Sittin’ on the dock of Biscayne Bay
The farther south you go in Miami Beach, the more vivacious it becomes. In the North, Haulover Beach attracts nudists working on their full body tans. The luxe shops at Bal Harbour lure wealthy customers from all over the world, while farther south, the Hasidic neighborhoods on Arthur Godfrey Road offer unique kosher cuisine, like a pareve chili cheese hot dog at House of Dog. Twenty-fourth Street marks the northern border of South Beach, and the transition is instantly noticeable. Art Deco buildings start popping up on every block; hotels and nightclubs, like the Clevelander and Story, dominate the bustling sidewalks of the avenues. But at the southern tip of Miami Beach, the commotion all but stops.
While most pedestrians push their way shoulder to shoulder along Ocean Drive and through Lummus Park, a quieter refuge lies just blocks away, at South Pointe Park. Originally opened in 1979, South Pointe was overhauled in 2009 by Hargreaves Associates, a San Francisco-based landscape architecture firm, turning it into a modern masterpiece of urban planning.
Info
Address 1 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, 33139, +1 305.673.7779, www.miamibeachfl.gov/parksandrecreation/scroll.aspx?id=57993 | Hours Daily sunrise–10pm | Tip One of the country’s best steakhouses, Smith and Wollensky (1 Washington Ave), is on South Pointe Park’s grounds. Eat your steak al fresco and watch the ships roll in and out of port.
Where Lummus Park is a place to be seen, South Pointe Park is a place to see. The park’s cutting-edge contemporary design is felt immediately upon entering. A promenade along Government Cut, lined with brushed-chrome lampposts, offers a uniquely up-close view of every type of boat imaginable floating through the inlet. Winding sidewalks on a hill at the park’s center also feature a state-of-the-art amphitheater and a brilliant panorama, stretching from the beaches that border the Art Deco District to the docks at the Port of Miami, all seen from a rare elevated vantage point. The new 45-foot pier juts out into the Atlantic, punctuating the southern end of Miami Beach’s eastern shoreline. Open every day from sunrise to sunset, it’s the perfect place to cast a line or pause to take in the view.
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