For many years now, I have been meaning to make a video about Miami Beach. The problem is that since Miami Beach is practically in my backyard, it is one of those places that I don’t think of visiting all that much anymore. Anyways, taking advantage of some great December weather and the fact I had a couple of days off, I decided to pay a visit to my old playground: South Beach.
We begin our South Beach walking tour at its southernmost point: South Pointe Park. From here we enjoy great views of Fisher Island, Downtown Miami and the Port of Miami to the west. To the north we can see commanding views of South Beach in all its glory, especially from its newly reopened fishing pier.
From here we walk north, first on the Beach Walk trail and then on Ocean Drive towards the most iconic area, the strip with all the historic Art Deco hotels, bars and restaurants. The main drag is about a mile long, from 5th to 15th street, and it is, as I say in the video a one mile long tourist trap, although it is nice to see. From here we go into a different area, a couple of blocks to the west, called Española Way. This is a narrow pedestrian street with a bunch of restaurants. To be honest I am a little disappointed that it is perhaps a little run down and under construction, and that our favorite restaurant of yesteryears is closed at the moment.
The main crossroad is Washington Avenue, and the main landmark at the corner of Española is the Cameo Theater. The Cameo is another iconic art deco structure, which was converted into a night club many years ago.
A couple of blocks north, between 16th and 17th streets we encounter the Lincoln Road Mall. This is one of the first pedestrian streets in the United States, dating back to the 1950s. Here we also have a plethora of restaurants, shops, boutiques, art galleries and even an historic church.
After walking around Lincoln Road for a couple of blocks we decide to get away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy area and continue about a quarter mile further north to visit the Holocaust Memorial.
From here we slowly return back south, to where our four-dollars-per-hour parallel parking spot is located, but before we go back to the mainland, we decide to hang out at South Pointe Park to see the cruise ships leave port.
What follows is a map of our trajectory north along the streets of south beach.
See you on the road!
The post Miami Beach walking tour through the Art Deco District appeared first on Traveling Robert.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download