i'm going to a conference in miami at the end of the month and want to take pictures so where do you recommend i go and see while i'm there?

depending on where you stay

well I am not an expert on the area yet, but I have found South Beach to be the jewel of Miami, and you will find out that there is literally no place like it in the world. Kind of like an art deco French Quarter. Also, streetscapeer told me about the SoFi District which I took a quick visit to, and it is a great colorful neighborhood that is very photogenic. Here is a taste of what you can look for in the neighborhood.

http://img227.exs.cx/img227/4961/miami238lr.jpg

if you're you're coming to a conference here it will probably be either at the airport,miami beach convention center,or the intercontinental.

in which i reccomend...
airport---take a stroll through coral gables(5-10mins away) you'll think you're in spain becuase of all the meditt. architecture

miami beach convention center--
go to south beach,sofi,lincoln road,upper beach,sunny isles

intercontinential--
you'll be a couple of steps away from wachovia,boa and the popular brickell ave.and probably the best views in miami

of course your conference might be somewhere else,and if it is tell me and i'll direct you where to go.

just one piece of advice if a taxi driver ask you if you want pork and beans don't say yes.lol

Ah yes, forgot about Coral Gables. Some parts, atleast the architecture, do feel like you are in a different country. I don't know how strict they are at the hotel, but you have to see the Biltmore. Atleast drive by it.

actually i'll be staying in miami beach at the Beach House Bal Harbour Hotel which is right on the beach.

you're going to be closer to sunny isles,aventura,and ft.lauderdale than south beach.

What kind of Conference, business or the Winter Music Conference(the electronica music festival), I can't wait.

actually i'll be staying in miami beach at the Beach House Bal Harbour Hotel which is right on the beach.

to give you an idea mancuso, to get to south beach from the hotel you are staying at is like driving from the Montrose neighborhood to Westchase down Westheimer in Houston.

Bal Harbour is nice... If you've got cash to burn you can visit Bal Harbour Shops (www.balharbourshops.com), a very upscale mall anchored by a Saks and Neiman Marcus.

Your hotel is at 94th Street, and it's about 7 miles to get to the "top" of South Beach. Bal Harbour lies between 105th and 88th Streets... South Beach is approximately south of 18th Street.

I assume you are flying? If so, are you flying into Miami or Fort Lauderdale? I know Miami area rental car agencies have some really good tourist-friendly maps of the area that have good sightseeing areas. Since you'll be in Bal Harbour and vicinity, I recommend traveling down Collins Avenue (State Road A1A) from the southern point of Miami Beach (South Pointe Park) and go all the way up to the Broward County line (215th Street) and back... continuous skyline for 13 miles, and it goes on for the next two counties.

Good luck with your trip!!

^^I highly recommend that route too...If you wanna be Wow'd, take Collins Ave from the Southern tip of Miami Beach to Sunny Isles.


If you're renting a car, you could head north on US1 to Fort Lauderdale (20-30min) and check out Las Olas Blvd. Getting to Las Olas Blvd from US1 is kinda tricky but once you get there, make sure drive all the way east to the beach (5-10min).

Here's my "Tour de Miami": Maybe a bit overzealous:
Assuming you are renting a car, go south on Collins: check out the Fountainbleu Hotel; keep going south to Lincoln Road (park at the garage 1 block before Lincoln and 2 blocks west across from the theatre); then do Ocean Drive to SoFi. Then go over the MacArthur to downtown Miami. Head South on Biscayne and then to Brickell.

Head south on Brickell to the Rickenbacher. Pay the $1.00 toll. Go over the bridge; pull over to the side (park area) and take awesome pix of Brickell skyline from across the bay-- unique view. Come back over and go south on Miami Ave. Pass Vizcaya and proceed into the Grove. From there, (someone help me here) take a connector street to US 1 and then into the Gables (Le Jeune?). Then, get back on US 1 and head east/north back into downtown. Then do Bayside.

Guys, if this is too complex a route, please feel free to augment and clarify.

^That sounds like something I would do. :)

I like taking I-95 from Ives Dairy Road (NE 203rd St), at the northern end of Miami-Dade County, southbound and driving up the HOV lane flyover and glancing at the skyline... you can see all the way from Hollywood to downtown Miami (a 20 mile panorama). You feel like you're soaring above everything.

Miami's fairly simple to navigate. The county is on a grid, and streets go east and west, avenues go north and south.

All very good suggestions....I took great guilty pleasure in the Duck Boat tour.
You can board it at Bayside Marketplace in the Central Business District...the amphibious vessel drives north on Biscayne past 6 continuous blocks of 40+ story skycrapers in various states of construction/preconstruction. The Duck Boat then drives to Watson Island and drives into the Biscayne Bay to float past Hibiscus and Star Island....you can see where Sinatra used to hang out, and take a look at Liz Taylors/Eddie Fishers pad, and P. Diddy's Crib, etc...the boat then drives to South Beach and the historic art deco district.
As you take this trip...it's amazing to realize that the entire bay was once covered with mangroves and that all of the islands are man made with dredged up bay!!
There is too much to do for one week...

how long have they been doing the duck boat tours? cause until last week (or whenever it was i took those pics downtown) i hadn't ever seen them. it sounds cheesy as hell, but i'd probably do it too. it'd be a great way to see the islands if nothing else.

as others have said, i also really recommend checking out coral gables. it's got a very different feel than the other parts of miami & is well worth the trip. take a look at the biltmore hotel while you're there cause it's a beauty & a coral gables landmark.

also, if you have time, take a drive down old cutler rd. & find your way to coconut grove. it's a beautiful drive with many parts of it covered by the trees that line the road & it takes you through some really neat neighborhoods. no matter how many times i take that drive i never get sick of it.

i'm going to a conference in miami at the end of the month and want to take pictures so where do you recommend i go and see while i'm there?
J-MAN-CUSO :) , PLACE for PICTURE Taking NOW is BRICKELL :) and CORAL GABLES :) . Downtown MIAMI :) and the MIDTOWN ARTS :) -Uptown OMNI :) AREA is UNDER CONSTRUCTION :bash: , STAY OUT of the WAY :bash: , Biscayne BLVD :) is Dusty and Bumpy NOW :bash: , ALL NORTH of the MIAMI RIVER is Under Construction NOW :) , the Empty Dupont Plaza :) and MET 1 Starting FULL FORCE Construction :) , With the TWO " ONE MIAMI " :) Towers at their PEAK and DUST flying everywhere around DOWNTOWN MIAMI :) , STAY OUT :bash: of this Area for the NEXT 4 YEARS PLEASE !!! :cheers: , Come Back and Visit the NEW MIAMI :) during the FALL, 2008 TO WINTER, 2009 :cheers: To Celebrate OUR FUTURE CITY of AMERICA !!! :cheers:
OH ! , ALSO !, J Man Cuso :) , GO CRANES !!! :cheers:

I'd definitely do the drive down A1A to south Beach. It's an amazing trip through time. The further south you go the older the buildings get (for the most part). You can see how Deco turned to Mimo turned to drab 60's apartments and themed hotels. Are there any themed hotels left in Sunny Isles?

Anyway, the mainland has some interesting spots, but be careful of rush hour traffic. Another interesting route would be to take Flagler out of downtown into Little Havana and then 27th ave south to the Grove. Then Bayshore back up to Brickell.

Also just for kicks I always take visitors on a ride of the Metromover. Nice views of downtown in air conditioned comfort.

Just got back from a weekend trip in Miami (South Beach). I did a walking tour of South Beach, which gave a good overview of history around Miami, and art deco architecture. Cost is $20.

The tour was through the Miami Design Preservation league, on 10th and Ocean.

Just got back from a weekend trip in Miami (South Beach). I did a walking tour of South Beach, which gave a good overview of history around Miami, and art deco architecture. Cost is $20. The tour was through the Miami Design Preservation league, on 10th and Ocean.
SNAP! That is the way to do it...if you are new to the scene, plunk down a couple of duckets to have an experienced historian show you the scene....the duck boat is up and running...and you should do it.
The folks in this forum really know what they are talking about, but it's probably best to take a few focused tours on some of the better areas if your time is limited. Example: and probably not just for the conventioneer....If'n you are in the mood for romancin' ...put together a nice picnic basket and take your julie to Viscaya...get the $6 tour from an old lady...that is the most mackinest of mack daddy bachelor pads in all of Dade!!!!

@ tivo, i'm not sure about the airport; which ever one is cheaper i guess.

@ texasboy, thanx, that helps

@ havok100 - http://www.profuturists.com/Intel/gatherings/futures%20insurrection.asp

everyone else, thanks for the comments so far. i will chack back periodically as it's gets nearer.

For Sure...You ABSOLUTELY MUST ride the metromover when you come down!!

[QUOTE=brickell]I'd definitely do the drive down A1A to south Beach. It's an amazing trip through time. The further south you go the older the buildings get (for the most part). You can see how Deco turned to Mimo turned to drab 60's apartments and themed hotels. Are there any themed hotels left in Sunny Isles?

Anyway, the mainland has some interesting spots, but be careful of rush hour traffic. Another interesting route would be to take Flagler out of downtown into Little Havana and then 27th ave south to the Grove. Then Bayshore back up to Brickell.
BRICKELL's :) Right, Go to BAYSIDE MarketPLACE and Shop and Dined there First, then Take Flagler Street Off biscayne BLVD, Just SOUTH of BAYSIDE :) , and Follow His Route. :cheers:

Another interesting route would be to take Flagler out of downtown into Little Havana and then 27th ave south to the Grove. Then Bayshore back up to Brickell.

that sounds like the best thing ive heard of so far... id do this, and then take that walking tour of south beach... and mayb just walk around downtown or brickell a little... although they arent the greatest in the world now, in 5 years u can walk around again and remember way back when... lol