| Page Views: 92 Last Visit to Miami Beach: December, 2003 | SOUTH BEACH ROCKS! by CAROLINEARCHER - last update: Jun 23, 2007 |
OCEAN DRIVE Ocean Drive is known for its Art Deco hotels. The street is the cream of the city's Art Deco District, which is home to about 800 preserved buildings. Streamline Moderne evolved from the Art Deco style, and dominates the street |
OCEAN DRIVE AT NIGHT Ocean Drive is the easternmost street in South Beach, and stems from south of First to 15th Street, running in a north-south direction. Ocean Drive is responsible for the South Beach aesthetic that most out-of-town visitors expect. It is a popular Spring Break and tourist area, including the famous, yet predominantly local, Pearl and Nikki Beach night spots. It is also home to several prominent restaurants (including "News Cafe," "Mango's," and the MTV-popularized "Clevelander") and is the site of Gianni Versace's former ocean front mansion. Because of its great value as a place for people watching (beautiful women rollerblading in bikini's and such), it is heavily cruised and parking is hard to find. However, experience indicates that if you get there early enough in the morning (before 930am) on a weekday, or (before 900am) on a weekend, there is a good chance you can snare a spot right on Ocean Drive. Have plenty of quarters to feed the parking meters (actually machines which print parking vouchers) if you find a space on Ocean Drive, because illegal parking tickets are expensive. There is green space with palm trees (see nearest photograph to your left) between Ocean Drive and the sands of the beach, which makes a good place for relaxing out of the sun. |
LIFEGUARD TOWER - FABULOUS BEACH South Beach (also known as SoBe, or "The Beach") is one of the more popular areas of Miami Beach. Topless sunbathing is tolerated on certain designated areas of the beach. Before the TV show Miami Vice helped make the area popular, SoBe was rundown, with vacant buildings and a high crime rate. Today, it is considered one of the richest commercial areas on the beach, yet poverty and crime still remain in some places near the area. Miami Beach, particularly Ocean Drive of what is now the Art Deco District, was also featured prominently in Scarface. |
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "the beach, the sun, the nightlife" | | Cons: | "none!" |
CAROLINEARCHER's Miami Beach Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 1 - Photos: 3 | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for CAROLINEARCHER about Miami Beach | | | | |
|
email me
add as friend
