For many years we spent vacations in southern Florida, visiting parents and finding places to take our children on cloudy days when the beach or pool was off limits. As a family, we started to visit this area when I was in 3rd grade and watched the area grow, wetlands filled in, and towns turned into cities. I was there when South Beach was the place where Miami Beach began and ended, and then when it fell on hard times. Now it is back and the place to be seen. Over the years I have seen Disney arrive in Florida, have seen illegals land on the docks on my parents' little island, and noted the diversity in the population of Florida as compared to when we first arrived years ago. All of this has made southern Florida a vacation destination for Americans, Canadians, South Americans, and Europeans. Shopping, sports, sight seeing and just plain relaxing makes this a good spot to park your luggage for. It offers a varied vacation either for a couple or family.
First, lets look at what South Florida, and the Miami area is like demographically. South Beach is the Art Deco architecture Mecca of the area, although the older residential areas are worth a ride through for more architectural gems. What is eye ball popping, is the mix of pastel colors used in this style as contrasted to the blue of the water which is everywhere, whether it's an inland waterway, the bay or the ocean. Farther south the keys are an escape that you will want to make. Starting at Key Biscayne all the way to Key West, each little town or resort is worth a look. If you like scuba diving, Key Largo and the coral reefs await. If you like to para-sail the keys are your place and if you like deep sea fishing, a day on a party boat is well worth the cost. Your first catch of the day is a memory that will last for a long time. The road down to Key West, and there's only one two lane road over the keys, is dotted with seafood restaurants, some big and showy and others small, on the water and many are just wonderful.
Let's get back to Miami, our port of call. There are over 2 million people in Miami, so you're on your way to a major city. It is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the National Everglades Park. This is truly an international city. It is a melting pot of European, Caribbean, Central and South American cultures, were the majority of residents speak Spanish. When my dad spent his winters there, he got bored and went back into the real estate business. In his 60's he went to school to learn Spanish so that he could work well with clients and show them the respect he felt they deserved. The Cuban community in Miami numbers at about 700,000 and they have brought with them some of the best food and strong coffee you will ever ingest. Little Havana is a good place to visit. Ask your concierge for the name of his favorite small restaurant. Let us add, that if coffee and ethnic foods are not to your liking, you can purchase authentic cigars in Little Havana that you don't have to hide from customs.
Across the Intercoastal Waterway from Miami, on a barrier island, is Miami Beach. When we first arrived in Miami Beach when I was a child everything ended at the Fontainbleau Hotel. We went in the afternoon to others like the Eden Roc for ice cream sodas around the pool, but there was nothing much past the Fontainbleau. Now, the hotels and apartments just keep going up the coast with great shopping like in Bal Harbor Shopping Center where the two large stores are Saks Fifth Ave. and Neiman Marcus. South Beach is at the tip of Miami Beach and the main drag here is Ocean Drive. This is the most photographed street in the area. Although only 100,000 people live in Miami Beach, on certain weekends there can be 1 million people tanning and playing on the island. During the day cafes are full and fashion shoots seem to be every where thanks to the back drops of pastel and vibrant-colored buildings. At night, South Beach comes alive. European and South American in taste, people eat late and then party. For years we made our way to the end of Miami Beach for stone crabs at Joe's. This is an institution, but the stone crabs, Manhattan clam chowder, and key lime pie keep the wait long. People wait both inside and out for a table. SoBe, the nickname for the area has dozens of small nightclubs where you can dance the night away.
If you don't want to stay in South Beach, there are many other hotels father up Collins Ave., the main street in Miami Beach. If you like golf, there is always the Doral as in the Doral Open, and the Fontainbleau, but there is at least one of every big hotel chain. I can even remember when there was a Playboy Club along the Avenue. The beaches in Miami Beach are worth a walk and are free. The sand is soft, white and beaches tend to be wide so get a good package deal and just enjoy. One word of warning here. Christmas is a big vacation time for families in places like Miami Beach, so if you don't like to share your romantic pool side romance with teens and toddlers, select the weeks before or after school vacations. We once left our toddler son in Miami Beach with my parents and went for a romantic week in the Bahamas and found the same problem there, so we came back and found lots of fun things to do with grandparents and our son. For those of you with children, this is a great place. More later.
To Miami's north is the once famous for Spring Break, Fort Lauderdale. I can still remember when there was nothing there, but then that was when Arthur Godfrey broadcasted live from Miami Beach every morning. What Fort Lauderdale does have is lots of waterways and the yachts that go with them and the mansions along the way. At Christmas you can see the annual Parade of Lights where yachts are adorned with white lights and travel the Intercoastal Waterway. Fort Lauderdale has spread to the west from the beach and has lots of shopping. The inland roads from Miami Beach north have discount stores and some of the best Italian markets you'll ever find. Even my husband would leave my parents' home to eat real Italian ices while I waited in line to buy fresh pasta, sauces, cookies, cakes and breads.
Where else can you shop till you drop? Coral Gables is lovely with elegant stores and great restaurants. My cousins lived there and we loved to visit, picking avocados and citrus in their back yard. What a joy for children from the frigid North. We love Key Biscayne. Don't let the fact that one of our Presidents vacationed there turn you off. This narrow key just over a causeway from Miami is beautiful and quiet. Long walks, good food, water sports, tennis, etc. abound, but mostly the sun rise and sun sets are overwhelmingly memorable.
What's to do if you get tired of golf, tennis, swimming, boating, water skiing and just reading on the beach? On a day when you want to take ride, go to the Everglades National Park. It is a half million acres and a refuge for all kinds of water and wildlife. Rent a canoe and see gentle manatees, not too friendly alligators, fantastic birds you see only in books when you don't live in Florida, orchids and plants and others animals you won't soon forget. But don't stop there. Go to the Miami Art Museum where if you like modern art, you will be a happy camper. Want to see trained dolphins? Go to the Seaquarium where you can take children to the park next door and then inside for a close look at large and small sea life and those wonderful shows where you can get very wet if you sit too close to the water. Want more animals or exhibits? Go to the Metrozoo or the Museum of Science. They are good days out. Over the years that my parents kept a home in this part of Florida, we spent many cloudy, cool days at places like Parrot Jungle and Monkey Jungle. The stories my dad would tell made us laugh for years. You can imagine as the monkeys run free with wire mesh over the people pathways. Don't miss Villa Vizcaya, Venetian Pools and the Spanish Monastery. They are all worth a visit if you are in the area for a while.
Restaurants in the Miami area range from Wolfie's, an old fashioned deli which came with New Yorkers who were one of the "immigrant" waves to the area. There used to be many more of these places, but as other people came south, restaurants changed. I can remember eating at The Forge which is still there and still an expensive excellent meal. Famous restaurants from northern cities opened Miami Beach branches. I can remember Tiberio's, a Washington, DC favorite coming to Bal Harbour. Norman van Aken of Norman's restaurant of Coral Gabels, received the prestigious James Beard Award as the Best American Chef in the Southeast in 1997. Allen Susser of Chef Allen's won the award in 1994. Miami is no longer a place to learn to be a great chef, rather it is a destination. This is an area of fresh food, tropical ingredients and seafood. There are Caribbean and Asian influences in the food as well as classic European restaurants. If you want to describe the local cuisine you need to look at old Florida, California nouvelle as well as the Cuban influence. The idea is to use locally available tropical ingredients such as mango, papaya, avocado, jicama, coconut, snapper, lobster and stone crab. This is the land of jicama slaw and mango-infused oils as well as jerk fish. And if you need it there are still great bagels and smoked fish, chicken soup and breads and cookies to "nosh".
Miami Beach and South Florida have something for everyone. Talk to your travel agent, get on the Internet, or just ask friends. For sure there are still restaurants that offer Early Bird Specials for those who want to eat at 5 pm, most often the retired, but there is much more to the region. I hope I wetted your appetite for a vacation, whether you stay in Coral Gables, Coconut Grove or want the hustle of South Beach or Collins Ave. This is a city with foreign flavors of its inhabitants and guests, but it is here in the US. Give it a try.
