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Moon Metro Miami
1st Edition
ISBN 1-56691-751-4
$16.95
Purchase here through Amazon.com or visit Booksense.com to find your local independent bookseller.

Dubbed the gateway to Latin America, the “Magic City,” and one of the sexiest spots in the world, Miami is an internationally popular tropical playground. Visitors from colder climes around the globe revel in Miami’s prime oceanfront location, white-sand beaches, swaying coconut palms, and—hurricane season aside—idyllic weather. But these days Miami is much more than just a sunbather’s paradise. With a diverse population, historic architecture, outstanding museums, top restaurants, and a pulsing nightlife, Miami also qualifies as a first-rate metropolis.

Only a little more than 100 years ago, however, Miami was just a sleepy town forested with lush foliage, its unpaved streets lined with simple wooden structures and wagon roads cutting across its swampy terrain. A turning point came in early 1895, when Florida was visited by one of the most disastrous freezes in its history. The chill wiped out virtually all of the state’s citrus groves, but the paralyzing temperatures did not reach Miami. Local resident Julia Tuttle, who had been trying to persuade American financier Henry Flagler to extend the Florida East Coast Railway all the way to Miami (at the time the line stopped at the Palm Beaches), sent him—so the legend goes—a blossoming twig from an orange tree in her garden, along with a renewal of her offer to divide her land with him if he did extend the railway. The first train arrived in Miami in April 1896.

The arrival of the first wave of Cuban and Latin American immigrants in the 1960s was the city’s modern turning point. These new residents transformed Miami and made it their own—their cuisines and customs permeate the entire city and you’ll hear Spanish spoken in all its distinct and varied accents here. The rhythms and flavors of Little Havana, Miami’s primarily Cuban neighborhood, are among the city’s most appealing draws.

Miamians are quick to draw attention to the city’s weak points—hurricanes, corrupt politicians, high crime rates, public transportation—but they will also point out what an influential city Miami has become in just a few short years. Notorious in the 1980s for its violent crime and drug trade, the city has shrugged off its seedy reputation. Today, Miami is booming. Film and photo shoots, top sports events, major art shows, and high-profile entertainment are everyday occurrences. Riding a wave of construction, glass and steel skyscrapers continue to be built along the waterfront and high-density developments are filling in the suburbs.

But behind Miami’s sexy facade—best known by stereotypes in film and TV (model-beautiful people, nightlife capital, hedonistic)—there lies a sense of lightheartedness, not snobbery, that encourages celebration. So, if you want to be a part of the party, then get in the car—it’s the best way to get around this vast city. There’s a lot of ground to cover—from the elegant avenues of Coral Gables, to the Art Deco District with its exuberant tropical palette, and the busy street scene along Calle Ocho in Little Havana. But, however much you manage to squeeze into your days, don’t forget to reserve some of your energy for the legendary nightlife of South Beach.