Bienvenido a Miami!

Hola! we decided to spend a long weekend in Miami to celebrate my husband's belated birthday while taking advantage of the holiday weekend which grants us an extra day. The last time I was in Miami was years ago so this was also a good opportunity for me to refresh my memory of the city. We got here last night and today was our first full day so of course I had to make sure that we maximized our day by checking out as many places as possible. Without further ado, this is how we spent our first day in the city.

Started with cute photos with the Miami skyline in the background.

Coral Gables

This is such a pretty and chill neighborhood where you can see Spanish and Mediterranean architectural influences. It is also home to the famous Biltmore hotel which was once one of the most famous resorts in the country way back when.

Coconut Grove

This is an upscale neighborhood that was founded in 1873 and is full of the cutest boutiques and side walk cafes where you can chill and people watch while enjoying some bites. The neighborhood also represents people of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Little Havana

As the name indicates, this is a heavily Cuban influenced neighborhood where most of the action is centered along Calle Ocho (eighth street). Along this street there are various restaurants from different Latin American countries, cigar shops, fruit stands etc. Little Havana used to be a regular neighborhood that tourists didn't venture to but now it's become so touristic which you will see by strolling along Calle Ocho.

Little Haiti

This is an overlooked neighborhood where most tourists don't really venture to but we decided to check it out. As the name indicates, the neighborhood has a heavy Haitian influence so if you are interested in learning about Haitian culture, this will be a good start. We walked around a bit then stoped at a local restaurant where we had some really delicious Haitian food before heading out.

Wynwood 

This neighborhood is well know for its colorful murals and is home to various art galleries, retail stores and open air street art installations. You can chose to pay $10 to get into Wynwood Walls which is like an outdoor museum featuring some cool murals or walk around the neighborhood and check out the numerous murals adorning most walls.

That's it folks! first day in Miami went really well. It was hot but at least the humidity wasn't overwhelming plus we spent most of our time in an air-conditioned car driving around so that helped tremendously.  Tomorrow is another adventure filled day so watch out for the next post and remember......