Happy actual Friday everyone! What's going on with everyone this weekend? El Hombre and I are hoping to wrap up some much-needed home renovations, and I plan to designate some time to curling up with my Kindle.
Thinking of stopping by the Pinecrest Farmers Market to pick up locally-grown green beans to try making this.
Speaking of food, I have been ranting for awhile about the many benefits of eating local.
One of my favorite local bands, Suenalo, is at the Green Parrot this weekend.
Speaking of which, I miss riding bikes and eating seafood in Key West.
This exhibit is right up my alley. A history of South Florida tourism (and settlement.) I'm a nerd, I like this museum.
Showing posts with label Miami History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miami History. Show all posts
Friday, July 6, 2012
Monday, January 3, 2011
Stiltsville
A few months ago, El Hombre procured a boat. No particular reason why, he just wanted one, went on the hunt, and found one for a reasonable price. Once we got it all fixed up, we have been exploring the waters of Miami-Dade County. This past Sunday was no exception. We docked out of Coconut Grove and decided to find some new sites to explore. Afterall, Miami is a different city, even on the water, and there continues to be unique spots even at sea. Stiltsville is no exception.
Ever since I started seeing photos of these houses hovering above the water, I have been fascinated. Stiltsville has been around since the late 20s, early 30s and is apparently a hotspot during the spring and summer months for boaters to hang out on the sandbars and flats on the weekends. But these parties didn't start in the past few years, Stiltsville was one of the original party spots in Miami. Rumored to have been a hotbed for gambling and drinking during prohibition, people have been making their way out there since it's inception, to throw down and have a good time. Kind of fitting now, given Miami's reputation, right?
Now most of these homes are empty, their residents moving onto firmer grounds after hurricanes and storms. Seven homes remain, darkened windows and birds on roofs. The only way to get there is by boat, and stay far off during low tide or you may get stuck. Once we got out there, and found a safe place to drift without getting stuck, we admired these homes on stilts, like giants taking quiet moments over calm, clear blue waters while staring off at El Farito and Key Biscayne. You can't help but wonder what was life like back then. How did people weather the storms, how did they survive? Looking across the calm, serene blue water, did it make up for the terrifying nature of whipping winds from hurricanes and waterspouts? Did they flee conventional life to live free from traditions and societal pressure, and did they get lonely at all? We will never know, but it's interesting to imagine.
Of course I took a few photos:
To learn more about Stiltsville, check out the following links:
Biscayne National Park Info
Wikipedia entry
Miamism Article
If you don't have access to a boat, the South Florida Historical Museum offers a tour by Dr. Paul George, a leading South Florida Historian
Ever since I started seeing photos of these houses hovering above the water, I have been fascinated. Stiltsville has been around since the late 20s, early 30s and is apparently a hotspot during the spring and summer months for boaters to hang out on the sandbars and flats on the weekends. But these parties didn't start in the past few years, Stiltsville was one of the original party spots in Miami. Rumored to have been a hotbed for gambling and drinking during prohibition, people have been making their way out there since it's inception, to throw down and have a good time. Kind of fitting now, given Miami's reputation, right?
Now most of these homes are empty, their residents moving onto firmer grounds after hurricanes and storms. Seven homes remain, darkened windows and birds on roofs. The only way to get there is by boat, and stay far off during low tide or you may get stuck. Once we got out there, and found a safe place to drift without getting stuck, we admired these homes on stilts, like giants taking quiet moments over calm, clear blue waters while staring off at El Farito and Key Biscayne. You can't help but wonder what was life like back then. How did people weather the storms, how did they survive? Looking across the calm, serene blue water, did it make up for the terrifying nature of whipping winds from hurricanes and waterspouts? Did they flee conventional life to live free from traditions and societal pressure, and did they get lonely at all? We will never know, but it's interesting to imagine.
Of course I took a few photos:
To learn more about Stiltsville, check out the following links:
Biscayne National Park Info
Wikipedia entry
Miamism Article
If you don't have access to a boat, the South Florida Historical Museum offers a tour by Dr. Paul George, a leading South Florida Historian
Monday, March 9, 2009
I get around....... Miami
Before I moved to this city, I visited several times. As a tourist, I hit up the main spots, meaning South Beach, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, but it wasn't until I moved here that I found some of my favorite places, like Old Cutler Road, The non-Coco Walk part of the grove and some others. You know this because these are many of the places I go with the intention of blogging about them, showing them to people who are visiting Miami, or who have lived here but never seen this side of our city.
This past Saturday, I got to be a tourist in my own city again. El Hombre and I took a tour of Miami with The Miami Tour Company. We took the city tour, which leaves from the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and takes you on a three hour tour of Miami and South Beach. This was a narrated bus tour (closed buses, with AC.. thank God because it was warm outside) that runs on GPS.
I know what you may say, three hours is a long time to be on a bus. But the tour takes you from South Beach to Coconut Grove, down Old Cutler, through Coral Gables and Little Havana, and ending in Bay Side, where you can continue onto the Everglades, Boat Tour or head back to the beach. Also, as El Hombre pointed out, you got alot of information about Miami in a small amount of time (and there is a bit of dry humor here and there.) Plus it stopped in the grove for lunch, at the Biltmore (once again, my favorite hotel in Miami) and in Little Havana, so you could snap pictures, stretch your legs and chat with the tour guide.
It was nice having El Hombre along because he is a Miami native, and I could verify information with him. We both learned a few new things, for example, I would never have thought we had the third biggest skyline, nor would I have realized the cemetery in the Bahamian Village was the backdrop for Thriller (you better believe I YouTubed that as soon as I got home.) I also had never been in the Bahamian Village, so that was kinda cool.
Overall, I think my favorite thing was hearing people's reaction to Vizcaya and the backroads of the Grove. So many people come here and never see anything other than the beach, and the view from the interstate on the way to the keys. This tour is cool because it lets you see a more "local view" of Miami. I don't have pictures because my camera sort of hates life, but I felt like I was reading back through my blog and adding some history behind my posts.
This past Saturday, I got to be a tourist in my own city again. El Hombre and I took a tour of Miami with The Miami Tour Company. We took the city tour, which leaves from the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and takes you on a three hour tour of Miami and South Beach. This was a narrated bus tour (closed buses, with AC.. thank God because it was warm outside) that runs on GPS.
I know what you may say, three hours is a long time to be on a bus. But the tour takes you from South Beach to Coconut Grove, down Old Cutler, through Coral Gables and Little Havana, and ending in Bay Side, where you can continue onto the Everglades, Boat Tour or head back to the beach. Also, as El Hombre pointed out, you got alot of information about Miami in a small amount of time (and there is a bit of dry humor here and there.) Plus it stopped in the grove for lunch, at the Biltmore (once again, my favorite hotel in Miami) and in Little Havana, so you could snap pictures, stretch your legs and chat with the tour guide.
It was nice having El Hombre along because he is a Miami native, and I could verify information with him. We both learned a few new things, for example, I would never have thought we had the third biggest skyline, nor would I have realized the cemetery in the Bahamian Village was the backdrop for Thriller (you better believe I YouTubed that as soon as I got home.) I also had never been in the Bahamian Village, so that was kinda cool.
Overall, I think my favorite thing was hearing people's reaction to Vizcaya and the backroads of the Grove. So many people come here and never see anything other than the beach, and the view from the interstate on the way to the keys. This tour is cool because it lets you see a more "local view" of Miami. I don't have pictures because my camera sort of hates life, but I felt like I was reading back through my blog and adding some history behind my posts.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Vizcaya
This Sunday, El Hombre and I took advantage of the fact that the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is free the last Sunday of the month for the summer. It is amazing and beautiful.
only one view of the amazing gardens
all kinds of people go to Vizcaya apparently. And this was a shirt I couldn't resist taking a photo of, especially since the owner of said shirt was a little old lady.
The back of the house
Why does this look like it could be Venice? Well because Miami was built on tourism. And the idea for Coral Gables was that people would be able to go around on gondola or boat from Vizcaya to all parts of Coral Gables. pretty cool!
For more photos, go here. We took too many to post
only one view of the amazing gardens
all kinds of people go to Vizcaya apparently. And this was a shirt I couldn't resist taking a photo of, especially since the owner of said shirt was a little old lady.
The back of the house
Why does this look like it could be Venice? Well because Miami was built on tourism. And the idea for Coral Gables was that people would be able to go around on gondola or boat from Vizcaya to all parts of Coral Gables. pretty cool!
For more photos, go here. We took too many to post
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