What better time to experience SoBe's neon-drenched Art Deco District than at sunset?
The Miami Design Preservation League's 90-minute tour treks a few blocks west to Washington, back to Collins, then a long meander up and down Ocean Drive. We did the hike during holiday week, so the crowds were dense (both our tour group and the always-lively street scene).
Our tag-team tour guides were well-informed about the sprawling history of Art Deco. They did a valiant job despite faulty personal sound systems, as they successfully escorted 30 people across Ocean Drive while dodging Segways, cellphone-yakking bladers & Ferraris.
We learned about various forms of Art Deco: early Miami Beach, Mediterranean Revival, Tropical, Streamlined Modern, MiMo, etc. We saw different building styles and materials, such as the A-B-A format, terrazzo, glassblock & jellyfish lighting. We discovered frozen fountains, eyebrows and hidden murals with crouching gators. My wife especially enjoyed peeking into the lobbies of many Ocean Drive classics.
The guides shared dramas, such as the batttle of wills & egos of Hohauser and other early architects, Versace's murder, the heroic efforts of preservationists.
I would have liked to venture further west, and hear more about the bold typefaces used in the hotel sigs. The guides may have dwelled a bit long on Mediterranean Revival for my taste, and their crackly mics didn't do their expertise justice.
But this is a terrific tour - I'll see South Beach with a keener eye now - especially as the sun sets and neon begins to glow.
Відповідь від хоста
Jan 2012
Thank you for your review! We are so happy you enjoyed the tour. We apologize for the sound and would like to mention that normally our microphones work great. Unfortunately, the day you took the tour, the microphone in use broke. This normally does not happen.