Location:

Miami Beach, USA
See pictures here
Date: March, 2004
Housing: My friend Dave put me up in Maimi Beach. Thanks Dave!
Housing Info: If you are looking for a cheap place, I found that the Clay Hotel is in a great location right on Washington Ave in the middle of it all, and has a hostel.
Summary: There's Miami, and then there's Miami Beach, the town. Skip Miami, and head straight to Miami Beach.
Perfect weather, fashion model capitol of the US, and clothing-optional South Beach to show it all off. You'll take the C or K MDT bus from downtown over the bridge to Maimi Beach. Once there, get off anywhere on Washinton Ave. It's a small town, and easily walkable.

I had Miami pegged as a fast-paced flashy city you can get overwhelmed by. Well, Miami seemed pretty subdued and business-minded, and Miami Beach was beautiful, and home to the wealthy, but far from fast-paced or flashy. Come here expecting to wear sandals, and enjoy the eye-candy. Though everyone is bound to be more beautiful than you, you'll fit in anywhere wearing beach clothes or your best whites. There's not much in the way of museums, but the architectural style of the town is Art Deco, and there's an Art Deco Museum on Ocean Dr, by the beach.

If you're going out, Miami's night scene is tres chique, but you still don't have to ditch the sandals. Walk the Lincoln St pedestian mall for a taste of the fine restaurants, and designer shops, but be prepaired to shell out big bucks to eat out. Instead, drop into any of the food markets along Washington Ave and make a picknic of it. If you'd rather eat at a table, there are picknic tables on the South end of South Beach. If you're there at dusk, take in the views of the sunset, and model shoots on the beach.
Tourist Areas to See: South Beach, Ocean Dr, Collins Ave, Washington Ave, Lincoln St, Star Island
Tourist Areas to Avoid: Maimi City
Surprises: Delano Hotel
Food: Restaurant tipping is always 15%-20%. The restaurants are dense on Lincoln St, and Ocean Dr, but there are some cute short streets packed with restaurants and cafes. 7th and 11th are some of these. With such a dense Cuban population, the specialty cuisine to try would be Cuban with its heavy meat and beans reciepies. My breakfast spot became the 11th St Diner - more expensive than a diner should be, but perfect location, and outdoor seating. Pizza Rustica serves up a great cold slice with fresh uncooked basil, mozerella, and tomaot slices.
Getting Around: Once you're in Maimi Beach, you can walk everywhere. Many people rent cars or at least scooters, but unless you're leaving the island that Maimi Beach is on, you may as well walk. If you must try something new, rent a Segway for about $100/four hours! Where else will you find Segway rentals?!
Locals: Forget about locals. Everyone in Maimi Beach is a tourist!
Climate: How do you like 80 degrees and sunny year round? Well, in the winter it dips down to 75, and the nights can call for pants instead of shorts, but hey, it's tropical!
My Experience:
I was only here for a few days, but it was all I needed. After realizing that Miami Beach is what everyone refers to when they talk about Miami, I set about getting over the 3 mile long bridge to Miami Beach. The Greyhound shack (no really! see pics) was in a lousy neighborhood, and only after walking a bit, and talking to some people on the street, did I realize where I needed to go. But no one knew how to get there.

When someone told me part of the routine, I still had 3 busses scream by me while I waited at the bus stop they were supposed to stop at. So I resolved to find the begining of the line, and start from scratch. That's when I found the elivated Metromover. What a deal - a free (in the winter only) un-manned train service with 3 lines that zooms around the city 40 feet in the air.

That took me downtown to the main bus stop for most bus lines at the Government Center Station. Finally I was on my way. The last public transportation hickup happened because I had no idea how tiny Miami Beach was. Before I knew it I was way past Lincoln St and up in the high rise retirement neighborhoods.

Once back in town I walked around and explored the streets for an hour (yes that's all it takes) and decided to hit the Beach. Imagine my initial surprise when I walked through not 1, but 3 model shoots. Creeped out by the sudden reality that Sports Illustrated fans are quite familiar with, I split and wandered over to the volleyball courts. Sure enough there was no escaping it. As soon, as I sat down some guys and girls met up near me and started complaining that "the models" had taken over the courts that day, and how "bad they sucked". Gimme a break!

By then Dave was in the area, and we met up. The rest of my time was spent taking in the sights and sounds of the town during the day, and hanging out with Dave and his roommate Kieth. My morning breakfast place became the 11th St Diner, and from there, it was all about getting used to the sun, and relaxing on the beach.