Frommer's EasyGuide to Miami and Key West 2014

By David Paul Appell

Selling for a lower price than any similar guidebook, and deliberately limited to a short 256 pages, this EasyGuide is an exercise in creating easily-absorbed travel information. It emphasizes the authentic experiences in each destination:the most important attractions, the classic method of approaching a particular destination; the best choices for accommodations and meals; the best ways to maximize the enjoyment of your stay. Because it is "quick to read, light to carry", it is called an "EasyGuide", and reflects Arthur Frommer's lifetime of experience in presenting clear and concise travel advice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: FrommerMedia
• Release date: Nov 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781628870497

Book preview

1

THE BEST OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The bright lights and thumping clubs of Miami Beach; the vast, unspoiled expanse of Everglades National Park; and the back country of the Keys—South Florida has a little something for everyone. And don’t be fooled by the glammer-than-thou celebrity playground known as South Beach. While the chic elite do, indeed, flock to Miami’s coolest enclave, it’s surprisingly accessible to the average Joe. For every Philippe Starck–designed, bank account–busting boutique hotel on South Beach, there are Deco digs that are much less taxing on the pockets. For each pan-Mediterranean-Asian-fusion haute cuisine restaurant, there’s a down-home, no-nonsense Latin bodega serving up hearty fare at surprisingly cheap prices.

Beyond all the glitzy, Us Weekly–meets–beach blanket bacchanalia, Miami offers an endless number of sporting, cultural, and recreational activities to keep you entertained. Its variety of beaches includes some of America’s best. Plus, it has an array of shopping and nightlife activities including ballet, theater, and opera (as well as all the celebrity-saturated hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs that have helped make Miami so famous).

Leave Miami for the Keys or the Everglades, and you’re in for another one-of-a-kind experience, amid landscapes like no other in America. You walk (and drink) in the footsteps of Hemingway, get up-close and personal with the area’s sea life, soak up the serenity of unspoiled landscapes, and much more.

THE best SOUTH FLORIDA EXPERIENCES

Relishing the View from Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park: You haven’t truly seen South Florida until you’ve checked out the view from the southern point of Key Biscayne. Whether it’s the turquoise water or the sight of Stiltsville—seven still-inhabited aquatic cabins dating back to the 1930s, perched smack in the middle of the Biscayne Channel—it may take a little coercing to get you to leave. Go to Page.

Channeling Andy Warhol in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District: After waiting for years for this arty, funky area to come into its own, Miami’s hipsters and artists have finally been rewarded with a neighborhood—still on the raw, edgy side—of galleries, studios, and even a few cool bars, lounges, and restaurants that exude New York City’s SoHo vibe. See chapters 4 and 8.

Communing With Flipper at the Dolphin Research Center: Touch, swim, play, and even communicate with these engaging marine mammals at the nonprofit Dolphin Research Center in Marathon Key, home to a school of some 15 dolphins. Go to Page.

Canoeing the Everglades: The Everglades are Florida’s outback, resplendent in their swampy nature. The Everglades are best explored by slow-moving canoes, which offer an up-close and personal view of the area’s inhabitants, from alligators and manatees to raccoons and Florida panthers. See chapter 10.

THE best FOOD & DRINK EXPERIENCES

Unleashing Your Inner Gourmand in Miami’s Design District: The home of high-end furniture showrooms and interior design firms is also home to some of Florida’s most lauded eateries, such as Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. Michael’s Genuine is one of the hottest reservations in town, thanks to its locally sourced, organic seasonal cuisine, out-of-control desserts, buzzy bar scene, and colorful crowd.

Slowing Down on the Miami River: Some consider dining on the Miami River to be industrial chic, while others call it seedy in a Miami Vice sort of way. Either way, dining here will offer a soothing escape from the city’s hectic pace. Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish is an urban oasis of fresh seafood with lots of local flavor.

Noshing in Miami’s Little Havana: For the true, frenetic Miami Cuban experience, head to El Palacio de los Jugos for stick-to-your-ribs fare and sort-of-healthy fresh-squeezed juices. Or, very different but just as iconic, try Versailles, a garish Cuban diner filled with mirrors in which you can observe the colorful clientele who gather here for down-home Cuban cuisine and hearty conversation.

Experiencing Joe’s Stone Crab Restaurant: You will wait in line at Miami Beach’s landmark spot for crab, but it’s never dull, and the cacophony of mostly Northeastern U.S. accents and the occasional celebrity sighting will keep you entertained until you are seated for your crustacean feast. Dip medium, large, or jumbo crab into a tasty mustard-mayo sauce or just mustard, and save room for Key lime pie. Go to Page

Spending a Sunday at Alabama Jack’s: There is nothing like hanging out, chugging cheap beer, chowing down on conch fritters, and watching a bunch of sauced septuagenarians dressed like Hee Haw extras line-dancing to great live country music, all on a Sunday afternoon. Even better is the spectacular waterfront setting that makes you truly appreciate why you’re in Florida in the first place. Go to Page.

THE best WAYS TO SEE FLORIDA LIKE A LOCAL

Rummaging Through Other Peoples’ Treasures: A collector’s dream come true, Miami’s Wolfsonian is a treasure trove of sometimes quirky, often striking miscellany (for example, a matchbook that once belonged to the King of Egypt) and artifacts hailing from the propaganda age of World War II. Go to Page.

Strolling Through Little Havana: A walk through Little Havana is a fascinating study in the juxtaposition and fusion of two very vibrant cultures in which pre-Castro Cuba is as alive and well as the McDonald’s right next door. Go to Page.

Snorkeling in Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, Bahia Honda State Park: With 5.3 square miles of gorgeous coral reef, rock ledges up to 35 feet tall, and a colorful and motley marine community, you may never want to come up for air. Go to Page.

Foreplay at Miami’s Biltmore Golf Course, Biltmore Hotel: If it’s good enough for former President Clinton, it’s good enough for those of you who don’t travel with a bevy of Secret Service agents. But the real question is: Are you good enough for the course? The 6th hole is notoriously tough, with distracting water hazards among other difficulties. Nonetheless, it’s an excellent course with a picture-postcard setting. Go to Page.

Getting on the List at a Hot Miami Club: I despise velvet ropes and lists, but it’s what makes Miami’s nightlife what it is. And to experience it like a local, you need to be on a list. Ask your concierge, ask a friend, ask a stranger, but whatever you do, do not pay to get on these lists. It’s not worth it. For details, see chapter 9.

Hitting the Water: What freeways are to Los Angeles, the water is to South Florida. Getting out on the water—by boat, jet ski, kayak, or canoe—will offer a unique perspective on the Florida landscape—not to mention a tan.

Schmoozing with the Locals on Islamorada: Located right on the water alongside a bridge, Island Grill is the place locals go for fresh fish, views, and live music on any given day or night. Locals also gather at the Islamorada Fish Company for politics and gossip while enjoying stellar seafood and views.

Wearing Sunscreen: You can see Florida however you choose, but whatever you do, don’t forget the sunscreen. Bad sunburns are a dead giveaway that you’re a tourist. Even in nasty weather, the sun’s rays are still there.

THE best FAMILY EXPERIENCES

Airboating Through the Everglades: Kids who can’t slow down may do just that after they speed through the saw grass on an Everglades airboat. But it’s more than just speed, it’s an educational thrill ride, to say the least. Go to Page.

Flitting Around in Butterfly World: Kids will be enchanted by this magical Key West place where live, exotic, rainbow-hued butterflies dwell in acres of waterfalls, orchids, roses, tropical gardens, and more. Go to Page.

Riding the Carousel at Crandon Park’s Family Amusement Center: Catch a ride on the restored carousel, the centerpiece of the park’s new Family Amusement Center that includes an old-fashioned outdoor roller rink, dolphin-shaped splash fountain, and a host of marine play sculptures at the beachfront playground. Go to Page.

Exploring Jungle Island: You’ll need to watch your head here because hundreds of parrots, macaws, peacocks, cockatoos, and flamingos are flying above. Tortoises, iguanas, and a rare albino alligator are also on exhibit. A bit cheesy, but the kids love it. Go to Page.

Discovering Miami’s Museums: Aspiring rock stars can lay down tracks and play instruments at the working music studio, while future news anchors will love the re-creation of the TV studio at the Miami Children’s Museum. The Miami Science Museum explores the mysteries of the universe with hands-on exhibits and engaging live demonstrations.

Learning about Nature at Sea Grass Adventures: With Sea Grass Adventures, you can wade in the water on Key Biscayne with your guide and catch an assortment of sea life in the provided nets. At the end of the program, participants gather on the beach while the guide explains what everyone has just caught, passing the creatures around in miniature viewing tanks. Go to Page.

Playing Marco Polo in 820,000 Gallons of Water: The massive Venetian Pool is unlike any other pool out there, with its 820,000 gallons of water that are replaced every single night. For some parents, that’s enough said. Go to Page.

THE best OFFBEAT TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

Plunging Down to a Dive Bar: In May 2000, the legendary tequila company Cuervo celebrated Cinco de Mayo by submerging an actual, $45,000 full-size bar and six stools about 600 feet off South Beach’s First Street beach. For expert divers, Jose Cuervo Underwater Bar is more than your average watering hole. Go to Page.

Satisfying Your Morbid Curiosity on the Ghostly, Ghastly Vice & Crime Coach Tour. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression a sunny place for shady people? That’s Florida, but especially Miami, a haven for the likes of Al Capone to O. J. Simpson and a place where dubious characters have come to reinvent themselves. However, at times, they also tend to reincriminate themselves. See the spots where some of these crooks fell off the wagon—it’s morbidly delicious. Go to Page.

Admiring the Coral Castle: A crazed 26-year-old Latvian, suffering from the unrequited love of a 16-year-old who left him at the altar, moved to South Miami and spent the next 25 years of his life carving huge boulders into a prehistoric-looking roofless castle. Go to Page.

Experiencing Miami Duck Tours: Sure it’s touristy, but there’s something kinda fun about cruising around (on both land and water) in a Hydra Terra Amphibious Vehicle—and just wait till you’re driving down Ocean Drive and your guide asks everyone to quack. Go to Page.

Exploring the Key West Cemetery: This funky cemetery is the epitome of quirky Key West: irreverent and humorous. Many tombs are stacked several high, condo-style, because the rocky soil made digging 6 feet under nearly impossible for early settlers. Epitaphs reflect residents’ lighthearted attitudes toward life and death. I told you I was sick is one of the more famous, as is the tongue-in-cheek widow’s inscription At least I know where he’s sleeping tonight. Go to Page.

Sleeping Under the Sea at Jules’ Undersea Lodge: Originally built as a research lab, this small underwater compartment, which rests on pillars on the ocean floor, now operates as a two-room hotel. To get inside, guests dive under the structure, 30 feet down, and pop up into the unit through a 4×6-foot moon pool that gurgles soothingly all night long. The underwater suite consists of two separate bedrooms that share a common living area. Go to Page.

THE best HISTORIC EXPERIENCES

Remembering the Civil Rights Era: Virginia Key Beach Park is the former colored only beach that opened in 1945 and closed in 1982 because of high upkeep costs. After an $11-million renovation, the 83-acre historic site features picnic tables and grills, a new playground for children with special needs, and a miniature railroad. The beach eventually plans to open a civil rights museum as well. Go to Page.

Exploring the Art Deco District: A lot more than just pastel-colored buildings and neon, the Art Deco District is a Miami Beach landmark, and its preservation has been the passion of many. While a historic building may today house a Johnny Rockets, it’s what’s on the outside that really counts. See chapter 7.

Barnacle State Historic Site: Long before the condos invaded, Cracker-style houses were all the rage—well, pretty much the only game in town, actually. At the Barnacle sits Miami’s oldest house, complete with period furnishings that some would say are back in again. Go to Page.

Nike Hercules Missile Base HM-69: A product of decisions by President John F. Kennedy and his advisors that arose out of very real Cold War fears, this base was turned over to Everglades National Park in 1979 but not open to the public until 2009. From January to March, free ranger-led tours take visitors on a 90-minute driving and walking tour of the missile assembly building, barns where 12 missiles were stored, the guardhouse, and the underground control room. Go to Page.

Crane Point Hammock: This privately owned, 64-acre nature area is considered one of the Keys’ most important historic and natural sites, with what’s probably the last virgin thatch-palm hammock in North America, as well as a rainforest exhibit and an archaeological site with prehistoric Indian and Bahamian artifacts. Go to Page.

Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum: The writer’s handsome stone house, built in 1851 and designated a literary landmark by the American Library Association in 2010, was one of the first on the island to be fitted with indoor plumbing and a builtin fireplace. It also has the first swimming pool built on Key West (look for the penny that Papa pressed into the cement). The author owned the home from 1931 until his death in 1961. Go to Page.

Harry S. Truman Little White House: On vacation from the Big House, Truman discovered the serenity of Key West and made his escape to what became known as the Little White House, which is open to the public for touring. The house is fully restored and the exhibits document Truman’s time in the Keys. Go to Page.

THE best FREE EXPERIENCES

Taking in a Concert at the New World Center: This stunning, sonically stellar, $154-million Frank Gehry–designed training facility, performance space, and outdoor park is said by the New York Times to have the potential to be a game changer in classical music. About 15% of the music events at New World Center are free to the public, including its innovative outdoor wallcasts. Go to Page.

Exploring Artists’ Studios: Right on South Beach’s Lincoln Road, ArtCenter South Florida is free and open to the public, featuring dozens of resident artists doing their arty thing. Go to Page.

Taking In the Holocaust Memorial: This heart-wrenching memorial is hard to miss and would be a shame to overlook. The powerful centerpiece, Kenneth Treister’s A Sculpture of Love and Anguish, depicts victims of the concentration camps crawling up a giant yearning hand stretching up to the sky, marked with an Auschwitz number tattoo. Along the reflecting pool is the story of the Holocaust, told in cut marble slabs. Inside the center of the memorial is a tableau that’s one of the most solemn and moving tributes to the millions of Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust we’ve ever seen. Go to Page.

Discovering the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum: Among the permanent collection is a strong representation of American printmaking from the 1960s and 1970s, photography, pre-Columbian objects dating from A.D. 200 to 500, and a growing number of works by contemporary Caribbean and Latin-American artists. The museum is a Smithsonian affiliate and the only museum in South Florida to offer free admission daily. Go to Page.

Learning at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center: With 6,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, the Discovery Center depicts Florida Keys underwater and upland habitats—with emphasis on the ecosystem of North America’s only living contiguous barrier coral reef, which parallels the Keys. Kids dig the interactive yellow submarine, while adults seem to get into the cinematic depiction of an underwater abyss. Go to Page.

Being a Ranger for a Day with the Everglades Ranger Programs: More than 50 ranger programs, free with entry, are offered each month during high season and give visitors an opportunity to gain an expert’s perspective. They range from canoe and walking tours to birding and biking. Go to Page.

THE best BEACHES

For Nature and Tranquility: The beach at Bahia Honda State Park in Bahia Honda Key is one of the loveliest and most peaceful in Florida, located amid 635 acres of nature trails and even a portion of Henry Flagler’s railroad. Go to Page.

For Watersports: Hobie Beach, located on the south side of Key Biscayne’s Rickenbacker Causeway, is one of South Florida’s most popular beaches for watersports lovers, featuring jet ski, sailboat, windsurfing, and sailboard rentals; shade, if necessary, from the Australian pines; and an inspiring view of the downtown Miami skyline. Go to Page.

For People-Watching: Lummus Park Beach is world renowned, not necessarily for its sands, but for its location in Miami Beach’s South Beach neighborhood. Here, seeing and being seen (and, occasionally, the obscene) go hand in hand with sunscreen and beach towels. Go to Page.

For Nude Sunbathing: For that all-over tan, head to the north end of Haulover Beach, north of Miami Beach between Bal Harbour and Sunny Isles, nestled between the Intracoastal Waterway and the ocean. There’s also a gay nude section, as well as an area for volleyball in the buff. Go to Page.

For Seclusion: The producers of Survivor could convincingly shoot their show on the ultra-secluded, picturesque, and deserted Virginia Key, on Miami’s Key Biscayne, where people go purposely not to be found. Go to Page.

For Gay Beachgoers: In Miami, South Beach’s 12th Street Beach is the beach of choice for LGBT residents and travelers who come to show off just how much time they’ve spent in the gym and share news of upcoming parties and events. Often-times, this beach is the venue for some of the liveliest parties South Beach has ever seen. Go to Page.

For Kids: Miami’s Crandon Park Beach is extremely popular among families with kids because of the shallow water created by a neighboring sandbar. Features include good parking, picnic areas, a winding boardwalk, eco-adventure tours, and a multiethnic mix of families grilling, dancing, and relaxing. Go to Page.

2

MIAMI & THE KEYS IN DEPTH

Since the roaring ’20s, Miami and the Keys, along with the rest of South Florida, have been a playground for the rich, famous, and freezing. It took a handful of wealthy folk to begin the region’s transition from swamp to vacation destination. Tycoons Carl Fisher, Henry Flagler, and George Merrick get the credit for that, kick starting SoFlo’s fondness for development back in the ’20s. The land boom eventually busted, a hurricane destroyed what was started, then came the Great Depression, and they were back at square one. But not for long. As the economy rebounded, roadways improved, and frosty winter weather continued to weigh upon northerners, the bottom tip of Florida was once again on the radar of everyone from entrepreneurs and vacationers to those looking for a permanent vacation in warmer climates. Enter the age of the condo canyons. But condos and go-go development are far from the area’s only history, which stretches back to the Spanish colonial era and into pre-Columbian antiquity, making for an intoxicating blend of past and present.

MIAMI & THE KEYS TODAY

Like the calm after the storm, South Florida is coming out of its economic stupor, while not (yet) tempted back into the reckless abandon of the recent go-go years. Signs of that recklessness still hover over the skyline in high-rise condominiums, built for another economic time but filling up at an increasing rate. The hotel and restaurant industry, too, is seeing both investment and demand starting to hum again.

While the hyper-luxury condo/hotel craze has thankfully died down for the time being—with even a formerly rabid Donald Trump wiping the foam of avarice off his face and backing off from his original aim to conquer every remaining sliver of South Florida beachfront—there’s still a big market for luxury, especially in these parts where the Bentleys and Rolls-Royces that weren’t repo-ed still fill the valet slots of some of the region’s highest-grossing restaurants.

Like the Energizer Bunny, South Beach had managed to keep chugging along despite a bit of a slowdown, and more recently some of its earlier swagger and sizzle has even been returning, with high-profile openings like the SLS Hotel, H&M department store, and (further silencing those who considered the words culture and Miami in the same sentence to be oxymoronic) the magnificent, multi-multi-million-dollar Frank Gehry-designed New World Center.

Meanwhile, over on the mainland, downtown, Wynwood, Midtown Miami, Coral Gables, and Biscayne Boulevard’s Upper East Side have continued to see strengthening and new establishments opening, but Coconut Grove, the once thriving nucleus of bohemian activity in Miami, has been seeing more FOR RENT, FOR SALE, and GOING OUT OF BUSINESS signs than peace signs (or more importantly for many, dollar signs).

The Florida Keys, too, after having been hit hard by the mistaken belief that it was awash in tar balls from the 2010 BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (one charter boat company in the Keys even sued the oil company for creating the perception of oil from the spill when it, in fact, didn’t even exist yet in the Keys), have been bouncing back, with an assist from the fact that the recession made things more affordable, be it hotel rates or even real estate.

And speaking of real estate, the new Miami boom vacuuming up the leftover surplus of the recession has largely been fueled by cash-carrying foreigners from Russia, Brazil, and elsewhere in Latin America. While $5 million for an oceanfront penthouse may be no bargain for the rest of us, for those who can afford not to ask how much, it is a downright deal. Bolstering South Florida’s reputation as a sunny place for shady people, one local newspaper article reported that personal income there jumped 4.2% in recent years despite the fact that no one down there seems to actually work.

Up next: two huge tourism projects that will remake large swaths of key Miami neighborhoods. At press time, the Miami Beach city commission was mulling over competing bids in South Beach (one involving the firm of famed Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas) for a $1.1-billion contract to redevelop a 52-acre zone with the city’s convention center at its core, adding a hotel, parks, gardens, cultural facilities, offices, shops, restaurants, and apartments, but the deal is likely to end up being put to a voter referendum in November, with actual project completion still several years off.

Meanwhile, across the MacArthur Causeway, in 2011 Asian gambling giant Genting had plunked down $236 million in cash for the Miami Herald’s waterfront headquarters downtown and announced plans for a glitzy micro-Vegas—a 14-acre, $3.8 billion casino-and-four-hotel complex. One small problem: the state of Florida doesn’t allow casinos outside of Native American reservations. So Genting lobbied the legislature to the tune of millions—and amazingly, came up short. Meanwhile, back in Miami, while many locals saw dollar signs from the proposed project, many others saw overdevelopment red; as of mid-2013, plans had been scaled back to just a luxury hotel, condos, shops, restaurants, and a park, with an option to add a casino if Genting can finally wheedle one out of Tallahassee lawmakers (naturally they haven’t given up).

And so it goes—the eternal dance of tourism, money, and politics. One thing seems amply clear though: The engine of Miami and the Keys that is the tourism industry may have been temporarily slowed by the economic bust, but such is the drawing power of this region. Our visitors and what we can offer them will continue to be a huge and probably decisive part of this region’s future—at least until climate change puts us all underwater.

THE MAKING OF MIAMI & THE KEYS

South Florida’s Swampy Beginnings

Florida never had dinosaurs because back in dino days, this peninsula was underwater, first coming into existence as a landmass around 30 million years ago as sand and seashell sediments created marshland that gradually solidified into (mostly) dry land. Then during the later ice ages, local fauna came to include mammoths, mastodons, saber tooth cats, Pleistocene horses, bison, and giant ground sloths. People came later still, of course—some 14,000 to 15,000 years ago. Here in South Florida, in 1998, archaeologists discovered a slew of artifacts on a riverside/bayside site in downtown Miami now known as the Miami Circle, determining that they dated back at least 2,000 years, from the Calusa or Tequesta tribes.

The post-Archaic cultures of eastern and southern Florida developed in relative isolation, and it’s likely that the peoples living in those areas at the time of first European contact were direct descendants of the inhabitants of the areas in late Archaic times.

Spanish Rule & Native-American Culture

Spanish explorers of the early 16th century were likely the first Europeans to interact with the native population of Florida. The first documented encounter came with the first expedition of Juan Ponce de León to Florida in 1513, although they came across at least one native who spoke Spanish. In 1521, they encountered the Calusa Indians, who established 30 villages in the Everglades and successfully resisted European conquest—for a while, at least.

The Spaniards recorded nearly 100 names of groups they encountered. Tribes in South Florida at the time of first contact included the Tequesta, who lived on the southeast coast of the Everglades. Not surprisingly, all of these tribes ended up dwindling in numbers during the period of Spanish control of Florida.

The Seminole, originally an offshoot of the Creek people who absorbed other groups, developed as a distinct tribe in Florida during the 18th century, and are now represented in the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, whose presences are alive and well today.

And Then There Was Miami

It wasn’t long after Florida became the 27th state in the union (in 1845) that Miami began to emerge as a city—or somewhat of one. During the war, the U.S. created Fort Dallas on the north bank of a river that flowed through southern Florida. When the soldiers left, the fort became the base for a small village established by William H. English, who dubbed it Miami, from the Indian word Mayami, meaning big water.

In 1822, the Homestead Act offered 160 acres of free land to anyone who would stay on it for at least 5 years. Edmund Beasley bit, and in 1868 moved into what is now Coconut Grove. Two years later, William Brickell bought land on the south bank of the Miami River and Ephraim Sturtevant took over the area called Biscayne. In 1875, his daughter Julia Tuttle visited him and fell in love with the area, although not returning for another 16 years, when she would further transform the city.

In the meantime, Henry Flagler, who made a $50-million fortune working with John Rockefeller in the Standard Oil Company, came to Florida in the late 1800s because he thought the warm weather would help his wife’s frail health. After moving to the area, Flagler built a railroad all the way down the east coast of Florida, stopping in each major town to build a hotel. Another railway honcho, Henry Plant, laid his tracks from Jacksonville to Tampa.

When her husband died in 1886, Julia Tuttle decided to leave Cleveland for Florida and asked Plant to extend his railroad to Miami. Plant declined, so Tuttle went to Flagler, whose own railroad stopped 66 miles away in what is now known as Palm Beach. Flagler laughed at Tuttle’s request, saying he didn’t see what Miami had to offer in terms of tourism.

After a devastating winter that killed all crops north of the state, Tuttle sent Flagler a bounty of orange blossoms to prove that Miami did, indeed, have something to offer. After Tuttle agreed to give Flagler some of her land along with William Brickell’s, Flagler agreed to extend the railway. When the first train arrived in Miami on April 15, 1896, all 300 of the city’s residents showed up to see it. Miami had arrived, and the tourist bureau began touting the city as the sun porch of America, where winter is turned to summer.

Unlocking the Keys

No one knows exactly when the first European set foot on one of the Florida Keys, but as exploration and shipping increased, the islands became prominent on nautical maps. The nearby treacherous coral reefs claimed many lives. The chain was eventually called keys, from the Spanish cayos, meaning small islands. In 1763, when the Spaniards ceded Florida to Britain in a trade for the port of Havana, an agent of the king of Spain claimed that the islands, rich in fish, turtles, and mahogany for shipbuilding, were part of Cuba, fearing that the English might build fortresses and dominate the shipping lanes.

The British realized the treaty was ambiguous, but declared that the Keys should be occupied and defended as part of Florida. The British claim was never officially contested. Ironically, Britain gave the islands back to Spain in 1783 to keep them out of the hands of the United States, but in 1821, all of Florida, including the necklace of islands, officially became American territory.

Many of the residents of Key West were immigrants from the Bahamas, known as Conchs (pronounced Conks), who arrived in increasing numbers after 1830. Many were descendants of Loyalists who fled to the nearest crown soil during the American Revolution.

In the 20th century, quite a few Key West residents started referring to themselves as Conchs, and the term is now applied to everyone who lives on the island. In 1982, Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys briefly declared their independence as the Conch Republic in a protest over a United States Border Patrol blockade. This blockade, set up on U.S. 1 where the northern end of the Overseas Highway meets the mainland at Florida City, was in response to the Mariel Boatlift, a mass emigration of Cubans to Miami during a 6-month period in 1980. A 17-mile traffic jam ensued while the Border Patrol stopped every car leaving the Keys, supposedly searching for Cubans attempting to enter the mainland United States, and in the process paralyzing the Keys. The Conch Republic Independence Celebration has been marked with parties, parades, and of course copious drinking every April 23rd since.

Recognizing the River of Grass

Thanks to the obsessive campaign of the Everglades’ foremost supporter, landscape architect Ernest F. Coe, Congress passed a park bill in 1934. Dubbed by opponents as the alligator and snake swamp bill, the legislation stalled during the Great Depression and World War II. Finally, on December 6, 1947, President Harry Truman dedicated the Everglades National Park. In that same year, writer and activist Marjory Stoneman Douglas published The Everglades: River of Grass. She understood its importance as the major watershed for South Florida and as a unique ecosystem.

THE LAY OF THE LAND

Because the population of South Florida is largely confined to a strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Everglades, the Miami Urbanized Area (that is, the zone of contiguous urban development) is about 110 miles long (north to south), but never more than 20 miles wide, and in some areas only 5 miles wide. South Florida is longer than any other urbanized area in the United States except for the New York metropolitan area. It was the eighth most densely populated urbanized area in the United States in the 2000 census. As of that census, the urbanized area had a land area of 1,116 square miles, with a population of 4,919,036, for a population density of 4,407.4 per square mile. Miami and Hialeah (the second-largest city in the metropolitan area) had population densities of more than 10,000 per square mile. The Miami Urbanized Area was the fifth-largest urbanized area in the United States in the 2000 census, ahead of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, Texas, Urbanized Area.

In 2010, the area, including Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, had an estimated 5,564,635 persons; this after, for the first time in more than 60 years, the state experienced a net loss of approximately 58,000 people in 2009. According to Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the state, once the fifth cheapest state to live in, had become the 14th most expensive. Optimists predict a positive trend for long-term growth in the state, other indicators are starting to support this, such as unemployment, which by early 2013 had dropped to its lowest rate since 2008, and even lower than the national average; housing values in Miami-Dade were also back on the rise.

Economics aside, it’s also finally starting to sink in that there are other pressing issues to be dealt with. Though our current right-wing governor Rick Scott refuses to believe it, scientists have observed changes in Florida consistent with the early effects of global warming: retreating and eroding shorelines, dying coral reefs, saltwater intrusion into inland freshwater aquifers, an upswing in forest fires, and warmer air and sea-surface temperatures. As glaciers melt and warming waters expand, sea levels will rise anywhere from 8 inches to 2½ feet over the next century. In Florida, seawater will advance inland as much as 400 feet in low-lying areas, flooding shoreline homes and hotels, limiting future development, and eroding the state’s beloved beaches. People aren’t kidding when they say that one day, Florida will be under water.

DATELINE

1980Race riots tear apart Miami. The Mariel Boatlift brings 140,000 Cubans to Florida. The Miami Seaquarium celebrates its 25th anniversary.

1983Thirty-eight overseas highway bridges from Key Largo to Key West are completed under the Florida Keys Bridge Replacement Program.

1984The Miami Metro Rail, the only inner-city, elevated rail system in Florida, begins service in May.

1986Treasure hunter Mel Fisher continues to salvage vast amounts of gold and silver from his discovery of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank in 1622 during a hurricane off Key West. The TV series Miami Vice continues to capture the nation’s imagination, revitalizing interest and tourism for South Florida.

1987U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicate that Florida has surpassed Pennsylvania to become the fourth most populous state in the nation. The ranking will not become official until the bureau publishes its report in early 1988. It is predicted that Florida will be the third most populous state by the year 2000.

1990Panama’s governor Manuel Noriega is brought to Miami in January for trial on drug charges. Joe Robbie, Miami Dolphins founder, dies in January.

1991Queen Elizabeth II visits Miami. Five Navy bombers found by treasure salvagers are determined not to be the Lost Squadron of Bermuda Triangle fame that went down in 1945 off the coast of Florida. Miami and Denver are awarded new national Major League Baseball franchises. The 1990 federal census puts Florida’s population at 12,937,926, a 34% increase from 1980.

1992Homestead and adjacent South Florida are devastated on August 24th by the (then) costliest natural disaster in American history, Hurricane Andrew, requiring billions in aid. There were 58 deaths directly or indirectly related to Andrew. The hurricane destroyed 25,000 homes and damaged 10,000 others. Twenty-two thousand federal troops were deployed. Shelters housed 80,000 residents.

Among African Americans elected to Congress was Carrie Meek of Miami. Sixty-six in 1993, her political career saw her elected first to the Florida House of Representatives, next the Florida Senate, and then the U.S. House of Representatives.

1993Janet Reno, state attorney for Dade County (Miami) for 15 years, is named attorney general of the U.S. by President Bill Clinton; Reno is the first woman to serve in this position in U.S. history. Although a pro-choice Democrat, she managed to win reelection four times in a conservative stronghold, the last time without opposition.

1996Miami turns 100.

2000Florida became the battleground of the controversial 2000 U.S. presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush (whose brother, Jeb Bush, was Florida’s governor). A count of the popular votes held on Election Day was extremely close (in favor of Bush) and mired in accusations of fraud and manipulation. Subsequent recount efforts degenerated into arguments over mispunched ballots, hanging chads, and controversial decisions by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris and the Florida Supreme Court. Ultimately, the United States Supreme Court ended all recounts and let stand the official count by Harris, which was accepted by Congress.

2003The Florida Marlins win the World Series.

2004George W. Bush wins the presidential election again. His brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, celebrates in the state capital, Talahassee.

2006The Miami Heat wins the NBA championship.

2007Jeb Bush vacates the governor’s office, which is taken over by Charlie Crist, another Republican.

2008Florida continues to be