Miami

Miami is Florida's beach + nightlife capital — population 470,000 city + 6.2M metro on Atlantic Ocean's southeastern tip. Founded 1896 + made famous in 1980s by Miami Vice TV + Scarface film. Latin American gateway with **70%+ Hispanic population** (Cuban-American especially) — Spanish + English equally common in daily life.

Famous for **South Beach** (4km Art Deco district + 800+ pastel-colored 1920s-30s buildings — world's largest Art Deco collection + Ocean Drive promenade + Lincoln Road shopping), **Wynwood Walls** (open-air street art museum founded by Tony Goldman 2009 — 50+ international muralists + free entry — Miami's hippest neighborhood), **Little Havana** (Cuban-American neighborhood + Calle Ocho + Domino Park + cigar shops + Café Versailles institution since 1971), **Vizcaya Museum** (1916 Italian Renaissance villa built by James Deering + 10-acre formal gardens + Coconut Grove — most photographed Miami spot), and **Everglades National Park** (1.5h drive west — 6,000-square-mile wetlands + alligators + airboat tours + sawgrass prairies).

**South Beach (SoBe)** is Miami's iconic neighborhood — 4km Art Deco Historic District + Ocean Drive (1928-39 hotels) + Lincoln Road (pedestrian shopping). The world's largest concentration of Art Deco buildings — 800+ in pastel pink/turquoise/yellow. **Versace Mansion** (1930 — designer Gianni Versace murdered on these steps 1997 — now Villa Casa Casuarina luxury restaurant). South Beach has 24/7 nightlife — **LIV at Fontainebleau** (celebrities + EDM), **Story Nightclub**, **E11even** (24/7 strip club + nightclub).

**Wynwood Arts District** is Miami's hipster heart — 50+ international street artists transformed warehouses into open-air gallery 2009. Free to walk + photograph. **Wynwood Brewing Company** (Florida's first independent brewery in Wynwood) + food trucks. NW 23rd-29th Streets between NW 2nd-6th Avenues.

**Little Havana** preserves Cuban exile heritage — **Café Versailles** (1971 — Cuban institution + politicians visit + best Cuban espresso $5-15), **Maximo Gomez Park / Domino Park** (Cuban exiles play dominoes + cigar shops + free entry), **Calle Ocho Festival** (Mar — largest Cuban-American street festival US), **Tower Theater** (1926 movie theater + Cuban + Latin American films).

Iconic Miami food: **Stone crab claws** (Joe's Stone Crab 1913 NOLA institution Oct-May only $50-100), **Cuban sandwich** (ham + roast pork + Swiss + pickles + mustard on Cuban bread $10-18), **Pastelitos** (Cuban pastry $3-8 — Café Versailles best), **Key lime pie** ($8-15), **Conch fritters** (Florida Keys delicacy $10-18), **Cafecito** (Cuban espresso $1-3 — drink standing at Café Versailles ventanita), **Fresh stone crab + Florida lobster + grouper** (Pacific seafood). **Mojito** ($12-18) + **Old Cuban** (cocktails — invented at Joe Allen NYC by Cuban exile + Miami staple).

**Best Miami restaurants**: **Joe's Stone Crab** (Miami institution since 1913 — only Oct-May for stone crab $50-100), **Versace Mansion / Villa Casa Casuarina** (former Versace home tasting $250-400), **Cote** (Korean BBQ + steakhouse fusion Michelin Star $150-250), **Stubborn Seed** (Top Chef Jeremy Ford $80-150), **L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon** (Michelin Star French $200-400), **Café Versailles** (Cuban institution $5-15).

Bottom line: Miami is canonical American beach + nightlife + Latin culture + Art Deco + Wynwood. 4-5 days hits South Beach + Wynwood + Little Havana + Vizcaya + Everglades day trip + optional Key West (3.5h drive south).