Discover Miami Beyond Its Beaches

What is it about Miami that makes it the destination for Hollywood movies, and pulls the young American crowd to its super cool vibe? Now that summers are ‘round the corner, Richa Vadhera finds out that the Miami beaches are only a fragment of the big picture.

- Richa Vadhera

I’d read of many people visiting Miami and never going back. I’d later learnt why. The city opens up arms to cultures, languages, food, music, fashion, and people, yet manages to never let anyone or anything get in the way of its essence, or crowd its space. Thinking back, I realise that every facet of the city seems to reinforce this, without anyone having to point it out.

I’d always seen Miami through a Hollywood lens—a sunny, vibrant party central, with salsa and tequila, and beach-bodied beauties in cutoffs, roller-blading down the boardwalk. Then there was the constant mention of awards on travel portals—for its great beaches, as a holiday destination, or a place to live in—everything was up there.

A man-made island that was once a Coconut Grove Plantation, the city has rather sweet origins. A certain Julia Tuttle, popularly known as the ‘Mother of Miami’, sent the co-founder of Standard Oil, Henry Flagler, perfect Miami Orange blossoms. She ended up convincing him to extend his railroad from central Florida to Miami, build a luxury hotel, and essentially lay out a whole new town. The city was incorporated in the late 1800s, and interestingly, is the only major city in the US to be planned by a woman. Why thank you Ma’am!

TOURS

Culinary Tour

The city is unofficially referred to as the sixth borough of New York, yet it struck me while walking around—not too many people spoke English. The city is home to 150+ ethnicities, with over 63 per cent of the population being Hispanic. The result? Elaborate menus with Cuban, Haitian, Peruvian, Colombian, Indian, Thai, Japanese, and Argentinean influences.