Nathan's Insights

Tuesday 03 December 2024
Highlights: Exploring Miami Beach, The street art in Wynwood, The Cuban experiences in Little Havana, getting lost on the Metromover (monorail)

Our first full day in Miami was ahead of us. The morning was very casual, locking in plans for the next few days and checking our upcoming G Adventure Tours and activities in Ecuador, starting with late-night arrival on Thursday, were in order. 

In the afternoon we booked a Miami Cultural Tour (4 hours) starting from Bayside Marketplace. A nice walk to our starting point, I believe we are getting to understand our surroundings.

The tour started with a drive to and around Miami Beach which is connected via a bridge to Miami. We got to see many famous locations in particular from the movie Scarface and the Bad Boys movies. 

But the tour started when we moved to Wynwood and started seeing the street art or graffiti. This art is put up with the support of the building owners and is very stylistic.

I was very impressed by what this local artist had created. 

We started to learn from our guide of the history of Miami with a focus on Puerto Rico and Cuban immigration and their impacts.

We then moved on to Little Havana. We started with a trip to a Cigar business that has been operating for over 100 years but moved from Cuba to Miami following the Cuban Revolution’s conclusion in 1959. We learnt how our traditional cigars are made (taking years) and how to smoke them correctly.

We visited Domino Park which allows residents over 55 to play games, it was a happy and welcoming group playing here.

We learnt a little about Cuban shirts and the meanings of some of the patterns used. We tried some Cuban coffee, well I had a small taste Erin had her sample and most of mine.

We also visited a bar for mojitos. Erin and I tried a non-alcoholic version and listened to local Cuban music.

In this area we also walked on the Hispanic Walk of Fame, given our LA Walk of Fame experience a few days earlier this was a nice balance.

This was an enjoyable and informative tour.

Later that evening we thought we would try the local monorail, called the Metromover. When the car changed tracks we quickly got lost and eventually got off and walked back to the hotel. A mini adventure taking the monorail!