1615-4 Various Miami Beach MIAMI ' S SOUTH BEACH SIZZLES AS THE CITY ' S LATEST
" IN " SPOT, WHERE THE DRINKS ARE COOL, THE FASHIONS ARE
HOT, AND YOU CAN EVEN EAT FAST FOOD IN ART DECO STYLE.
The art deto buildings of Miami's South Beach,stream- and apartments fronting on the ocean,and the visitor feels
lined and marzipan hued,engage the imagination the somehow privileged to be among them,even in a crowd.
way clouds do.Yes, you think,as you – I I And there's usually a crowd.South
stroll along the wide sidewalks or sip a "41_ Beach—the southern end of the island city
cool drink on an oceanfront porch,this of Miami Beach—must be one of the
one looks like an enormous pink toaster. hippest places on earth.What for years
That one all lit up at night?A cruise ship, * was called South Beach is now often re
aquamarine and white.See the portholes? , - ferred to as SoBe.Style is the thing here.
There's something cheery and in- The epicenter of SoBe is the Art Deco
viting about these buildings,with their District,officially situated between 6th
stylish shapes,shady porches,whimsical colors,and human Street and 23rd Street,and from Ocean Drive west to Leno*,
scale.Seldom do you find such modest,friendly little hotels Avenue. Here,a new club or restaurant opens almost
BY JACK M c C L I N T O C K PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL CHESLEY
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every week.And each week,it seems,a tral Hotel,with a row of porthole win- stylish businessman eating his lunch.
dowdy old residential hotel is spruced dows above its fluted tin marquee;the
up and reopened as a tourist hotel.
Self-aware stylishness shows itself
Venetian-style Locust Apartments, in the film crews you see everywhere
The best way to see SoBe's art deco with their arched gothic windows. and in the dress of the crowds,which
is still the way tourists did when it was Pick one of the many open-air cafes include sleek models in Panama hats,
new:by walking.You can amble along that spill out toward the beach,order a flowing dresses,elegantly crumpled
Ocean Drive under the coconut palms lemonade,and take a people-watching linen.Not surprisingly,Miami Vice's
and gaze at the facades:the peaches- break. You might see a family from cool,pastel style came from the art
and-cream Beacon hotel,with its rac- Ohio strolling past a bathing-suited deco look of today's South Beach,
ing stripes and ornamental plaques; couple from Italy,or a pair of senior which in turn took some of its architec-
th�le1 nautical blue-and-white Park Cen- Miamians sitting on a bench next to a tural inspiration from thirties movies.
100 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
T ..w
a__
A.
_^;rid ,
PRECEDING PAGES: Striking vision
1 i.
` in gold and lilac, the stream-
‘.. rettl
lined 1939 Marlin hotel epito-
t'.
"1.4-.-Ti-r mizes the flamboyant elegance
I of Miami's renovated Art Deco
• .i:: �1.
r Y • ¢ District. A thousand period
. 1 1101/v- .• .r 'R:1 buildings decorate South
�- W`" .•� Beach, including the pastel
�f-,,r ,
�.
a a t\g � •.� procession along sun-splashed
AelR`•� LI�3•, '114), �r t Ocean Drive (far left). Alfresco
:. lam.
fi` 4.41�', h 1 cafés lure local trendsetters—
.,/ ,-,1,: _ - -
i A -7p- like Tara Solomon (top left),
,`
�'� I , author of a society column and
/11
rrsl.!�
1 , t.. ? Im.. -s hostess of the weekly Martini
"" - .CClub—to the area's many ho-
r, tell. More traditional pastimes
1
( entertain senior residents (sec-
+: and from top), while fashion
-4,
•�''•i�\` R' Y4:. shoots (middle) profit from the
J .�
h', art deco settings and balmy
* 1
1, _ fir• subtropical weather. Nightlife
"24441
---------•�• along Ocean Drive assumes
"acle_ -.
• - , many guises, from chic black
w
,' e evening dress to live boa neck-
wear (second from bottom).
IT WAS BACK IN THE TWENTIES THAT t I On Art Deco Weekend, a Jan-
wealthy vacationers built oceanfront ".'
Mediterranean-style villas on the n, - • . uary festival of period music,
northern end of Miami Beach. In the '' -
thirties,despite the Depression and , . art, and theater, a modern-day
approaching war, middle-class visiilk
-
tors wanted their own,less grandiose Jimmy Durante may find him-
I place in the sun.The deco hotels were
the answer.They were "designed to self paired with a Mae West
lift the tourist from the gloom of the
Depression,"says Lawrence Dixon,Jr., look-alike(bottom).
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1994 101
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the son of L.Murray Dixon,one of the Register of Historic Places since 1979. sive for many of the elderly Jews,and
great designers who gave the Art Yet South Beach is only recently some have died or moved away,tak-
Deco District its unique look and feel. trendy. By the late sixties the entire ing with them a flavor—Yiddish on
South Beach became the country's area had gone dowdy,and by the sev- the street,ancient tanned bodies on
middle-class riviera, home to the enties crime had become a serious the beach—that many Miamians miss.
world's largest concentration of art problem.But in the early eighties the
deco architecture.Some 300 of its 1,000 inevitable gentrification began,the GRACEFUL CURVES AND GEOMETRIC
buildings have now been restored in a smart money driving out the Jewish shapes are the hallmark of art deco,
square mile of what was,only 80 years retirees on fixed incomes who for one of the first design styles of the
ago,an untamed barrier island.The years had predominated. 20th century.Designers cheerfully
district has been listed on the National Today's South Beach is too expen- applied it to anything from a cocktail
102 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
it
I-
I- A sculpture of a flying saucer
riPh I h 1 I nu '? (far left) hovers above guests
" ! at the bar of the 1938 Cleve-
O tL lander hotel. Decorative whims
WT
'L _
.�+ 4 , __'Millifiti..�. accent many of South Beach's
MN ` ,. la e i buildings, illustrating architec-
- lural styles that have equally
.., p c
whimsical names: zigzag
moderne, tropical deco, de-
pression moderne. The 1 935
•
_ Colony Hotel (top left), an ex-
•
' ' • 1 ample of streamline moderne,
1r • features "eyebrows" over its
i - 1-.,1
. '4 1 " _.7 _ l I
-'- "_vetel I 7 ■, windows and a zigzag bas-
7
f -i —i relief along the upper facade.
III i ni er amn
..10 ` Early art deco finds expression
n ' : It�l$11I
iit. at the 1937 Leslie hotel (mid-
.;; • s.,
s +. '� I Al dle). Here, canary yellow
A
,o� ''ii o
..` I 1 � II•r� "eyebrows" are balanced by
' r 11111111 TIM . IIIUI FI IIIb
ftV columns that designer Albert
Anis integrated into the
,° 1�:, ' facade. The Leslie's rich exte-
hI'I„.... hflh'lie El 1111111111111111111iii j riot is echoed in the lobby, a
� work of art in mahogany. For
NH....:,.....ab..- - i
vibrant colors, the Hotel Shel-
shaker to a cruise ship,a matchbook `x` ley (bottom) has few rivals.
cover to the Chrysler Building.South
Beach developed its own version: aH i_ . Such bold hues dismay preser-
fanciful pastiche of aerodynamic •kw-;, I--
curves,portholes,finned towers,rac- • .__� — vationists, who contend that
ing stripes,sleek cantilevered "eye- :'h/ (---
brows" shading the windows,motifs 1 the Art Deco District's original
11,
I from Aztec and Egyptian ruins,and ,!._.;
such moderne materials as glass block L b`- color scheme of whites and
Land stainless steel.
��
Originally called nautical moderne �_1r t pastels is being undermined.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1994 103
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Larger-than-life drama decorates the or streamline moderne,the style here Avenue from Pennsylvania.Prices are
was renamed tropical deco,reflecting higher than in the forties,of course.
11th Street Diner,a retro eatery tucked the tropical theme of palm trees,flow- And the colors of the buildings are
ers,dolphins,and flamingos.Law- more confectionery(originally,most
into two 1940s diner cars that were rence Dixon describes tropical deco were painted white or off-white,with
hotels as"light and airy,with a great perhaps a racing stripe),an innova-
hauled from Pennsylvania to Miami. deal of openness,and always beckon- tion credited to the late Leonard
ing the visitors to enjoy the romantic Horowitz,a leading preservationist
Owner Ray Schnitzer serves traditional mood of the breeze-cooled verandas, whose fanciful palette virtually de-
diner fare, from meat loaf to southern the wonderful dining rooms,and the fines the tropical deco revival.
swing bands playing." The best vantage point for viewing
fried chicken. South Beach has caught the buildings is the ocean's edge.Stroll
THE DECO STYLE IS SO VENERATED THAT along the beach at sunrise.Stand in
on as an international dining destina- Kentucky Fried Chicken built its South the cool surf and gaze back at the small
Beach store with a deco look,adding hotels,with the rosy glow of the sun
tion,with a new restaurant opening its fast food to the cosmopolitan fare that on their faces,a row of droll shapes
is more typical here. Within a few against the innocent blue sky. 0
doors almost every week. Some of the blocks are restaurants offering nou-
velle cuisine,Tuscan,American café, Miamian Jack McClintock is an award-
most popular are backed by celebri- Southwest chic,Cajun,Cuban,Mexi- winning magazine writer.Free-lance pho-
can,Spanish,sushi,kosher—and now tographer Paul Chesley has contributed to
ties,such as singer Gloria Estefan. a forties diner hauled to Washington 30 National Geographic projects.
104 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
•.
1 ORI VHO TRIIV { I_ ,,,,.., I S €
PLANNING YOUR TRIP few sidewalk tables.Specialties include tradi- •/%/jnv, I_p_iL 1 /r
Miami has subtropical weather,with average tional,home-style Cuban cuisine:picadillo(beefztr°k
winter temperatures in the 60s and 70s(F)and creole),palomilla steak,arroz con polio,flans, c _ Iv
„, E.bon
summer temperatures in the 80s.Prices tend to fried plantains,and mojito,the native Cuban
be higher in winter.This is a popular time for rum drink.AE,MC,V.$16-20. Hialeah
• Miami
conventions,so make hotel reservations early. LULU'S 1053 Washington Ave.;532-6147.Elvis
- u.. ,i inti. Beach each
–
Note:All telephone numbers listed below lives on at this second-story dining room filled ,, ill
have a 305 area code,unless otherwise indicated. with the King's memorabilia.Laid-back,funky, It
andpopular with locals;far from the crowds on ' '
Safety tips Due to the recent spate of violence loml
in Florida against tourists,especially foreign Ocean Drive.Southern cuisine:blackened local nr,a—
tourists,travelers are advised to use caution.Vis fish,fried chicken,country-fried steak,okra, —- ( enlarged ..,
itors centers and car-rental agencies at the air- corn bread,pecan pie,and Elvis's own fried
peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich.Small din- ,. r �- 2 Q "a
port will provide safety information.Travelers 1. , - C l Gables ) Q v
arriving at night should take a taxi to their hotel ing room and bar downstairs with country- _ \c _/1 Q O
Southern decor.MC,V.$14-16.
and pick up their rental car in the morning.The crowds make South Beach itself relatively safe. PACIFIC TIME 915 Lincoln Rd.;534-5979.Lo- ) i _ U ��� r'
For additional safety information,contact the cated in the heart of the art and theater district, � , o .t, I
Miami visitors bureau(see"For More Informs- South Beach's newest culinary hit specializes in
tion")or the state hotline(800-785-4465). Pacific Rim-inspired cuisine.Try cedar barbe- �r - ," ®Q` J
HOW TOGET THERE cued salmon with salted salmon rolls,or Chi- L– N- `/� O�� I
nese duck with fresh plum sauce and Peking – ^���i �h
By car Miami is the southern terminus of I-95. pancakes.Parking in rear.AE,MC,V.$30-35. f °.`�' #, .• ' =' COLLINS
By plane To Miami International Airport,ten ! / 4I�I PARK
miles west of Miami Beach.By train To the Lodgings r74SL�AW $-(�l Ate•''
Amtrak Station,8303 N.W.37th Ave.,Miami. The majority of refurbished art deco hotels are - i -
For Amtrak information,call 800-872-7245. located on Ocean Dr.and Collins Ave.The fol- III, I! °,CU:P C,
lowing are recommended by Felicia Levine, , i,re p \ j
THINGS TO SEE AND DO contributor to the Access Guide to Miami/South S o_ u f h \ °�'9
The Art Deco District,formally known as the Florida Rates are for a double room,unless ,__..1_ , ��,j 1,s' C
Miami Beach Architectural District,is located in otherwise indicated. \ 1'`! N
South Beach(SoBe).South Beach is at the south- LAFAYETTE HOTEL 944 Collins Ave.,33139; I o, 8 ea C L h Q
ern end of Miami Beach,which is an island just 673-2262.A 1930s Mediterranean-style hotel in IFLAMINGO f li =
east of downtown Miami. the heart of the deco district.The charming lobby , PARK Q
The best way to see the Art Deco District is is filled with wood furniture,hand-wrought a 3 i2*a• Q Art Deco
by foot or bicycle.The Art Deco Welcome Center iron,and original art by Latin artists.Friendly `< 1F, . - `' € Welcome Center
(1001 Ocean Dr.;672-2014)offers guided tours of owners provide bottled water and fresh flowers ' --"“&si a p s ci N
the area,along with memorabilia and literature, nightly to each of the 54 rooms.AE,DC,MC,V. co l, l: - Z
including the Miami Beach Art Deco Guide($10). $125-165(standard room),$155-245(suite).& E z Q
The welcome center is open Mon:Fri.10 a.m.-6 THE MARLIN 1200 Collins Ave.,33139;673- CO 4 n�S. c< d, - W
p.m.and Sat.10 a.m:2 p.m.Walking tours leave 8770.This Caribbean-style hotel,with a 1939 4c s a.sl. ' Il� Qlj
V
from there every Sat.at 10:30 a.m.and last 1% deco exterior,caters to a hip,well-heeled clien- r,sf,_s _ C/C, Q
hours.Two-hour bicycle tours,which start at tele.Noted for its recording studio.Twelve ,Liar Ir
Cycles on the Beach(713 Fifth St.;673-2055),are suites feature Jamaican,Caribbean,or all-white l ih p®O U
offered Sun.at 10:30 a.m.Fee for both tours; designs.The Shabeen restaurant serves excellent • WASH r,=r!
reservations required for bike tours only. Jamaican food.Portable phones,fax service <, 1---
SOUTH ~
available.AE,DC,DIS,MC,V.$200-215(studio), \f,� ��f,--- BEACH Z
PLACES TO EAT AND STAY PARK
$225-240(one bedroom),$310(two bedrooms). MIAMI seAcrl / �� Q
Restaurants MARINA ' 'e sl.
PARK CENTRAL IMPERIAL HOTEL 640 Lummus'-
Recommended byBob Hosmon,restaurant critic --
for South Florida agazine.The prices indicate Ocean Dr.,33139;538 1611 or 800 PARK CEN- island Q
the average cost of a three course dinner for one, TRAL.A vision in blue and white,this six-story
OINTE
including a nonalcoholic beverage,tax,and tip. 1930s hotel is one of Ocean Drive's tallest;the vARK
soaring lobby has two restaurant-bars.Great i
BANG 1516 Washington Ave.;531-2376.This spot to people-watch.Sunbathing on the rooftop Fisher island \�
popular celebrity haunt attracts a trendy crowd. terrace,pool on the street level.Its 112 rooms and ilil, II
Busiest after 9 p.m.Chef Geoffrey Murray was 8 suites have reproduction deco furniture,ceil-
named by Esquire as the"one to watch in 1993." ing fans,and historical photographs.AE,DC, specializes in Caribbean-flavored bistro fare;
International cuisine features Caribbean and MC,V.$60-125(standard room),$125-250(suite). outdoor dining on the terrace.Comedy Night
Pacific Rim dishes,such as chicken Antigua and THE RALEIGH 1775 Collins Ave.,33139;534- every Wednesday.The 73 rooms feature original
Indonesian-style grouper.Marked only by a 6300.Completed in 1940,the Raleigh is the only deco furniture,ceiling fans,voice mail.AE,DC,
small nameplate near the front door.Reserva- completely restored beachfront hotel in South MC,V.$50-75($90-125 in high season).
tions recommended.Dinner only.AE.$40-50. Beach.Stunning green,yellow,and burgundy ex-
BOOKING TABLE 720 Ocean Dr.;672-3476. tenor.Beautiful swimming pool and period-style FOR MORE INFORMATION
Popular people-watching site on a busy pedes- dining room.Handsome lobby bar serves potent For general information on Miami,contact the
trian street fronting the beach;indoor or covered cocktails.The Raleigh's 107 deco rooms are spa- Greater Miami Convention&Visitors Bureau,
sidewalk dining.Daily low-fat specials for cious,with TVs and CD players.AE,DC,MC,V. 701 Brickell Ave.,Suite 2700,Miami,FL 33137;
health-conscious diners.Menu includes ham- $149-219(standard room),$329-389(suite). 539-3000 or 800-283-2707.For information on the
burgers,grilled steaks,pastas,and salads.Best WINTERHAVEN HOTEL 1400 Ocean Dr., Art Deco District,contact the Miami Design
caviar buy in town.AE,DC,DIS,MC,V.$20-30. 33139;531-5571.Sporting a pastel facade with Preservation League,P.O.Bin L,Miami Beach,
LARIO'S ON THE BEACH 820 Ocean Dr.; window"eyebrows,"this 1939 deco hotel is FL 33119;672-2014,fax 672-4319.
532-9577.Owned by singer Gloria Estefan and popular with gays and Europeans.Centrally
her husband,Lario's serves the best Cuban food located across from the beach and near the All information is accurate as of press time.It is,
in South Beach.Large,casual dining room and a hottest clubs.The trendy Aqua Café(534-5288) however,subject to change.
MAP ALEX TAG/EOUATOR GRAPHICS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1994 105
BY THE WAY
Caboose Central
A microcosm of the world of rail awaits visitors at the AFD Toy- .
Train Village and Railway Museum in Massachusetts.
THIRTY-TWO YEARS AGO,WHEN ADOLF that once held a beverage called
Arnold went for a medical check- "Night Train Express," presumably
up,his doctor suggested that he find a because of its impact.
Places worth a pursuit that would help him relax. There is a whimsical order to this
Arnold chose a modest,conservative enormous trove of railroadiana,with
• • approach: He went out and bought models incorporated into dioramas
visit when you're two electric train sets and a table's that depict trains at Christmastime,
worth of track.It wasn't long,how- trains in the nursery,a wooden-train
in the vicinity ever,before conservatism went out workshop(complete with hammer-
i tapping elves),even a toy store with
-'1 vintage trains still in their original
u,. w, ens
�� �' - _ packaging. And there are plenty of
t ,gip I --- 'j ' .. ' ' e : buttons to push,making it possible
i ! t: C u
f ,i+ for visitors to activate overhead
` ' �` + j—' :/ trains,trains wending through a Ger-
' f �+ man village, and trains threading
r r�, a Mgrl" yk, ; ,tpli2XL
:�_ _,4 it to through fierce Indian-cowboy bat-
= ,� \ •, r • . „ tles.Some of the 46 exhibits,in illu-
'4\ j .:
\ ', urinated display cases,give a history_ ,a, '• of trains as popular toys from their
• .2..1—t ,c ,r___ L:,�• earliest days to thepresent. (A gift
L ,
� ��� 'a `", , ` shop carries train-related souvenirs,
\;,. � from train sets to rail accessories to
- .
`I' I \' '\' '--f °-t..;. M(. i ' ' collectible tin toys.)
,,! p , The culmination of any visit is the
�L ...�,; .� 34-foot "master layout," a computer-
controlled* • controlled extravaganza on six levels
s ( •
'`` ' .r 54, ' and in three gauges.Here 26 separate
,, trains zip across bridges and through
Isp
tunnels into forested countrysides
. gi with rail-switching yards, past a
— contemporary town,and by a Civil
War battlefield. At this museum,
Adolf Arnold surveys the 26-train you discover, toy trains can travel
"master layout,"a highlight at the the locomotive window. The recre- through time as well as space.
A&D village and museumational hobby burgeoned into today's The A&D enterprise(Adolf Ar-
A&D Toy-Train Village and Railway nold named it after himself and his
Museum,the main attraction in the son,Douglas)has turned into some-
small southeastern Massachusetts thing far more ambitious and compli-
town of Middleboro. cated than what the doctor ordered
It is normal for toy-train layouts in 1961.Still,when asked if,after all
to grow and spread, but this one these years,he still likes toy trains,
erupted—into a sprawling collection the proud founder and chief engineer
of thousands of cars,engines,and ac- replies with an immediate and un-
cessories from 20 countries,covering qualified"Oh,yes!"
every commercially produced toy- —WILLIAM G.SCHELLER
train gauge and dating back to 1850.
As if the trains and all their rail para- A&D Toy-Train Village and Rail-
phernalia weren't enough,the A&D way Museum,49 Plymouth St.,Mid-
exhibits also include a bewildering dleboro, MA 02346;508-947-5303.
variety of pop-culture artifacts with Open Sat.-Sun. year-round, daily
railroad motifs—everything from July-Aug. and late Nov.-early Jan.
soap to food packaging to a bottle Admission charge.
106 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
PNOfp(iFiAPN.PAS!LERNFA