Visiting Miami and South Florida Like a Native
Having been born in this young (only 109 years old at this writing) and still growing community, I have, except for a six-year stay in Bogota, Colombia, lived in the Greater Miami area most of my life. I’ve witnessed the growth of South Florida’s largest metropolitan area as immigrants from all over the world – Latin America and the Caribbean, mostly – have arrived by the hundreds of thousands and transformed Miami and its neighboring cities and municipalities, as the cliche goes, from a sleepy Southern tourist-oriented town into a bustling and vibrant Gateway to the Americas.
In the 33 years since my small branch of the family (my mom, older sister, and I) moved back to the Miami area I have lived in, as the old Chinese curse puts it, “interesting times.” On the positive end of the News Spectrum, I can claim to have cheered the Miami Dolphins not only during their yet-to-be surpassed Perfect Season of 1972 and the Dan Marino era from 1985 to 1999, but I also attended a regular Florida Marlins game (against the Cincinatti Reds) in 1997; a few months later the Marlins would win their first World Series championship.
On the negative side of the News Spectrum, I’ve lived through two hurricanes that passed through Miami-Dade County – Andrew in 1992 and Irene in 1999, several racially-related riots, the phenomenon of “white flight” as anglos (non-bilingual English-speaking Americans) leave South Florida as a result of the growth of Miami’s Spanish-speaking community and the growing influence of Cuban-Americans in politics and business affairs, and the resulting tensions between Miami’s black citizens and the other ethnic groups. And of course there are the added black eyes of poverty in the community (until recently Miami was the fourth poorest large city in the nation) and the area’s unfortunate connection to the illicit drug trade.
I’ve also enjoyed – to some degree – some of the same things most tourists come to the Miami area to experience, i.e., shopping, nice places to visit, the beaches, and the blend of different cultures that gives Miami its atmosphere of the “Casablanca of the Americas.”
Because the Greater Miami area is a very large area – covering much of Miami-Dade County – I’ll just address a few issues about the community in which I live and sometimes work. In a way, this isn’t so much a review but rather a general overview of the Miami area and some of its charms, quirks, and even flaws.
1. No matter what some people say, Miami is still an American city. All right, so Miami is a predominantly Hispanic city (with over 50 per cent of the population either bilingual or Spanish-speaking only), and some neighborhoods seem to have been transported out of Havana and onto Florida’s sandy soil, but there are still many anglos left in South Florida. And although there will be stores – even in medium-to-large shopping centers such as the Mall of the Americas – where not one employee speaks English, the myth that no one in Miami speaks English is simply that, a myth. I learned English as a second language in the early 1970s and it quickly became my primary language; many immigrants from Cuba and other Latin American countries also enroll in ESOL classes and assimilate as best they can, sometimes so thoroughly that they forget their Spanish unless they practice it at home. Of course, there are so many Spanish-language radio and television stations – not to mention large and small newspapers and magazines of all stripes – that some people simply don’t see any need to assimilate or learn English at all. However, the majority of Miamians still speak English….even if at times that’s hard to believe.
2. Hurricanes are not common events in the South Florida area. Despite the uptick in hurricane activity since Hurricane Andrew passed just south of Miami and wrecked part of the southern part of Miami-Dade County in 1992 , the area has only had two direct hits from those wet-and-wild windstorms: Hurricane Irene in ’99 and a “no-name” storm that hit a few years ago. Even 2004’s four-hurricane whammy avoided hitting the Greater Miami area directly; most of the time all we got was stiff breezes and some squall lines from the hurricanes that hit to our north. There was, of course, a lot of stress from the constant media coverage; if you are an easily rattled individual who’ll go bonkers once the TV and radio focus on the approaching storms and people make that panicky last-minute run for hurricane supplies, you might want to visit the area before August 1 and after October 30, which mark the beginning and end of the hurricane season’s “peak weeks” of tropical storm activity.
3. Crime isn’t rampant everywhere, and tourists are relatively safe. Although there was a “spike” of crimes against tourists a decade ago, the Greater Miami area is not, as some would have you believe, Paradise Lost for visitors. Yes, there are still criminals around, of course, and there are neighborhoods where there are hookers, drug dealers, thugs, gang members, and petty thieves lurking around. But most of us Miami area residents are normal and decent individuals who work and play and lead ordinary lives without hurting or robbing anyone. The truth is, Miami and its surrounding communities have all the problems of any metropolitan area – ranging from traffic congestion to unemployment and poverty – and crime is one of them. If visitors are careful and aware of their surroundings, chances are that their visit to the Magic City will be a fun and safe one.
Places to Go: Five of My Favorite Places to Go With Out-of-Town Friends
It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to go out on the town with friends from out of town; when I was seeing a woman who lived for a while in Tampa we often went out with my friend Rogers to such places as Dadeland Mall’s The Cheesecake Factory or to Colombian restaurants such as El Rinconcito Paisa. When my finances were better and some of my Colombian relatives and friends would come up to visit, we’d usually go to some or all of the following places:
Bayside Marketplace: (Biscayne Blvd. & 4th Street, Miami, 305-577-3344)This 16-acre shopping area has all kinds of restaurants, retail stores, specialty stores, artisans, and all kinds of enterprising folks in prime waterfront property.
Miami Metrozoo (12400 S.W. 152nd St., Miami, 305-251-0400, www.miamimetrozoo.com): From antelopes to zebras with cuddly koalas somewhere in between, this 290-acre replacement for the old Crandon Park Zoo dispenses with cages and allows visitors to enjoy lions, tigers, and bears (oh, my!) in beautiful recreations of their natural habitats. Damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Metrozoo is now better than ever. Best time to visit, of course, is the dry season between December and June.
Fairchild Tropical Garden (10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, 305-667-1651, www.fairchildgarden.org): Although plagued by the theft of many of its ancient cycads, this “living museum” contains 83 acres of plants from all over the Earth. With the exception of Christmas Day, the Fairchild is open seven days a week. Great for nature lovers!
Venetian Pool (2701 DeSoto Blvd., Coral Gables, 305-460-5356, www.venetianpool.com): Esther Williams swam here! Well, so did I, in the shallow end. Though I’ve only gone once, I was impressed by this Venetian-styled lagoon which was carved out of hard coral rock in the 1920s. Even if your hotel has a swimming pool, if your schedule allows it, make it a point to take a dip in the Venetian Pool.
Miami Seaquarium (4400 Rickenbacker Causeway, 305-361-5705, www.miamiseaquarium.com): Still billed as the home of Flipper the dolphin (wouldn’t he be pushing 50 by now?) and Lolita the killer whale, this is the area’s largest marine-themed attraction. In addition to friendly aquatic mammals (dolphins, orcas, seals, and manatees) there are exotic fish of all sizes, including (humming theme from Jaws) sharks.
Recommended
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec – Feb
