Miami in 4 days | Travelogue | 26th Jan 2019

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

One just needs an excuse to travel. This time it was the weather. The weather had been very inconsistent in New York, with temperatures dropping suddenly to unexpected lows. During the good weather days I got the opportunity to cover some of the places on east coast - The Niagara falls (New York), Mount Washington (New Hampshire), Boston (Massachusetts), Rhode Island, Hampton beach (NH), Kent Falls (Connecticut), Long Island (NY), New York City, Atlantic City (NJ), Washington DC, Church Falls (Virginia). I was looking for some feasible, something that could be covered in short span of time. I had 4 days at my disposal, and i did a quick research. Frankly, it didn't take long to come to a conclusion of picking Miami - A city in US but with the perks of tropical climate.

I had to do few check before selecting the dates and proceeding with the bookings. 1. The weather, since the rains are very common and it changes abruptly. It may be sunny now, but after few minutes it could be raining. The type of clothing to carry too depends on this. 2. Flight bookings. The forecast wasn't so good throughout the 30 day span, but i decided to go ahead with 26th of Jan considering the decent flight prices.
The plan outlined was as follows: Day 1 - Miami Downtown, Day 2 - South Miami beach, Day 3- Key West, Day 4 - North/South Miami Beach.

Some initial bookings had to be done.

1) Flight round-trip bookings New York - Miami
2) Hotel for 3 nights
3) Key west day tour (Excursions USA)
4) Hop on hop off bus (Big Bus)
5) Cruises
6) Events on Eventbrite.

Things to be packed (Travel light list):

1) Light jacket for the cold.
2) Clothing for the Beach, Parties, and Casual occasions.
3) Sunscreen
4) Shoes, Flip flops
5) Sunglasses
6) Umbrella/Coat

LaGuardia Airport

The flight was supposed to depart from the LaGuardia airport on 25th Jan '19 (Friday) night and Arrive at Miami International airport early morning next day (3 hours). The flight was delayed by 2 hours due to the delays caused at airports by the government shutdown. I finally made it early morning to the Miami International Airport(MIA). I decided to take an Uber to my hotel and check-in first. The public transport buses/train start at around 6 AM in the morning. To get to the transport hub (Miami Airport Station) one needs to take a MIA Mover from the airport. MIA Mover is a 1 or 2 coach automated transport system that runs over the roads. There is a similar Metro Mover system for commuting to downtown and Brickell. To commute between Downtown and the beach you can use the Uber, Metrobus or the Hop on Hop off bus. Sadly there is no Metro Rail or Metro Mover connecting the two.

Types of transport systems available in Miami:

1) MIA Mover (MIA): Free Tram transport connecting Airport to the Transport hub (Airport station)
2) MetroMover: Free Tram transport to access the city of Miami (Downtown, Brickell)
3) MetroRail (RAIL): Rail/Metro system to access the city of Miami (Wider network)
4) Metrobus: Bus to access the entire map of Miami.
5) TriRail: Long distance Rail in Florida.
6) Uber: For everything.
7) Hop on Hop off bus: Most convenient for covering tourist spots.
8) Trolleys: Free and convenient way to commute along the Miami beach.

MIA Mover

Metro Mover

MetroRail

Hop On Hop Off Bus

Trolley

Day 1)
It was cloudy and it had started to drizzle already in the morning. The plan was to cover the downtown so I quickly got to the starting point of the Hop on hop off bus (Big Bus City Loop) - The Bayside Marketplace. I was looking around for good breakfast and finally found Pollo Empanadas to fuel myself. The tour started at 9:30 AM. We passed by the Freedom tower and the famous Miami Police Department.

Freedom Tower Station

Miami Police Dept.

The first stop was Vizcaya Museums and Gardens, Which was formerly a private Villa of businessmen James Deering. Located in the coconut grove neighborhood, has a wonderful architecture, a garden and a shore. There is an entry fee to get in.
The Coconut grove neighborhood is very scenic due to the trees covering the roads and the beautiful villas.

Trolley in Coconut Grove

After the Coconut grove we arrived at the most awaited Little Havana Neighborhood.

Little Havana Mural

If i had few words to describe it - (So)Vibrant, (Very)Interesting, (Damn)Happening. This place is as Cuban as it can get. There are few spots of attraction here. First- the Domino Park, where you will find residents play Dominoes. Just 10 minutes looking at the game and I somewhat understood what they are trying to achieve.

Domino Park

Domino Park

Playing Domino

Calle Ocho

Domino Park

This area is also known as the Calle Ocho. And as you walk around you can enjoy the murals painted on the walls of the buildings. You can get inside one of the Cigar factories to see how the Cigars are manufactured.

Rooster

Art

Cigar Shop

Cigar Factory

If you are craving for an ice cream, you are lucky because this place has got one of the best ice cream factories. Just head to the Azucar Ice Cream Company and order a scoop of Abuela Maria.

Azucar Ice Cream Company

Signature Abuela Maria Flavor

A Car in Calle Ocho

Another Car

Next was the Coral gables neighborhood. There is nothing much to see here but I specially went to checkout the Venetian pool. It is closed in the winters but i got a glance of it. After having some tit bits at 77 Sport Bar i headed towards the Miracle mile for a walk. This street consists of many shops and high end restaurants.

Wall Art

Near Miracle mile

Miracle Mile

My next destination was Wynwood Art District. First thing, i entered into the Wynwood Wall exhibit where you can see the Graffiti and Street art by world famous artists. The entry is free and it has a lot of artwork for display. Some are really mesmerizing.

Wall Art

Wall Art

Wall Art

Painting

Wall Art

 It was time to head back to the hotel and then get ready to experience the nightlife in the locality.
Once back, I got some rest and headed to the ocean drive. This road, starting from the 5th street up to the 15th street, has its own charm at night and the neon lights on the hotels add to the uniqueness. We got beach on one side and the lively restaurants featuring various music and performances on the other. One thing this place reminds me of, is the Ocean beach featured in the game GTA Vice City which was released more than 10 years back. There is so much of resemblance.

Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive

A Still from GTA Vice City

Some of the places to checkout in that area are Mango tropical cafe, Cameo, Señor Frog's. The Española way street houses many Mexican and Italian restaurants you may want to check or you can just stroll along it.

Day 2)
The weather today was luckily good with temperatures hovering around 20 degree Celsius. It was sunny and best time to explore the beach. I decided to start from the southernmost point of the south beach. There is a free trolley service that runs along the beach side in both directions and is very convenient to get to any point within the Miami beach. The South Pointe park is the best place to grab a Citibike and explore the area around pier.

South Pointe Pier

South Pointe Park Pier

South Pointe Beach

I decided to walk along the beach towards the north. The blue waters are treat to the eyes. Paddle boards can be rented here if you wish to surf.

Guard Hut

TGIF

South Pointe Beach

I got myself some Lunch and next it was time to hop in into the bus that ran along the beach loop. Another advantage of this bus is that you get to hear the live commentary of the guide explaining the importance and history of each point you come across. I got in at the 9th street. We passed by the Art Deco district featuring a number of conserved architecture. These building cannot be altered externally by the owners in anyway as per government orders.

Art Deco Building

Art Deco Building

SoBe

Lincoln Road Farmers Market

Another Art Deco building

On our way, we also spotted some celebrity villas on the Star Island. After some time we were back in the Brickell area and back to the Wynwood art district.

Star Island

Star Island

Wall Art

Wall Art

Then the Freedom tower and The American Airlines Arena, which is the home of Miami Heat team (NBA)

Freedom Tower

American Airlines Arena

The beach loop bus got us back to the Beach. You can spot huge cruises on the way.

Cruise

Cruise

Ocean Drive

Red Devil

The night ended with some awesome Samba and Salsa performances at the Mango Tropical Cafe and later at Senior Frog's. 

Day 3) Monday

The bus for Key West day tour arrived on time at 7 AM in the morning for pickup. I booked this tour with the Excursions USA and they were pretty good. Key means a small island and Key West is one of the many such islands in the Florida Keys. To reach Key West one has to pass by 42 bridges over the islands and takes around 3 hours. Opt for the upper deck if you wish to get an unobstructed view.

Bridge

The key points on the island are accessible by foot, but if you don't wish to walk you can either take the conch train or the trolley. The conch train covers limited but all important points. The trolley on the other hand can help you get to anywhere on the island.

Concho Train

Starting from the Mallory square, you can checkout the port and the Sunset key right opposite to it. There is a market just next to it for buying Key West specialties. Once you exit the market you can see the Key West Aquarium and the Trolley station. If you wish to unwind a bit and satisfy your hunger at the same time, Sloppy Joe's is a nice place to do so.

Key West Memorial Sculptures

Sunset Key

Cruise at the dock

Trolleys

Performance at Sloppy Joe's

Rum Runner

The Ripley's believe it or not museum is just next to it. Another interesting point to check out is the 0 Mile marker which marks the end of US1 highway. Next checkpoint was Key West Lighthouse. To get in you need a ticket and general public is allowed to climb to the top of it.

0 Mile Marker

Lighthouse

The next checkpoint was the most important one -The Southernmost point of continental US. On busy days you will generally find a long queue for taking a picture with the buoy. Cuba is said to be just 90 miles apart from this point.

Southernmost Point

90 miles to Cuba

It was 5 PM already and we had to head back to Miami. After a 3 hour long journey and a good sleep in the bus we finally arrived. The day was very tiring and I called it a day. 

I had the next half day at my disposal before leaving the city and decided to check out the south beach again due to the wonderful weather. Big Pink's is a nice place to grab some breakfast. With couple of hours remaining I explored the Bayside Marketplace and then setoff to the Airport after having lunch at Tradewinds Bar and Grill.

Beach Patrol

Mid Beach

A Plane

MPD on the Beach

It was really sad to leave this place. The time passes by so quickly when you are having a good time and I wish I had few more days to spend here. Miami is one of the far best places I have been to and I would definitely visit it again.