South Beach, Miami
1956 Thunderbird and the Ocean Drive scene
OK, I’ve got 18 hours between flying in to Miami (from LA) and flying out (that’ll be the next travel blog). Grab some sleep at an airport hotel or head in to a hotel on Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami’s art deco central? Half an hour disappears before I even get out of the plane, waiting for a gate to free up at MIA and another hour goes in the Friday afternoon rush hour. But it was worth it.
I stay at the Pelican Hotel right in the centre of things and after dumping my bag and taking a stroll along the beach, I have a cold beer (Peroni) in the Pelican’s bar and spend the evening people watching along Ocean Drive.
two guys, two pythons
on Ocean Drive
Dinner’s at an Indian restaurant Ishq and there’s no question there’s plenty to watch along this frenetic stretch, quite apart from the art deco architecture for which the South Beach waterfront is famous.
For more on Miami check our Miami & the Keys guidebook.
Once while Travelling: The Lonely Planet Story
