Miami moves beyond the beach
Gentrifying city spruces up neighbourhoods to deliver art spaces, urban properties
MIAMI, FLA.—“Who travels to Miami and doesn’t go to the South Beach?” my skeptical, sun-starved friends ask.
Yes, I evade the siren call of white sand beaches lapped by sparkling ocean waves. No, I don’t see the American Riviera with its legendary Ocean Drive, art-deco architecture and promise of celebrity-studded nightlife. I can’t even blame the offence on a layover in the cruise capital of the world. Nor on a Heat, Dolphins, Marlins, Panthers — they count, yes? — or Hurricanes game.
Instead, I spend two days in the city’s reinvigorated neighbourhoods, desirable spaces that are attracting a sophisticated, multicultural group back to the city proper.
Most credit the transition to the Art Basel, the international art fair that has put the sensual fun-in-the-sun playground on the cultural map. Since its 2002 debut, it’s been a who’s-who of the arts scene, and revellers who have gathered to gaze at the displayed works partake in glamorous A-list parties and satellite events.
“It’s changed for the better,” says Alexis Kwakernaat Hidalgo, assistant general manager of Bacchour Bakery & Bistro. “To me, Wynwood (Arts District) is becoming like (New York City’s) SoHo village with these craft breweries, food from other cultures, bars . . . it’s a scene Miami never had, especially mixed in with art.”
It’s a fair comparison, knowing the late visionary developer Tony Goldman had been responsible for the derelict warehouse district’s revitalization. He had also been instrumental in refurbishing SoHo and South Beach.
Native Miamian David Rosendorf, a commercial bankruptcy lawyer and co-organizer of Cobaya underground dining club, says, “10 years ago, you wouldn’t want to go to Wynwood during the day or at night.” Then, Goldman repurposed buildings with restaurants, art galleries and street art, and made it a walking district. “It’s curated.”
Wynwood is stunning: rows of pristine low-rises cloaked in bold splashes of graffiti art amid well-manicured grounds, boutiques and local food artisans.
The spectacular Wynwood Walls, essentially an open-air park filled with cutting-edge, museum-quality urban murals, is an immersive experience that overloads the senses. From Shepard Fairey’s (think Obama “Hope” poster) wheat paste and red and gold paint-embellished shrine to Goldman and his inspirations, to the contemporary works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol at Rubell Family Collection, the district is a must-visit for culture vultures.
A few blocks away at Enriqueta’s Sandwich Shop, a local favourite for Cuban sandwiches, I get a taste of new versus old. Under the shadow of large developing condos, hungry diners jostle to place their orders at the takeout window of the crowded little cafeteria-style shop.
Looking around, one word comes to mind.
“How do people feel about gentrification?” I ask Amanda Harris, director of communication of EAST hotel, as I bite into a fresh-griddled Cubano. The golden crust shatters to expose the stacks of ham, grilled pork, oozing Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard within.
She says it’s welcomed, especially when local artists and business owners are involved.
According to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, more than $5 billion (U.S.) has been spent on new developments, including Wynwood, the state-of-the-art Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, and All Aboard Florida’s Brightline (a $3-billion, 378kilometre fast rail slated to run between Miami and Orlando).
The embrace is similar in Brickell, one of the U.S.’s largest financial hubs, where developers are turning the neighbourhood into a blossoming field of upscale commercial and residential properties.
Swire Properties has invested more than $1 billion to build Brickell City Centre, a mixed-use luxury complex that Swire’s assistant vice-president of marketing and PR, Clare Laverty, calls an attractive new space to “live, work, shop, play and relax."
Opened last November, the urban oasis spans 3.7 hectares to connect two residential towers and two midrise office towers to an open-air premium retail, restaurants and entertainment shopping centre and luxury hotel EAST, Miami.
The city is working on bicycle and pedestrian paths that will reclaim the 16-kilometre stretch of underused land beneath the Metrorail.
Welcome to the new Miami. Renée S. Suen (travel@thestar.ca) was a guest of EAST, Miami, which did not review or approve this story.