Miami might be famous for beaches and all the pretty people posing, but it is also renowned for another treat – Art Deco architecture.
The main hub of this can be found on Ocean Drive that runs parallel to Miami Beach and will have you humming ‘that’ song for days to come . .
I am a bit of an architecture fan so naturally I have to do a post dedicated to this stunning slice of slightly surreal real estate.
Below are the streamline shapes of The Breakwater built in 1939 and The Imperial built in 1939.
Wikipedia says this about the gorgeous sleek buildings: “The designs are often described as evoking technological modernity, resilience, and optimism.
“The Miami Beach Art Deco Museum describes the Miami building boom as coming mostly during the second phase of the architectural movement known as Streamline Moderne, a style that was “buttressed by the belief that times would get better, and was infused with the optimistic futurism extolled at American’s World Fairs of the 1930s.”
Below you can see just a few of the pastel delights including The Leslie built in 1937 and The Netherlands Hotel built in 1935.
I am very taken with the lemon stripes of The Leslie and the teal and orange geometric shades of the McAlpin built in 1940.
It’s not all serene and sedate though, as night falls the neon flickers into life all along Ocean Drive!
And the clubs start to gear up for all the party people to see, be seen and gyrate the night away.
This post is completely dedicated to one of my favourite things in Miami – the Metro Mover! It is a MONORAIL!!
This fantastical sky high public transport is totally free and is a great way to explore some of Miami.
Just a 15 minute walk from our apartment in Little Havana, it is an easy (and very fun) way to explore some of the Downtown area of Miami.
The Metromover services 21 stations from the Financial District Station in Brickell to the School Board Station in the Omni area and is made up of three looped circuits.
It runs from 5 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, perfect for the vibrant city of Miami and all those late night party people!
Despite looking futuristic, this sky high people mover has been around for decades. The inner loop opened in 1986 and in 1994 the outer loops came online.
I could have spent hours just riding around on the monorail, enjoying some bird’s eye views of Miami!
We’re in the final stage of our Florida road trip now and have set ourselves up in a gorgeous little apartment in the Little Havana neighbourhood of Miami!
Everything is bigger, brasher and more colourful here, whether it’s the resident reptiles or the incredibly large bottles of wine!
I’m not wasting any time as I have been itching to get snapping in Little Havana with its chaotic blend of heat, colour, music and food.
Finally get another iconic automobile to take a pic of too!
Everywhere you look there’s vibrant colour, testament to this little slice of Cuba imported to the USA.
Little Havana emerged in the 1960s as the concentration of Cubans in the area grew sharply as people fled the Castro regime. By 1970, it was more than 85% Cuban; as Cubans settled permanently in Miami rather than return.
Colourful tiles show classic symbols of Cuban heritage – cigars, musical instruments and tropical fruit. Even McDonalds gets in on the Cuban vibe!
Just one of the famous Little Havana exports is Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, proudly rendered large on a wall.
Below is another Cuban legend – beloved singer Celia Cruz.
Little Havana is centered around Calle Ocho (Southwest Eighth Street).
It’s a colourful and vibrant road lined with Latin-inspired restaurants, bakeries, fruit stands, cigar shops, rum bars, art galleries and music venues.
Below is Máximo Gómez Park (better known as Domino Park), where locals gather to talk politics over protracted games of dominoes.
Azucar Ice Cream Company, Calle Ocho’s resident Cuban artisanal ice cream parlor is impossible to miss with its enormous ice cream cone. The store is named for Celia Cruz’s signature “Azucar!” exclamation,
You can also see rather a lot of large birds! First created as part of the Rooster Walk in 2002 the Calle Ocho Roosters play homage to the large number of chickens that run around on the streets!
Get a solid taste of Little Havana’s nightlife at Ball & Chain, a restored jazz era nightclub where luminaries like Billie Holiday and Count Basie performed during the 1950s.
Below is the iconic Calle 8 street sign, which it is law to pose next to….
I am racing against the setting sun to get my picture in front of the most famous Little Havana landmark – which is right at the other end of the Calle Ocho.
Then there’s loads more colourful murals depicting more colourful Cuban culture.
Then night falls, the neon starts flickering into life and Little Havana really starts to wake up with the pulsating Latin beats spilling out of every bar and into the street.
It’s a curious mix of frontier town, gaudy fantasy and an exiled community still clinging to its culture and history.
This neon clad bar reminds me a little bit of the Titty Twister from Dusk till Dawn!
Little Havana is a tiny slice of Cuban vibrancy still holding onto its unique culture and history, by a thread. The original Cubans are moving on, leaving other groups to take their place.
Tourism has threaten to turn it into a colourful shadow of its former self but it still enchants when the lure of the music, and the scent of the many cafes and restaurants wafts out on the warm dusk air.
Come with us as we explore the Florida Keys a little more. First some more obligatory shots of the impressive Overseas Highway.
This humungous expanse of over water road is a 113-mile highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West at the very end of the Keys.
Large parts of the highway were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad.
Completed in 1912, the railroad was badly damaged and partially destroyed in the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.
The Florida East Coast Railway was unable to rebuild the destroyed sections due to the costs, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the state of Florida for $640,000.
Then we’re heading to the quiet little Anne’s Beach for some morning sea air.
This sandy (and free!) beach features a 1,300-foot boardwalk amongst the mangroves. Plus there are pavilions with tables offering a perfect viewing spot.
Anne’s Beach can be found at Lower Matecumbe Key, Florida and is dedicated to local environmentalist Anne Eaton
The beach re-opened in 2019 after it was devastated by the highly destructive Hurricane Irma.
Then we’re heading to the ramshackle delight that is Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada.
This curious roadside attraction is a mish mash of water sports, kayak and boat rentals, tourist souvenirs in the open air market and local food.
I am delighted to find lots of the Key’s most recognisable icons here, the Pelican!
So here’s a load of them for your enjoyment!!
They are quite ferocious, very good at sneaking fish out of buckets and did make a lot of visitors squeak and fall over in their haste to get away.
Another more elusive resident is the manatee and we spot several of the potato shaped critters!
One of the main tourist attractions here is to feed (or watch in amusement as other people) feed the huge tarpon fish!
These huge dogs of the sea really are incredibly large as the video below shows!
There is a wealth of aquatic wildlife to marvel at (and be wary of) including this orange nurse shark who is nosing around after the scraps!
Below I am keeping my wary distance from the flappy predator!!
A few more cheesy snaps then we’re off!
We’r off to see the second most photographed sight in the Florida Keys next – but first a quick pitstop and bite to eat at another little roadside pull in.
Bahia Honda State Park can be found at mile marker 37 on the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys and features sandy shores, clear water and an iconic broken bridge.
As we’re running out of light we first scramble up to the bridge to get an optimal view of the beaches and surrounding waters.
You can also see the scale of the impressive engineering feat that is the Overseas Highway from here.
Here’s another view of the highway from the top of the old Bahia Honda railway bridge.
The park has three main beaches; Sandspur, Loggerhead, and Calusa Beach – all with soft sand lapped by crystal clear waters.
Above is the picturesque Sandspur beach with gorgeous squeaky white sands.
Henry Flagler’s attempts to build a railroad to Key West in the early 1900s made the previously remote island of Bahia Honda Key into a sought after destination.
The Bahia Honda railroad bridge was originally built by Flagler as part of the FEC’s Overseas Railroad.
It was opened in 1912 and Flagler funded the railway construction between Miami and Key West using his own personal funds.
Sadly the 1935 The Labor Day Hurricane destroyed much of the line.
A replacement Bahia Honda Bridge was opened in 1972 and two spans of the old bridge were removed for the safety of boat traffic and to prevent pedestrian access to unsafe parts of the bridge, leaving the striking sight that you can now see.
Soaking up the last rays of the sunshine on Calusa beach before we head back along the highway.
The sun is setting casting its golden glow across the cooling sands – the perfect time for me to decide to take a dip!
You get the most striking views of the old bridge from Calusa beach, and it makes an impressive sight as the sun sets behind it.
Another perfect day from our last minute fly drive around Florida!
