DISTANCE: 4 miles (6.4km)
TIME: 1.5 hours without stops
START: Hotel Urbano
END: Brickell Key Park
POINTS TO NOTE: Although this is a relatively short walk in terms of distance, allow plenty of time if you want to explore Simpson Park, the galleries, or The Shops at Mary Brickell Village. This is a good afternoon walk, so you can end it as the sun goes down over Biscayne Bay.
Many US downtowns can be blandly dull, especially at night when all the workers have commuted back to the suburbs. Not so in Miami’s Brickell, which is as lively at night as it is busy during the day. Many of the younger workers here, pulling in hefty pay packets, choose to live in high-rise condos and apartments close to where they work. Miami has the highest concentration of international banks in the US, and over 30,000 people live in the Brickell part of Downtown. This has naturally resulted in restaurants and bars springing up to cater to the well-heeled residents, along with shops and art galleries.
The Brickell skyline
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Brickell Avenue Art Galleries
This walk starts at the Hotel Urbano Art Gallery 1 [map] (2500 Brickell Avenue; tel: 305-854-2070; www.hotelurbanomiami.com; open access), one of the many hotels in town that doubles up as an art gallery. The hotel displays one-off, colorful works by local artists, and each season the Cuban-American artist William Braemer curates a new collection for display on the walls. If you stay at the Urbano then all the guest rooms showcase their own exclusive art works too.
Turn left out of the Urbano. Walking northeast along the pleasant tree-lined Brickell you wouldn’t believe you were in the heart of a financial district. To your right are some high-rise condos, which have fabulous views over the bay on the other side. Cross over to the far side to reach the exclusive Alfa Gallery (1627 Brickell Avenue; tel: 305-804-8685; www.alfa-gallery.com; Mon−Fri 10am−6pm, Sat 10am−8pm). This is one of the best galleries in the city, representing some of Miami’s leading artists whose work can be seen in places like the Pérez Art Museum Miami (for more information, click here) and the Bass Museum of Art (for more information, click here) as well as in museums across the US and around the world. This large, light and airy gallery also enjoys bay views from the rear of the building.
Simpson Park
Turn right out of the gallery and if you’re hungry right again along SE 15th Road to Obba Sushi, see 1. If not, then turn left on SE 15th Road instead to come to Simpson Park 2 [map] (5 SW 17th Road; tel: 305-859-2867; www.miamigov.com/parks/simpson.html; daily 8am−5pm). This is more of a small wood in the center of the city, and a lovely place to stroll in. Its full name is Simpson Park Hammock; a hammock is a term used in the southeastern US for a stand of trees, usually hardwood, that somehow stand apart from the ecological area around them. One such hammock originally ran from the Miami River south to Coconut Grove, and a section of it is preserved here in Simpson Park, named after conservationist Charles Torrey Simpson who lived in Miami for many years and had a stretch of hammock in his back garden.
A quiet lane in Simpson Park
Peter W. Cross/Visit Florida
Return along SE 15th Road and take the first right due north on SW 1st Avenue. If you turn right on SW 13th Street you can get a quick bite at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, see 2. Or if you turn right along SW 12th Street you’ll find Brickell Bikes (70 SW 12th Street; tel: 305-373-3633; www.brickellbikes.com; Mon−Fri 10am−7pm, Sat 10am−6pm), a bike rental place that’s worth knowing about if you’re staying in the area and want to explore on two wheels. Otherwise continue north on SW 1st and turn right on SW 10th Street. On your right is the RedBar Brickell (52 SW 10th Street; tel: 786-316-0303; www.facebook.com/redbarbrickell; Sun−Thu 5pm−3am, Fri−Sat 5pm−5am). This is archetypal Brickell: a combination of a restaurant, a bar serving inventive cocktails and craft beer, a venue for comedy nights, and an art gallery. If it’s before 5pm though you’ll have to content yourself with The Shops at Mary Brickell Village 3 [map] (901 S Miami Avenue; tel: 305-381-6130; www.marybrickellvillage.com; Mon−Sat 10am−9pm, Sun noon−6pm) across the road. This small upscale shopping mall has chic boutiques, jewelers, a gym, spas, and restaurants. A good choice for all-American food here is the Burger and Beer Joint, see 3.
Brickell bangles
Leslie Joy Ickowitz/Visit Florida
Leave on the far, north, side. Go right to S Miami and turn left to walk north to SW 8th Street. Take a right here to walk east. At Brickell Avenue cross over and turn left. On your right is the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau 4 [map] (701 Brickell Avenue # 2700; tel: 305-539-3000; www.miamiandbeaches.com; Mon−Fri 8.30am−5pm), a great chance to call in for information about the rest of your time in Miami.
The River Walk Trail
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River Walks
Walk north on Brickell all the way to the river where you turn right onto the River Walk Trail. This pleasant walk takes you past the Miami Circle, an archaeological site where holes in the bedrock provide evidence of a prehistoric structure, possibly a permanent Tequesta Indian settlement, though neither this nor its actual date is yet known for sure. It may be anything up to 2,000 years old.
Beyond this is Brickell Point, which is close to the Cantina La Veinte, see 4, if you’re in the mood for Mexican. The trail swings south and follows the water all the way to Brickell Key Drive where you turn left to cross the bridge to the manmade Brickell Key. Turn right when you reach Brickell Key Drive to end the walk in Brickell Key Park (Brickell Key Drive; tel: 305-416-1361; open access). This is only a small urban park with grassy areas and walkways, but it does offer fantastic views of Biscayne Bay, the Port of Miami, and south to Virginia Key and Key Biscayne (for more information, click here). If you can time your walk to end here as the sun is setting, all the better.
Food and Drink
1 Obba Sushi
200 SE 15th Road; tel: 305-856-9016; http://obbasushi.com; daily L and D; $$
This smart sushi place at Brickell Harbor offers an array of soups, including scallops soup and miso soup, salads including a spicy octopus salad, and a wide range of sushis, sashimis, and main courses such as chicken teriyaki and lemon sea bass.
2 Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
34 SW 13th Street Unit R1; tel: 305-400-8915; www.gyu-kaku.com/miami; daily L and D; $$
The Miami branch of this nationwide chain has a smart-casual look with rows of usually busy tables. An easy option if you’re really hungry is the all-you-can-eat menu or at lunch a 2-course or 3-course menu, or you can pick and mix dishes like miso chili wings, Kobe-style beef or chicken garlic noodles.
3 Burger and Beer Joint
The Shops at Mary Brickell Village, 900 S Miami Avenue #130; tel: 305-523-2244; http://bnbjoint.com; daily L and D; $$
At this burger heaven you can build your own burger or choose from their range of signature or gourmet burgers, each accompanied by a craft beer recommendation. Leave room for an adult shake dessert cocktail too.
4 Cantina La Veinte
495 Brickell Avenue; tel: 786-623-6135; www.cantinala20.com; daily L and D; $$$
This colorful and smart restaurant is run by young chef Santiago Gomez, who serves up contemporary Mexican cuisine with dishes such as a Mexican shrimp and tangy chile guajillo soup, oysters Rockefeller, and a wide choice of dishes to share.