The glory of South Beach...

This is our third visit to Miami, and we spent five nights here to get over our jet lag before setting out for Cuba. This time the weather varied from warm to cool (the southern fringe of the bad storms affecting the north), with some persistent light rain on one day. It was very windy throughout. Apart from the rainy day, skies were mostly blue with quite photogenic cloud formations. Afternoons got stormy.

Ocean Ave has some of the prettiest art deco examples.

The art deco architecture of South Miami Beach remains its greatest appeal, for us. Walking around this area provides endless pleasant surprises, and an interesting new building appears, tastefully painted in delicate pastels. No doubt, city ordinances protect this architecture.

Even modest apartments can feature neat art deco features and colour enhancements.

Very appealing pastel colour schemes adorn many buildings in South Beach.

Apparently, the term art deco derives from the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Artes Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, and that style was adopted fulsomely in rebuilding the young resort city after a hurricane in 1926 destroyed it and killed 400 people. Some 800 art deco buildings are registered in the area.

Moon rising over the Ritz Plaza at sunset.

Even newer buildings along Collins Ave adopt a faux art deco style.

This building is regarded by some as the best example of art deco. It reveals that the so-appealing pastel coloration is not an essential feature of the genre! The building now houses the Bass Museum of Modern Art.

Our hotel in Collins Ave is quite near the Lincoln Steet Mall which on Sunday, one of our jet-lag recovery days, was abuzz with market stalls (local crafts, art deco artifacts and fresh produce) and open-air restaurants. We managed to find good coffee and food, but the crowding and noise made the whole experience a bit unpleasant. The gusty wind added to the discomfort, the outdoor cafes having to struggle to keep umbrellas up and things on the table.

High hazard flags warn of dangerous surf conditions.

Determined beachgoers scurry for protection from the strong breezes.

The beach is an incredible attraction to tourists here, and even now, in winter, it entertains a modest crowd up and down its long length. But the beach-goers have to be determined. The wide sandy area is a windswept wasteland. People grimly try to protect themselves from the uncomfortable and neverending blast. There is almost no-one in the water, and the surf is quite rough and unruly, stirred up by the wind. Red flags on every lifeguard station (maybe 100m apart for many kilometers) signify "high hazard". Even in this season, each and every one of those lifeguard stations appears to be manned.

Enjoyment of a brief period of sunny respite from the unpleasant winds.

We enjoyed a takeaway dinner and beer on the front balcony of our Collins Ave hotel, cool enough for jackets.

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.