take a camera and have fun embarrassing yourselves by taking glamour shots of each other — this place is the perfect backdrop.   Be sure to check out the cute little coffee shop by the garden entrance.

Stairway at Vizcaya

Outside, the Villa has a gazebo/teahouse right on the water and an interesting “stone barge,” reminiscent of those often seen in Venice.  The inside of the villa is beautiful and filled to the brim with antiques much older than the house.  The stale smell of these old things permeates the swamp hot air, heightening the creepy sense of being in a vaguely haunted house.

Coconut Grove, a small but famous neighborhood  on Biscayne Bay is known to locals as the real Miami, though Nathalie found it a little odd and pretty dead on weekdays.  It used to be pretty hippie and artsy, then died, underwent a revival and is now way more commercial.   You can easily walk the whole thing in a morning or afternoon.

In the Grove you can also visit The Barnacle Historic State Park for a visit to what Miami used to feel like in its 1920s heyday; this park features the former home of Miami founding father Commodore Ralph Munroe, who lent his title to Coconut Grove’s Commodore Plaza.  For a more jungly experience, you can learn all about the exotic fruits of the world at The Kampong, a lush tropical garden full of flowering trees and…fruit.

Coconut Grove’s first black settlement (in the 1880s) was established by Bahamian craftsmen and sailors and their families; there’s a whole slew of historic mansions on Charles Avenue that aren’t too well preserved, but interesting to see from the car.  She says she was going to walk through alone and then stopped; there wasn’t a soul on the street, so it felt strange.  Hopefully with your partner, you’d feel more secure.

She advises to (for the love of God) avoid the aberration known as CocoWalk located at Virginia and Grand Avenue.  This outdoor mall looks like it’s dying a slow death.  It sports a Cheesecake Factory, a Fat Tuesday, and a selection of America’s most oft-repeated stores.  The adjoining Mayfair Gardens is just as dead and depressed.  Of course, if you need to buy stuff you forgot at home or would like to wash your platter of nachos or cheesecake down with a Pina Colada rum slushie, here you can go to town.

Nathalie suggests sticking to the more unique shops, galleries and restaurants in the area, roughly where McFarlane, Grand Avenue and Main Highway meet. In that triangle, Commodore Plaza and Fuller Street are of note.  Green Street Cafe, at the corner of Commodore Plaza and Main Highway, is a good spot for casual dining or drinks day or night (especially the salads, burgers, eggs, and pancakes); sit outside under the awning and shade trees.

View of the bay from the Sonesta Hotel

Nathalie and Mike stayed in Coconut Grove, at the Sonesta Hotel at McFarlane and South Bayshore Drive.  This was the view from their room.

Here you’ll find a new outpost of the world famous Nikki Beach, a nice outdoor-terrace restaurant until 11pm and then a crazy swingin’ club ’til the wee hours.  A South Beach- type party in the quiet community of Coconut Grove seems a little weird, but it’s very popular and gets packed and loud.

Nathalie and Mike were less than thrilled with the truly awesome level of noise.  They thought the bay views and the outdoor saltwater pool on the 8th floor were amazing, but warn that unless you like lying awake all night listening to someone’s else’s party, you should ask for a room above the 14th floor.

If you’re seeking a quieter time and a perfect afternoon break, try the unassuming Panorama restaurant on the 8th floor of The Sonesta.  Enjoy fusion South American tapas on the outdoor patio, where the view is simply spectacular.

In hindsight, both of them would have preferred the potentially more relaxing Ritz Carlton down the street. Such a residential neighborhood struck them as a strange location for a high-end hotel, but it’s much quieter, within walking distance to the attractions mentioned above…and who are we to scoff at soaring thread count and posh surroundings while lounging near the beach?