Flying Insects! (The Non-Creepy Kind)

Outside of honeybees and perhaps ladybugs, most insects don’t get a lot of love, and the flying kind are particularly unwelcome.  (Termites, biting flies and roaches = blech!) The major exception is butterflies, which seem to be universally beloved. Everyone loves butterflies, including us. We found a South Florida destination devoted to butterflies that features … Read more

Trying to Make Sense of the Miami Circle

At first glance, the Miami Circle may seem to be one of the least interesting historical landmarks in downtown Miami. It quite literally consists of a series of holes in the ground, and is surrounded by sodded areas that serve as the main dog run for downtown Miami. It’s not readily visible to drivers on … Read more

Personal Fireworks Shows are Apparently a Thing

Last weekend we were roused from a peaceful evening of movie-watching by fireworks that were very loud and very close to us. Now, we often have fireworks in downtown Miami, but they are typically displayed above Bayfront Park (for festivals or holidays) or American Airlines Arena (for Heat games). We can’t see those fireworks shows … Read more

Who or what is a Brickell?

One of the words that confounds spell checks for all Miami residents is Brickell — the name of Brickell Avenue, the portion of US1 that runs through the core financial district of the city and the namesake of the Brickell neighborhood in Miami. Unlike Julia Tuttle, the Miami founder whose name largely disappeared, William and … Read more

Miami Beach Art Deco District

No Miami blog is complete without plenty of photos of Art Deco architecture, right? Our continuing exploration of Miami history naturally brought us to the Miami Beach Architectural District, a/k/a the Miami Art Deco District. This federally designated historic district includes 960 (!) contributing structures in South Beach, the southern portion of the barrier island … Read more