Oh Me Oh Miami: Art Deco Historic District

In March this year while I was in Florida, I took a day trip to Miami, a place I have wanted to visit for ages due to its famed Art Deco Historic District. The South Beach neighbourhood is lined with many pastel-coloured Art Deco beauties, which are arguably some of the best examples of the architectural style. The collection of buildings is one of the greatest concentrations of 1930s architecture and is therefore listed as a 'US Historic District'. 

Hotel Edison 

Also known as the 'Old Miami Beach', the whole area is infused with a lovely sense of nostalgia. The geometric accents, symmetry and colours make this place architectural eye-candy.

A little history: Miami was built up out of a swampy sand-strip. Passed between various owners attempting to make their business ventures a success, the land eventually fell into the hands of entrepreneur Carl Fisher. Wanting to attract wealthy people to the area, Fisher favoured the Art Deco style that was proving so popular in the Modern Art movement taking place in Europe in the 1920/30s. After falling into disrepair and disrepute by the 1970s, at one time Miami's Art Deco scene was under threat of demolition. This became the catalyst for Barbara Baer Capitman founding the Miami Design Preservation League. The non-profit secured Miami's Beaches' protection and helped to restore the dilapidated buildings, including returning them to their pastel-hue. 

Ocean Drive and 10th Street

Hotel Avalon & Waldorf Towers Hotel

I must confess that I seriously regret not taking more photos of this wonderfully surreal place. I have written this post retrospectively, having gone to Miami before deciding to write this blog, which means I did not visit with the intent of writing/posting anything. Another regret is not being able to get some snaps of Miami Art Deco at night, as the buildings are illuminated in neon.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed my day trip. Being in Miami is like stepping onto a film-set. It is vibrant and very busy, at least when I visited (around 'Spring Break'). Other than the Art Deco district, there is also Miami Beach and Miami Bay. At the latter you can go on a boat tour where you may be lucky enough to be joined by dolphins who swim alongside the boat!

Tip 1: I do not have any particular food recommendations for Miami, but the coffee in Miami is great. This is due to Miami's links to Cuba, meaning that many coffee shops serve authentic Cuban cafecitos. 

Tip 2: As mentioned previously, I visited as a day trip when I was staying in Orlando, Florida. Whilst very doable, it was quite a full-on day that involved getting up at the crack of dawn and not getting back until midnight, so if you are able to, I would recommend staying at least one night in this unique, nostalgic city.