Going to Miami for a long weekend

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m planning on going to Miami for the first weekend in March and I was wondering if anyone had any tips. I’m going with a friend and we’ll probably be staying at a hotel on North Beach in Miami Beach, and I was wondering about how hard it is to get around. I’ve seen some sites say that since Miami is so spread out, it’s best to rent a car, but also have read that traffic and parking are nightmares, so I was wondering if it might just be easier to do Ubers for the weekend. Or is the limited public transportation any good?

Also if anyone has tips on where to go I’m open to that. I’m interested in seeing the art and architecture, trying any types of food, and whatever else that is highly recommended. I’ve also read about the Coral Castle and I’m fascinated by that; I know it’s a bit of drive so I was wondering if anyone thought that was worth it.

2

My wife and kids were there for a couple of days last month. They Ubered it everywhere and thought that was the best option. As far as arts go they really liked Wynwood Walls. An area with graffiti murals that are really impressive.

Almost forgot food. They tried a Mofongo that they really liked. A Puerto Rican dish with mashed plantains.

3

Car rental and finding/paying for parking anywhere worthwhile - :frowning:

Uber - :slight_smile:

Public Transportation - :open_mouth:

Coral Castle - quirky fun for half an hour if you’re not planning on being sober, yet still tiny, boring, pseudo-scientific, poorly located tourist trap.

Besides beaches, you’re much better off exploring the culinary delights of Calle Ocho or the art/design/breweries of Wynwood.

4

That’s good to hear. I figured just doing Ubers might be more expensive than paying for a rental (and parking) but also thought it might be less stressful, glad to hear your family did it successfully.

I definitely want to see Wynwood Walls, I’m glad they liked it. And I will put mofongos on my list of things to try.

5

I used to own a condo in North Beach, but didn’t spend much time there and eventually sold. South Beach is where the hip touristy area is. South Beach is indeed very crowded and parking and driving is bad in South Beach. North Beach is OK, though.

There is actually very good 24-hour bus service, but many people don’t consider buses to be “real” public transportation – only trains – and disparage it.

The one local eatery that is a secret that only the locals know about was called Chez Porky’s in Pompano Beach. It was an unassuming little place in a strip mall that was always packed at lunch and evenings. I was going to give you a link, but I looked for one and found much to my horror that it had been sold and the new owners didn’t run it well and it closed down.

But I see that someone else bought it and has reopened under the name Chez Ribs. It got a really good review from the Sun-Sentinal. Apparently the new owner was a real big fan of the original and has tried to recreate a lot of it. It is best-known for its assortment of exotic-flavored chicken wings and ribs, but it also serves a variety of cajun, Louisiana, and barbecue dishes as well as seafood. (Or at least the original used to.) The original owner-chef, Dario, was a Polish immigrant who was fascinated with American food. He studied American regional cooking and worked to recreate it in his restaurant. He did very well.

Alas, Dario is now a car salesman, I don’t know how the new owner is doing, but the reviewer likes him. If they still have it try the coconut soup (I hate coconut, but love this stuff), a wing assortment (try the raspberry), shrimp and scallops bayou or a fish dish, and the Kentucky Derby pie for desert.

If you’re not looking just for South Beach clubs and night life, try Zoo Miami (formerly known as MetroZoo) as the south end of Miami (not Miami Beach). They focus on the animals from hot climates (no penguins or polar bears) and have a great walk-through bird house where the birds fly free around you. And you can hand-feed giraffes (you have to pay for the food). Attend the various free shows and lectures – check the schedules.

If you can, fly into FLL, not MIA. Which one is cheaper varies a lot. But FLL is faster to get to and easier to get around and has free wifi.

Speaking of which, if you rent a car, watch for toll roads. Both of the expressways from MIA are now electronic tolling. (No tolls from FLL.) You have no option to stop and pay cash. The rental car companies have your car enrolled in electronic tolling and if you use it just once, they will charge you a daily fee for each day of your rental PLUS the cost of the tolls. If you anticipate using a toll road, go ro Publix and buy a SunPass sticker and register your car on the SunPass web site so that the rental company doesn’t get billed.

6

Thanks for the tips! I looked for hotels in South Beach, but it seems like a lot of the hotels are expensive. I don’t mind finding our way down to South Beach and do the touristy stuff then head back to the hotel, but if you know of any good reasonably priced hotels closer to South Beach I’m open to that.

I hadn’t looked into flying to FLL, I’ll look at that.

I’m always interested in zoos, I’ll add that to my list.

7

Sorry, I don’t know anything about hotels. I never needed one. I was just trying to say that having a rental car in North Beach isn’t a problem. I always got one. Weekend rates are cheap and you’ll have a lot more flexibility. But if you’re going club-crawling or something to South Beach, it’s probably not a good idea to drive. Leave the car at your hotel.

8

I forgot to mention: Looks like you may have to bundle up.

9

Ha, Houston isn’t much different when it gets cold.

10

I want to go to Miami! I’ve wanted to see The Fontainebleau in person ever since I saw Goldfinger when I was a teenager.

11

It’s been over 30 years since I lived in Miami, but if Joe’s Stone Crab Restaurant is at least half as good as it used to be (andit appears to be), then do yourself a favor and make a lunch or dinner reservation there during your stay (at an off time to avoid a 3+ hour wait).

IMHO, jumbo stone crab claws make famed Maine lobsters taste like muddy crawdads past their prime by comparison (BTW, if you order cajun-style crawfish, don’t wimp out and not suck their heads … you gotta suck their heads for the full flavor!) And, no one preps and presents stone crab claws better than Joe’s.

And, get this: when you eat properly (i.e. legally) harvested stone crab claws, you’re eating a tasty part of an animal that is still alive and frolicking about merrily in the ocean, growing a new claw. That’s sustainability, bub! Heck, if I could grow new appendages that easily, I’d donate an arm or a leg every so often to help end world hunger, wouldn’t you?

Indeed, the Fontainebleau is a bit long in the tooth (even 30 years ago), but, it is old-school opulence at it’s finest. I’ve been there 3 times. The first time was a disaster (I wrote about that a few years ago), but the other 2 times were memorable events.

Miami’s got a some problems, but it remains one of the coolest places on Earth. You don’t see Crockett and Tubbs fighting crime in Gary Indiana do you?!?