World Traveller October 2019

America’s
20 greatest cities
Nowhere does urban thrills like the USA. And from uptown
NYC to beachside LA, we know the hottest joints in town
AMERICAN CITIES
Miami
Why go? Miami is the American beach
city, with pale sands, postcard palms
and Art Deco cool — plus a Latino pulse
to keep you buzzing late.
Pink, baby-blue, canary-yellow — the
Art Deco style you came for doesn’t
disappoint. Find the highlights along
Ocean Drive, where the island of Miami
Beach tapers to SoBe (South Beach).
Beside the blue Atlantic, neon-toned
lifeguard stations line the shore. Take a
walking tour (mdpl.org) for the boomand-bust
story, via ’20s excess, the
Great Depression and ’80s vice to 21stcentury
dynamo.
For lunch, grab a seat on the terrace
of the Betsy — Ocean Drive at its most
elegant, with towering burgers.
As the day fades, take an Uber to
Wynwood in mainland Miami. Once
a forlorn grid of streets, it now has a
millennial edge, with graffiti art on old
warehouses. Northwest 25th is the
street to wander along, and it’s where
you’ll find Kyu, an Asian-minimalist
concrete box, where friends sip creative
cocktails and share soft shell crab buns
on high stools.
Next day, explore Coconut Grove,
a rich, but real-feeling community of
palm trees and sea breezes. Drop by
the Mayfair Hotel, inspired by Gaudí,
for coconut-crusted French toast at
Greenstreet Cafè.
Your afternoon idyll is around the
corner: sprawl on the lawns of Barnacle
Historic State Park, with its views of
Biscayne Bay. After dark, the streets
of Little Havana, a 10-minute taxi ride
north, beckon. Join salsa fans at Ball &
Chain, then walk east to hear songs by
Cuban minstrels at Cafe La Trova.
Spend another few days on the beach.
Or, if that's too chilled for your tastes,
explore. Downtown is on the up, with
Mama Tried bar bound to waylay you.
But come by day, too, for an intriguing
tour of the birth of Miami with Dr Paul
George (historymiami.org). He’ll show
you the ornate skyscrapers and gilt
lobbies that put the city on the map.
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