Miami, Fla. By Tom Stanley
Departing from the proper, history-rich towns of Charleston and Savannah, Miami will no doubt come as somewhat of a culture shock for us. This is a busy city with a bustling nightlife scene and a sexy Latin flair - finally, an opportunity to put all those years of high school Spanish to use.
Miami is the biggest city this far south in Florida, a big center of commerce and what not, which we're not exactly interested in. The culture, however, carries a heavy Cuban influence, which I can only assume has led to some delicious cuisine emanating from these parts. And let's not forget the weather. I only hope it's not too hot for comfort when we arrive on July 1.
Literally, Will Smith wrote a whole song about this city. And he's from Philly. If it can make Big Willie jump ship on us, it's got to have something going on. All night, on the beach, till the break of dawn.
Sadly, his song didn't go into very great detail about specifics, so we had to do that part on our own. Our biggest concern while we're here in town will be money; this is so popular a summer destination that everything in town will have its price hiked up for tourist season.
What's in store for three budget-minded travelers with only one day in town? A few things - here's what we're mulling over.
-Bayfront Park (at left)
-Bongos Cuban Cafe
-Museum of Contemporary Art - North Miami
-Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
-Little Havana
-Gusman Center for the Performing Arts
-Ocean Drive (at right)
-Gold Coast Railroad Museum
-Cuban Museum
-Museum of Latin American Art
-Venetian Pool
-Churchill's Pub
Photos courtesy of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau; photo courtesy of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau; photo courtesy of BayfrontParkMiami.com; photo courtesy of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
