Fromshopping, good food to culture, Miami is a city in continuous movement. Here’s what’s trending:
Art and culture
Wynwood and the Design District are transforming run-down warehouses into design, art and fashion studios. One of the avant-garde galleries of the Design District, de la Cruz Collection (23 NE 41stSt.), opened in 2009 as a gallery for the contemporary art collection of Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz. Now, the 2,787-square-meter building has been extended to present exhibitions and workshops, and also serves as a residence for artists. The celebrated New World Symphony is matched by its own impressive stage, the New World Center (500 17Th St.): a fantasy of angles and curves designed by Frank-Gehry in a 2.5-acre park where you can listen to the dress rehearsal sitting on the grass. Come to this exquisite space and sit on the grass, as if you were in the front row of the auditorium, to listen to a rehearsal of this relevant academy that prepares musical geniuses from all over the world with conductors of the stature of Leonard Bernstein. You may know 1111 Lincoln Road as a parking lot. The same architects who designed the Miami Art Museum, Herzog + de Meuron, have turned it into a remarkable six-story architectural work, featuring a dynamic mix of parking, retail stores, spaces for cultural events and even a rooftop restaurant.
Shopping
Shopping in Miami may be for slightly different tastes, but there is as much variety as in New York. Look for branded clothes and colors that stand out. Tomas Maier, the creative genius behind Bottega Veneta, has a unique store in the Design District; you can find Rodarte and Martin Margiela and other cutting-edge brands at both Alchemist locations (including one in the new building at 1111 Lincoln Road). The boutique En Avance (161 N.E. 40th St. Suite 101) leans towards the extravagant, but its owner, Karen Quinones, has an impeccable style. Look for Etro shirts and handbags by Alexandra Kotur. If you want to spend all day on it, just go to Bal Harbour at the north end of Miami Beach. It’s essentially a city built around a shopping mall, but with boutiques like Bonpoint, Agent Provocateur, Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo, and Hermes, to name a few.
Haute cuisine
Miami is packed with famous chefs, and many of them offer versions of their dishes that you can only find here. At The Dutch (2201 Collins Ave.), New York Chef Andrew Carmellini adds a Latin twist to his sophisticated American cuisine. Chef Tim Balloo’s downtown restaurant, Sugarcane Raw Bar & Grill (3250 NE First Ave.), was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious Best New Restaurant of 2011 award (its seafood bar is beyond fresh and even the bacon-wrapped date tapas are sublime). It may be 40 years old, but the recently renovated steakhouse The Forge will endure, thanks to the regular visits of wine connoisseurs who come to taste its impressive menu of 80 wines by the glass. Mix of nightclub, and Chinese restaurant, the Hakkasan (4441 Collins Ave. at the famous Hotel Fontainebleau), is a favorite in London and has finally arrived in Miami. Try smoked ribs with jasmine tea.
Nightlife
This city is affectionately known as The Gateway to Latin America and the residents, unlike so many other cities in the United States, dress smartly when they go out to have fun. Use your connections (don’t forget the concierge) to register your name on the lists before you leave. Go to Set (320 Lincoln Road), managed by the Opium Group conglomerate, which also operates Privé, Mansion, and Opium Garden, renowned for being celebrity nightspots favorites and the international jet set. The Opium Garden pays tribute to Hollywood’s golden age, with opulent crystal chandeliers, leather-clad walls and international DJs. The old Pearl, above Nikki Beach, is now the new Pearl South Beach Restaurant and Lounge (1 Ocean Drive) that has returned after a six-year hiatus. Find a spot among the plush orange walls and polka dot tablecloths, or head to the patio for a quieter atmosphere.
