Miami!!

It is so nice to finally be back writing travel. I missed the chaos that only travel can bring. The craziness of everything from start to finish. I crave it! This past weekend I got to go visit a friend of mine down in Miami and experience the 305. I’ve been to Miami once before but that was only on South Beach which is the more touristy part of Miami. My friend Madeleine, is getting her masters at University of Miami, so I got to see Miami from a different view then I had previously. Spent my weekend reading great books, laying on the beach and eating amazing food. The perfect vacation trifecta in my eyes.

One thing that kind of surprised me about Miami was the food scene. When you think of Miami you probably think amazing Cuban food, Key Lime Pie and other Caribbean inspired food, which you are definitely not wrong in assuming, but there is also so much more. Miami is the unexpected melting pot. We did not repeat one style of food a single time because there were so many options to choose from. We ate incredible Cuban, Tacos, Italian, Mediterranean, and Thai just to name a few. One of my favorite things when traveling is to eat like locals. Get away from the main tourist parts of the city and find places that locals rave about. They often end up being some of the best food I will ever eat. So my recommendation for you if you were to ever visit Miami, is to get a way from South Beach/Miami Beach area and go where the locals go.

I absolutely love street art. It’s probably one of the few forms of art that has the ability to capture my attention long enough. When I check out a new place, I love walking around and hunting down different pieces. And Miami has street art it feels like around every corner. There’s even a neighborhood in Miami that has street art covering every building and sidewalk plus it’s own little street art walk through gallery. I would highly recommend checking out the Wynwood neighborhood as it was probably one of my favorite parts. You could walk through Wynwood for days and still not see everything. In all the places I’ve been around the country, I don’t think I have ever seen anything quite like Wynwood. It is truly unique.

This past weekend was so fun and was a great quick little trip seeing a childhood friend. It’s the perfect long weekend place especially during some of these cold Chicago winter days. It helped change my original opinion that not everything in Miami is just South Beach. There’s so much else to Miami, so many different cultures coming together that only just enhances the experience of which is Miami. From exploring the streets of Little Havana, local artists art walk, vegan friendly farmers market, picturesque beaches and insanely good Mojitos, there’s something for everyone here.

Until Next Time, The Library Abroad