Hailing from Calgary, where any public art is debated, mocked, and defended, to see the art and beauty in Miami so ubiquitous – to the point it becomes background noise – is quite the contrast. Case in point: hotels.

Upon my arrival to the Florida ville, I had a quick tour of the historic National Hotel. Located in South Beach’s celebrated Art Deco neighbourhood, they recently renovated with 116 newly built city and direct ocean-view guestrooms in the historic tower, as well as 36 luxurious cabanas and suites, skirted alongside native tropical palm trees and Miami Beach’s longest infinity-edge pool. Thanks to hotel management, our group of writers did get a tour of one of the cabanas facing the pool. The design of the room could be called "Dixie Wetsworth from ‘Cabana Chat’ on MadTV meets Edith Prickly from SCTV" as they were a bit heavy on the leopard and animal patterns, yet the look was pulled off with hints of style and opulence.

Unfortunately, due to my late evening arrival and exhaustion from the flight, the National’s architecture didn’t register as much as it should have, especially after viewing their website’s gallery of pictures. I would have loved to have had the time to see it during the day. A somewhat close comparison of a hotel, built around the same time and in the same area, would be the Tides South Beach. On our walking tour of South Beach (see below) it was a hotel whose exterior definitely caught my eye, and rightly so, given its nickname ‘The Diva of Ocean Drive’.

A newer hotel we toured, W South Beach, made up in artwork what it lacked in history. Yes, I know...most hotels have artwork, it’s nothing exciting – except when the works are Andy Warhols. In addition, many of their public areas were stocked with art and uniquely designed furniture; essentially a decadent touch of surrounding guests with art. On some level, immersing yourself in art and experiencing the architecture of a place like the South Beach instills the feeling you are walking through art and, by extension for a moment, have become part of it.

One of the highlights of the trip, both for me and our group of writers, was the Art Deco District Walking tour. It’s an introduction to Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern (MiMo), found in the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District.

Started in the mid-1970s, the founders of the MDPL worked to identify a concentration of 1930s buildings in South Miami Beach the group felt could be a historic district of 20th Century architecture. By the late ’70s, this area known as the "Art Deco District" or "Old Miami Beach", was recognized as the U.S.A.’s first 20th  Century Historic District, after being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As historic places sometimes attract those in touch with culture, consequently, it has seen its share of renowned artists like Andy Warhol, Bruce Weber, Chirsto and Jeanne-Claude. It was used as the backdrop for many episodes of the 1980’s TV series Miami Vice, fashion photo shoots, and in movies like Robin William’s The Birdcage. To a certain degree, this neighbourhood has become ingrained in our ‘cultural subconscious’; walking through it you feel flashes of familiarity.

Our tour mostly touched on styles of architecture (Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, and Miami Modern a.k.a. "MiMo") and the great thing about the tour – especially as it hugged Ocean Drive – is that we really didn’t have far to walk to discover, photograph, and discuss the different styles and the history behind it.

Our guide, Rick Baugher, was well versed on the history of the buildings, and also the history of the community itself; how back in the 1980s and 1990s, it was very much the gay neighborhood. "We were actually referred to as the Greenwich Village of the South... because it was very, very gay. I was here and there were 11 gay bars. We ran this place. It was really amazing... then the millennium came and changed things."

After 2010, there was a lot more integration with the straight community, some conflict, and sadly, large portions of the gay community migrated to Fort Lauderdale. From 11 it’s now down to two gay bars. There are ‘gay friendly establishments’, but only the two fully gay bars, Twist and Score. It’s a sad yet familiar refrain heard from many cities with shrinking LGBT neighbourhoods.

For this event, I really regretted having to follow a timetable. I always find museums and art galleries reflective places: even if I don’t "get" all the artwork within, I always enjoy what the artists are trying to communicate in their works. Visiting the PAMM was amazing; having only a few hours to experience the reflective nature of art was not.

Located downtown in Museum Park, Pérez Art Museum Miami is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting modern and contemporary art of the 20th and 21st centuries. The PAMM also boasts an attached restaurant – Verde – which, sadly, we did not get a chance to dine at. A pity because, besides the sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, the food was rumoured to be quite good. I would guess if you really had the time, the best way to experience the PAMM would be to leisurely saunter through the exhibits for two to three hours and then enjoy a slow meal at the restaurant. Some other time, I hope.

Finally, my weekend ended in a blast of music, fashion and colour at the late night Macy’s Men Music Fashion at ICON Nightclub. Armed with two cameras, I was disappointed I couldn’t get any better shots of Taryn Manning ("Pennsatucky") from Orange is the New Black performing. I did get lots of photos of the various drag superstars modelling, and some of the men... I’m not sure I know what they were modelling, because I was enjoying the spectacle too much. All I can remember is bright colours, fantastic styles, and shirtless men which, if not the main theme of my Miami trip, was certainly a significant part of it.

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Contributor Evan Kayne |

Locale Miami |

Topic Travel | Accommodation and Lodging | Arts |

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