Admit it: Even if you’ve never been close to Miami you already think you know what it’s all about. The cliches (beach bums, scantily clad sunbathers, more Spanish than English spoken) may have some grain of truth, but these are only small pieces of a bigger picture.
The beauty of Miami is in its diversity, and there is no doubt you will have the opportunity to experience it in every corner of the city. This does not only include the obvious mixture of people, but the different neighborhoods, food, and for better or worse, weather. As a relatively new city, Miami also has an unusual excess of historic sites, which appear in unexpected places. This seems to come as a surprise to many visitors who come for the beach and leave with a history lesson of Art Deco architecture and the historical development of South Beach.
The Latin flavor of the city is ubiquitous and provides a distinctive backdrop that is unmatched by any other city in the country. English is not the only local language so don’t be offended when people assume you know Spanish—it is inevitable. For those who have been to Chinatown in San Francisco or Little Italy in New York, Miami offers a similar micro-city in addition to the Latin flavor dispersed throughout: Little Havana. Making a trip to this neighborhood is a must for those who love Cuban food and are interested in the diaspora. Unfortunately, my grade school Spanish skills can’t do justice to all of the businesses in the city that operate in the language.
There are no all-inclusive labels to the city; one can’t say it’s pedestrian friendly or not, walkable or not, close-knit or not. Each neighborhood is a city in itself and these labels are redefined everywhere you go. Take South Beach, Miami Beach’s southern tip, for example: Walking anywhere in South Beach is very doable and most visitors simply take a taxi from the airport and spend their entire vacation on the beach and roaming on Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive. Take a ride over the bridge to Downtown Miami and you’ll see that the area caters less to walking, and outside of Miami Beach a car is almost required. Public transportation in Miami is available (that said straightforwardly for a reason). That doesn’t mean it’s always reliable and it is certainly not utilized as universally as New York City’s subway system. There are a few handy tools; the Metrorail, Tri-Rail and local shuttles are a few options, but access to a car is key for really getting around beyond the beach region.