ART: Vibrant Miami!

Pulsating, vibrant Miami! Its very name conjures images of golden beaches, high fashion, high energy and glamour. Maybe it is the result of the constant media glare on visiting celebrities to this glamorous city or the influence of watching endless reruns of Miami Vice, the attraction of Miami to visitors is probably next only to that of New York and Los Angeles.

South Florida is great region to take a vacation for a multitude of reasons and one of them certainly is Miami, nestling between the Everglades and Atlantic Ocean on Miami River. It is towards the southern tip of the peninsula and practically surrounded by water.

Rent a car on arrival at Miami International Airport as driving is the best way to get around the city. Rental companies offers cars at very competitive rates as public transport in the city is pretty unimpressive. You can also land at Fort Lauderdale which is less crowded and offers cheaper fares and in just twenty minutes you can be in downtown Miami.

A large city divided into several districts each with its unique flavor, Miami is very multicultural. Over sixty percent of the population of Miami is Hispanic and it is not for nothing that Miami is called the Gateway to Latin America and the Capital of the Americas. Cubans, Nicaraguans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Puerto Ricans, Argentineans, Ecuadorians, Brazilians, Dominicans, Haitians, and Mexicans make up the cosmopolitan mix. Castro’s takeover in 1959 brought a change not only to Cuba , it changed Miami forever. A steady influx of refugees from Cuba changed the ethnic composition of the city entirely. Now there is a neighborhood in Miami called Little Havana.

South Beach with its famous beachside promenade lined with Art deco buildings is not actually within Miami, but Miami Beach is just as glamorous. Celebrity spotting is big pastime here. The city is not just about glitzy expensive boutiques and restaurants and scintillating nightlife. You can just as easily have a great Cuban meal for a song and shop at down to earth places.

Home to several major international political and trade events and Awards ceremonies, Miami’s Coconut Grove Expo Center has something going on all the time. Yes Miami is a big business center too!

Despite its image as a playground for adults, kids can have great time here at its several animal parks and science museum and of course enjoy the water sports! The Parrot jungle is a private collection of over two hundred varieties of colorful parrots, parakeets and macaws. Not to be missed is the seaquarium with its extensive collection of marine life including dolphins and whales. The Deering Estate at Cutler is a little known nature park in Miami which hardly a hundred people visit a day. This unspoiled retreat in the heart of the city is a haven with a number of rare plants, tropical hardwood hammocks, and the endangered Rockland pine.