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Circa 39
Tucked off to the back of Circa's moody front lobby, the designer dream bar has a warm, welcoming feel to it. Definitely stop in for a cosmopolitan if you're up this way, before sauntering across the street and checking out the nighttime ocean.
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Clevelander Bar
Spring break is alive and well, you can find it here at the poolside, beachside, open-air bar where bikinis are always welcome.
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Coconut Grove Playhouse
This lovely state-owned theater, anchoring the Grove since 1956, gained fame via the American premiere of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot (which audiences and critics generally rejected out of hand as opaque and confusing). Although it was closed during research due to debt issues, it is set to reopen by the time you read this, and will hopefully continue to showcase some of Miami's best theater.
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Colony Theater
A stunning deco showpiece, this small 1934 performing arts center has 465 seats with great acoustics. It's a treasure that hosts everything from movies and musicals to theatrical dramas, ballet and off-Broadway productions.
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Concert Association Of Florida
Founded in 1967, this nonprofit association is run by dedicated folks who bring world-class music (and occasional dance) to various venues in Miami, particularly to the Arsht Center. Past events have included the Boston Pops symphony, Itzhak Perlman, a Flamenco Festival, the Deutsche Philharmonie and Luciano Pavarotti on the beach.
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Coral Gables Congregational Church
In addition to its impressive choirs, this church hosts various concert series, from jazz to classical, all of which draw regional crowds to its beautiful Mediterranean setting.
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Dewey's Tavern
Dewey's the deco dive (really; the exterior is a little gem of the genre), and it's as un-pretentious as the best sordid watering holes get. Come here to get wasted and menace the crowds seeking serenity on quiet Alton Rd (just kidding - behave yourself!).
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Dolphin Stadium
Dolphin Stadium is home to the NFL football team Miami Dolphins (www.miamidolphins.com; season Aug-Dec) and the Major League baseball team Florida Marlins (www.marlins.mlb.com; season May-Sep).
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Edge Theater
The Edge stays true to its name (and Design District locale) by putting on consistently contemporary, artfully imagined productions on a small stage that feels like a makeshift living room filled with props.
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Felt
Having 10 pool tables is one way to stand out from the crowd in these parts, and it seems to be working. Grab a drink and a cue and enjoy this spot's come-one-come-all attitude.
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Fillmore Miami Beach At The Jackie Gleason Theater
Built in 1951, the Miami Beach's premiere showcase for touring Broadway shows, orchestras and other big musical productions has 2700 seats and excellent acoustics. Jackie Gleason chose to make the theater his home for the long-running 1960s TV show, but now you'll find an eclectic lineup of shows - Elvis Costello or Albita one night, the Dutch Philharmonic or over-the-top musicals the next.
Read more about Fillmore Miami Beach At The Jackie Gleason Theater
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Florida Grand Opera
Founded in the 1940s, this highly respected opera company, which stages shows like Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Tosca and many others, performs throughout the year at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and Fort Lauderdale. Ticket offices are in Doral, but it's recommended you purchase online or on the phone.
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Florida Room At The Delano
'Wanna buy me an eight-dollar beer?' asks an out-of-towner, gazing awestruck at the sheer mass of model-types packed into this den of iniquity. The Florida Room is as exclusive as they get, plus a popular dancehall/samba piano lounge for local scenesters who eschew the tourist trap megaclubs further down the beach. Show up before or be on the list (or Lenny Kravitz - who helped design this place) to get in.
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Gablestage
Founded as the Florida Shakespeare Theatre in 1979 and now housed on the property of the Biltmore Hotel after several moves, this company still performs an occasional Shakespeare play, but mostly presents contemporary and classical pieces; recent productions have included Frozen, Bug and The Retreat From Moscow.
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Grass Restaurant & Lounge
With models in the courtyard and mudras on the walls, plus double doors that should front a castle and bouncers working the rope, you gotta be sexy (or know someone who is) to get in. If so, dine under thatch roofs or the stars on fusioned meals such as cumin-encrusted beef tenderloin and strut, daahling.
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Gusman Center For The Performing Arts
This ornate venue, within an elegantly renovated 1920s movie palace, services a huge variety of performing arts - film festivals, symphonies, ballet and touring shows. The acoustics are excellent and the fresco ceiling is covered in twinkling stars and clouds.
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Hotel Chelsea
When you walk into the Chelsea's stylish lobby, you're greeted by a sultry, black and yellow floral pattern that feels like it's been lifted from a lingerie catalogue. The motif carries on into the dimly lit, yet sumptuous vintage rooms - which should really be called boudoirs - where the shaded chandeliers provide just the right glow. Parking costs around US$30 per day.
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Hoy Como Ayer
This hot spot, with authentic Cuban music and a small dance floor, is enhanced by Cuban memorabilia and cigar smoke. A house band is often complemented by other musicians who stop in to jam. The cafe also plays vintage Cuban music videos and film clips.
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Ifé-Ilé Afro-Cuban Dance
A nonprofit organization, Ifé-Ilé promotes cultural understanding through dance, and performs in a range of styles - traditional Afro-Cuban, mambo, rumba, conga, chancleta (a Latin dance in which rhythms are amplified by the dancers' wooden shoes), son, salsa and ritual pieces. Live musical accompaniment comes courtesy of bongos, piano, timbales and trumpets. Please call or visit the website for performance schedule and venues.
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Imax
This virtual-reality screen, which is way larger than real life, comes with surround sound shows and dramatic, sometimes educational footage that takes advantage of its size; also catch fun stuff best viewed through 3-D glasses.
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Impromedy
This improvisational comedy troupe formed at Florida International University in 1997, you can catch their shows on weekends at the Roxy west of Coral Gables in Sweetwater.
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Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts
Better known as the Jackie Gleason Theater, this newly renovated, light-blue deco beauty is a wonderful venue for traveling Broadway shows and concerts. Be sure to take a gander at Roy Lichtenstein's Mermaid sculpture, gracing the front lawn
Read more about Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts
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Jazid
While the downstairs caters to folks seeking a mellow, candlelit spot to hear live jazz, soul and funk bands, the upstairs lounge has DJs spinning soul, funk and hip-hop to a cool, multiculti crowd. By being cool and not trying to be, this place has remained popular while places all around it have come and gone.
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Jerry Herman Ring Theatre
This University of Miami troupe stages musicals, dramas and comedies, with recent productions including Falsettos and Baby. Alumni actors include Sylvester Stallone, Steven Bauer, Saundra Santiago and Ray Liotta.
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Karu & Y
Karu smacks of an Atlanta hip-hop megaclub in ways good and sundry. Basically a bottle of iced-out Cristal given club form, there's a Dale Chiluly chandelier in the entrance, waterfall out front and restaurant (Karu; Y is the lounge) that serves foie gras lollipops. It's all (literally) smack on the tracks that separate tatty but gentrifying Downtown (bling!) from Overtown's worst projects (bang!). Come here to star in your personal MTV video, and expect to pay for the privilege.
