Florida by born2travel.it

excerpt from

07.02.2013 Miami (UNITED STATES)

The clouds thin out and there in the distance is a beautiful bay studded with many white skyscrapers: Miami. It feels strange to write it, but we really are in the "Sunshine State".

We stay at the South Beach Hostel along the famous Washington Avenue, parallel to Ocean Drive and a stone's throw from the beach of the same name.

We spend the whole day walking aimlessly between Washington Avenue and Lincoln Road, slipping into every single little shop we come across along the way… like two children at a funfair we tug at each other when we see something that seems familiar because we have seen it in a film or because it is an American stereotype.

We end up in shops selling food at rock-bottom prices because it is past its expiry date (but is not that illegal?), or in the "cellar clearers"; tattoo artists are on every corner, like the piadina sellers in Romagna; pharmacies sell "also" medicines; barbers cut "also" hair; we chat with whoever we meet: a Cuban shop assistant, a Serbian receptionist, a Salvadoran passer-by, another Peruvian, two Mexicans… but are there any Americans in America?

08.02.2013 Miami (UNITED STATES)

Pumped-up and tattooed guys parade along the water's edge, girls in skimpy outfits "work out" on Ocean Drive, the "Baywatch" lifeguard does sit-ups on his tower, blue jellyfish melt on the sand…

Having crossed the bridge connecting SoBe to the city, we find ourselves wandering in the shadow of the majestic skyscrapers of Downtown as far as Calle Ocho in Little Havana. We enter Maximo Gomez Park where domino fanatics spend their days playing… an old man with a cowboy hat comes over and invites us to take photos without any problem while telling us their story as Cuban exiles since the 60s..

Everyone around speaks only Spanish, the shops are Hispanic, reggaeton blaring in the streets, Cuban flags and little cigar factories. We stop at the "Titan de Bronze" where nimble, fast hands roll, cut and glue tobacco leaves of every kind, turning them into tempting big cigars!

Brigade 2506 Memorial commemorating the Cuban exiles trained by the Americans and killed during the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. A couple of old men stop to chat with us and, amid stories and anecdotes, begin to sing "Volare" by Modugno!

After a batidos from Los Pinarenos, as recommended by our Lonely Planet, we end up having dinner in a McDonald's… and what the heck: we are still in America!

09.02.2013 Miami (UNITED STATES)

Everglades. [Stefy]: "We immediately get on an air-boat, navigating the swamp along the mangrove river where we spot several alligators and turtles. Splendid amphibians with a prehistoric charm! We watch a little show and I even hold a small baby one.

A day of shopping in SoBe; we stop at the famous Miami Ink for a couple of T-shirts before Lincoln Road, also known as Lincoln Mall because of all the shops that line it.

The Wolfsonian museum is a bit disappointing; thank goodness Wednesday evening is free.

10.02.2013 Miami (UNITED STATES)

We buy a daily pass to roam undisturbed all over Downtown on local transport… at the end of the day we will notice that the only means we used were our own feet!

We start from Bayside Market; we walk past the American Airlines Arena, where the local NBA basketball team plays: the Miami Heat. We wander at the foot of the many majestic skyscrapers that have made this city so picturesque. Like pinballs we bounce from one shop to another until we find ourselves sitting on the bench of a serious courthouse eating a 7-Eleven salad.

We visit the "Miami Art Museum" and the "History Miami Museum"; on the second Saturday of every month both are free!;-) Maybe because we are used to rich and well-kept European museums, but these were really poor! Among it all, only the large space/workshop at the entrance of the art museum, reserved for children, struck me… it is nice to let them express themselves freely.

It is time to return to SoBe for a romantic dinner along the now familiar Washington Avenue.

11.02.2013 Miami (UNITED STATES)

[Stefy]: "This morning Miami gave us a lovely warmth on our skin. Two or three hours on the beach recharge us ahead of the cold return to Italy.

In the afternoon we stroll among the stalls of a second-hand and antique market along Lincoln Road.

We reach the Holocaust Memorial, a monument dedicated to all the victims of the Second World War concentration camps; there is an enormous hand emerging from the earth reaching towards the sky, all around a gallery under cool branches displays photos, quotations and names of the victims in eternal remembrance…

I must say that these days in Miami among luxury cars, little dogs dressed up like dolls, rollerblades, skateboarders, guys with surfboards under their arms, very long limousines, little restaurants of every type and cuisine, sparkling shops have been the cherry on top of a wonderful cake!

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