Two of the biggest complaints about South Beach is the traffic congestion and the parking. South Beach is referred to as "The World's Playground" and given the fact that it is a small strip of barrier island, 10 small blocks wide and 23 blocks long, it is not hard to understand why traffic and parking are problems! Limited space and unlimited people makes for a bit of "congestion". The good news is that there are options now! The best solution to the problem is to go "car-less". Yes, you may see some folks going "top-less" on the beach, and with not much more walking the streets, but we need more visitors to join the "car-less" scene! If you do, you will actually be joining the hip crowd, the locals and fitness crowd who choose to use alternative modes of transportation. And of course even more importantly, you will be doing the very "green" sustainable thing! The top three popular modes of transportation here on the beach are bikes, scooters, and skateboards. Many also use rollarblades to get from point A to point B.
But first you have to get to our little island, right? Well there are quite a few alternatives to renting a car. Car rentals are not a good idea if you are only going to be here on the beach. Parking is not only scarce, it is expensive. Most hotels charge around $30/day for parking. If you park in a garage yourself, it is $20/day. and on street parking is $1.50/hour with a max of 8 hours. So my suggestion is to get here by taxi, bus or the new Airport Flyer. Taxi service is direct and a little quicker, but costs around $40 from Miami International Airport to SoBe. The bus service exists, is inexpensive but can take hours due to the route and stops. However, the newest option is the Airport Flyer 150 that picks up on SoBe, Mid Beach and then on to Miami International Airport. The return is the same way back for arriving tourist drop offs. The trip is only about 35 - 40 minutes and costs only $2.50! Here is a link to see and schedule your trip.

http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/routes_detail.asp?route=150

If you are only coming to the beach for a day, a good option is the Park and Ride program. Park in the garage at Alton and 10th and ride the FREE golf cart to any destination in SoBe. The golf cart is parked in the Whole Foods parking lot across the street from the parking garage.

So once you are on the beach, how do you get around? I really have to say here that SoBe is becoming the Most Pedestrian Friendly City in Florida! So there is no better way to see the sites than on foot! Plus it is good exercise! It allows you to stop and pause as long as you desire, photograph when you see something you want to commemorate, or simply be spontaneous and take off in a direction that catches your fancy! The next best option is by bicycle. The city has a new bike share program called Deco Bike. Here is a link to read all about the details.

http://www.decobike.com/

There are a number of bike rental establishments as well. One of my favorite is Bike and Roll on 10th Street. They offer bike tours also. Segways are another fun option.

http://www.bikeandroll.com/miami/

If you want a little more "wind in your sails", you may want to rent a scooter. There is no shortage of scooter rentals around the beach. So what ever corner you find yourself on, you are likely not far from one! But keep in mind that all of the laws/rules/regulations applying to cars, apply to scooters. You have to pay to park and of course you have to put gas in them. Do not park on a sidewalk, and you must wear protective eyewear. Helmets are recommended. When the salt, sand and sun have worn you out and that sun burn has you feeling too much heat, you might enjoy a really cool ride! Try the air conditioned LOCAL bus. For only 25 cents, you can hop on and ride this bus circuit of the beach and out to the Venetian Islands. It is a lovely ride! Here is a link for more information.

http://web.miamibeachfl.gov/visitors/scroll.aspx?id=14134

One of the best things about SoBe is that it is a wonderful mixed use, compact, walkable, vibrant community. Everything you need is in walking distance from you! So you simple do not need a car while you are here! They are more bothersome than helpful! I hope you find this informative and that this helps you enjoy our little island paradise even more!

Hurricane season is now over half way over and Miami Beach has dodged the bullets again, SO FAR! We locals always start counting the days about this time of year. The days until we can "relax" and not be so enslaved to weather.com! 

Have you ever added up the entire cost involved in owning cars? This is beyond the $20 - $30K that you pay a dealership to drive the car off their lot! The costs to our own pocketbook, the country's pocketbook, the effect on society at large and the impact on the land and environment is tremendous.  It weighs beyond dollars and cents!

Hello Fellow Travelers,

We all can admit that one of the biggest pleasures about travel is food!  Discovering local cuisine or experiencing a new twist on an old favorite is always a delight. Miami Beach has no shortage of culinary delights! The number of restaurants top the list with the number of night clubs!  However, if you all are like me, traveling and eating all manner of food can do an undesirable number on your waistline and digestive system.  So I like to add to the mix of culinary discoveries, a good wholesome meal as often as possible.  And by wholesome, I am meaning organic, raw and local.  A healthy mix of fresh vegetables or fruit made into a salad or smoothie.  There is just nothing better if the ingredients are fresh!  If you travel to South Beach, and find yourself in need of this kind of culinary delight, I have just the place that you will want to go!  Juice and Java on Washington Ave. Their selection is unbelievable and the salads are so tasty.  I thought I had tried every combination of salad greens and vegetables, but they surprised even me! It is all organic and fresh.  My husband loves their wraps.  They are very generous in size and all come with mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, red cabbage, sprouts, and bell peppers.  Then you make your selection of additions from there!  What a meal!  I love their advertising slogan, "Give your taste buds what they want and your body what it needs"! Check out their amazing menu here.

What a beautiful morning in SoBe! Fresh cool air, a clear sky, and nice sunshine! It hit me this morning that I am living my dream! That is, my dream for a simple life beside the sea. So here is how the story goes.

Many years ago I had a dream. MLK was not the only one! I wanted to live by the sea in a traditional neighborhood and if possible, in a historic neighborhood. My visions were of a place like Seaside, FL or Charleston, SC. I loved the charm of both places and the wonderful Charleston side-yard style homes. Yes, I could live there, I thought!! Never in my wildest state of dreaming did South Beach and historic Art Deco living crepe in! There is a saying that goes, "Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it!" So I got what I dreamed of! Not the Charleston historic home or the lovely quaint village of Seaside, but I live beside the most visited beach in the world and reside in a lovely historic building! Wow!

Time has taught me a lot. It can teach us all, if we allow it! I was stubborn and it took me a little while, but I got it!! Yes! I just recently visited Seaside, FL after many years of not being there. We drove up and down 30-A a few times and I was in shock! Seaside was indeed the same wonderful inspiring quaint town that it has always been, but what happened to 30-A??? It is sprawl disguised as beach vernacular or something else that I just can't recognize. There are a couple of breaths of fresh air along the way, namely Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach. By the way, I have to say, Alys Beach is the most beautiful seaside community that I have yet to see! It is actually more than a breath of fresh air, it takes your breath away! So in my sadness of what has become of that beautiful stretch of beach front, I realized the greatness of a place that maintains its diverse, walkable, mixed use, unique quality over a long period of time. South Beach has done that! I love the life of this place. The town doesn't close down at sunset. You can find restaurants open at all kinds of odd hours. And there is no limit to the amazing entertainment that is to be found here!! In other words, never a dull moment!

Yes, I highly recommend a visit to this lovely slip of barrier island. It is especially lovely this time of year! It is even better to live here!

"This notion that we can simply invent more efficient mechanisms, and throw in some bamboo to boot, is only a small part of real sustainability. First, we must build sustainable places, because it does not matter what the carbon footprint of a building is if you have to drive everywhere in order to live there."

Hello Fellow Travelers,

Hello my fellow travelers.  Hope you are discovering cool fun places!  I decided to talk today to all the java addicts out there. And based on the number of Starbucks everywhere, there must be a lot of you!  Well, on South Beach, you can find the Starbucks at every corner just like most cities, but I wanted to share with you, our unique version of coffee. As you would expect, the Cuban and Latin influence here is strong and they bring with them a wonderful mix of food and drink.  The local favorite is David's Cafe.  You can dine in or just walk up to an outside counter and order your favorite coffee.  The specialty is the Cafe con leche, which is coffee and milk.  The Cuban coffee is strong and sweet.  They serve it in small "shots" and that is all you need!  It is strong enough to keep you running all day. The Cuban Cuisine is good simple food and you will find it is offered at a good price compared to many places around the beach. There are two locations of David's Cafe, one near Lincoln Road and the other on Collins Ave.  You will feel so "local" when you slide up to the outdoor ordering window and purchase your coffee!  Here is their website so you can check out their breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.  Enjoy!

When my husband and I moved to South Beach seven years ago, so many options were available that just didn't exist when we lived in a typical US sprawl city.  One was the option to handle many of our daily activities without the use of a car! We can walk or bike to buy groceries, go to the bank or even shop.  And most importantly we can walk to work!  So if you find yourself in our lovely part of the world, you will be glad to know that it is a very walkable neighborhood.  South Beach is approximately 22 blocks north to south and only 10 blocks from east to west. So this puts everything in close proximity. And while you may not be up for a 22 block walk, you would likely find it very refreshing to bike that distance. There are lots of bike rentals around South Beach but my favorite is Bike and Roll on 10th Street. Not only do they rent bikes but they offer Art Deco Tours by bike.   They are 2 hours long and cost $39 for adults ad $29 for kids or students.