Miami - warm again!

The first thing we noticed about Miami was that it was warm, something we haven't felt since we left Los Angeles 6 weeks ago. We stayed at a Holiday Inn right on the beach at Miami Beach, about 1 mile north of the famous area of South Beach. The second thing we noticed is that we seemed to be the only English speakers here - for example, at breakfast in the hotel we cast our directional ears at every table, and without exception, everyone was speaking Spanish, or what we took to be Spanish. All the waiters were bilingual. We had cause to ask to speak to the Manager at the hotel. He was one of the very few "English as a first language" speakers we encountered in Miami.

Beachside photography under leaden skies at Miami.

We only had one full day in Miami, since we had to stay an extra day in New Orleans to cope with the state of emergency. It was good to see this part of Miami for a second time - last time we only drove through on the way to Key West. Under intermittent rain, we did the big walk (about 7km) into South Beach and all the way down to entrance to Miami Harbour with the express purpose of looking at some of the area's famed art deco buildings. These are truly exquisite, and most appear to be freshly painted and very well maintained. We took a hundred pics, only a sampling is included. We walked all day and into the night, counting the return journey.

Art Deco example in South Beach, Miami.

Manicured palm tree forest at Loews Hotel, South Beach Miami

Palm in a gilded pot at The Villa along Ocean Drive, South Beach Miami

Art Deco detail in Ocean Dr, Miami South Beach.

Restaurant umbrellas (needed - it was raining!) with matching art deco car.

Sculpted palms at a beach side park in Miami

The entire beach is protected by regularly spaced lifeguard stations, painted in lurid colours and patterns.

In Miami Beach itself, the main street next to an parallel to the beach, Collins, appears to be one huge construction site. Every second building seems to be being gutted and renovated, or completely rebuilt. Maybe this is a concrete sign (pun intended) of the recovery of the American recovery after the GFC. Down in South Beach, the main area of art deco buildings seems to have been saved from this redevelopment, probably by zoning requirements, and just as well. The district is a delight!

Gigantic monolithic apartment block at the southern tip of South Beach, South Pointe.

Lighthouse in the channel to Miami Harbour.