Miami

Beach Chairs at The Canfidante, a fancy hotel across the street from where we stayed.

When aimless airfare searching pulled up a $100 round trip flight between Milwaukee and Miami, we booked pretty much immediately, eager for the temporary break from the cold of a midwest winter. We visited from Friday morning to Sunday evening, and it was the perfect amount of time to visit a handful of Miami’s great neighborhoods.

Where we stayed

When planning the trip, I spent hours online scrolling through listings and reading reviews for the many affordable mid-sized hotels that line Collins Ave, the north-south street running along the beach, and we were really happy with Circa 39. It was modern, brightly-colored, and we had a great corner room. We were glad to be in Mid-beach, away from the peacocking cars and amplification of South Beach. It also had a compact pool, happy hour cocktails, and the access to their designated beach chairs on the beach across the street.

Mid-beach

And what a beach it was. We came here both mornings and appreciated how calm and uncrowded it was, and the water was cold but still nice for swimming. Note that all the pretty chairs in the photo above and at the top of the post came from the neighboring hotels. Circa 39’s beach chairs were a much less photogenic royal blue, but we didn’t have any regrets saving the money. After beach time, we walked on the beautiful boardwalk; it was hard not to be jealous of all the locals who get to make use of it daily.

The Broken Shaker is a cocktail bar in walking distance from the hotel, and it was wonderful; the drinks were good, but the real draw is the space and atmosphere, with its vintage chairs clustered around the lit-up pool. This was the perfect, chill way to end the night, among the greenery and the warm air and the twinkle lights. It’s worth a visit no matter where you stay in Miami Beach.

South Beach

We made a point to see South Beach, with its famed art deco architecture, people (and car) watching, and palm-lined sidewalks. For all those things, it was great. Beyond that, it wasn’t our favorite part of the city, with the excess of visitors touting giant plastic cups of blended drinks, restaurants hawking their table space and aforementioned giant drinks, souvenir shops, and the inescapable mid-day bass. It was worth a few hours, though, and we enjoyed cubans, yuca fries, and cafe con leche at Puerto Sagua before renting bikes to cruise the beautiful, palm-shaded boardwalk.

Wynwood

With its bright murals, packed bars and restaurants, and mixture of locals and tourists, we loved the Wynwood Walls area. The murals themselves did not disappoint, bigger and more impressive in scale than I had anticipated. We tried awesome beers at J. Wakefield Brewery (the ones at Concrete Beach Brewery were less memorable) and also stopped for ice coffee at Panther Coffee before getting a Lyft downtown.

Sunset view from the rooftop bar at the Kimpton Epic

Downtown

The drinks at Area 31, the rooftop bar at the Kimpton Epic Hotel, were overpriced (though good!), but the striking sunset views of the Miami skyline and waterfront made it a worthwhile stop that I would recommend, especially for those who already have something going on downtown.

Little Havana

This was perfect place to spend Sunday afternoon before our flight. We walked along Calle Ocho, popping into stores and enjoying $3 fresh coconut juice at Los Pinarenos Fruteria, where we chatted with the friendly owner. The highlight, though, was Ball & Chain, with its live music, cheap mojitos, and great decor.

Design District

Though I knew we had no need for access to high-end designer shopping, we still enjoyed a morning in the design district, where we checked out the brand new space for the Miami Institute for Contemporary Art as well as some of the cool sculptures mixed in among the shopping streets. We were surprised by how empty the whole area seemed, even on a weekend, despite reading how buzzy it is.

At the Miami Institute for Contemporary Art