Miami Advice

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the AAO returns to a live annual session May 21-24. COVID-19 is still making its presence felt, since this year’s meeting was originally scheduled for Honolulu; when the state of Hawaii reserved the convention center for health services, however, the association had to scramble. Sticking with an ocean setting, the AAO decided to return to Miami Beach for the first time in more than 50 years.

Late May can be warm and humid in Florida, with average highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 70s. Be prepared for afternoon thunderstorms, which can sometimes be severe.

Remember that Miami Beach is not Miami proper, but an artificially enhanced island accessed by bridges from the city. Miami International Airport is still fairly close, with taxi fares at a flat $35 and shared vans about $20 one way. There is also an express bus for only $2.25, departing every half hour from the airport Metrorail station, which is reached by a short tram ride on the MIA Mover. The Mover (accessed on the third level of the terminal, between the Dolphin and Flamingo garages) also connects to the Rental Car Center. Metrorail does not extend to Miami Beach, but has two lines running north and south through Miami.

Attractions

City Tour Miami PLUS from My Travels & Tours is an eight-hour excursion mixing history and culture, plus a boat trip on Biscayne Bay, with pickup and drop-off at your South Beach hotel. The Miami Combo Tour has a similar itinerary, but with an extra hour for an airboat ride in the Everglades. This tour is operated by Miami Double Decker, which offers a number of other options including a hop-on, hop-off bus. Various companies will book boat trips around Biscayne Bay, the Everglades, or Key West. For a more “high-­octane” adventure, try Thriller Miami Speedboat Adventures.

Strolling the Miami Beach boardwalk, which stretches from Indian Beach Park on the north to 500 Ocean Drive on the south, is one of the nation’s iconic tourist activities. Mask restrictions may still be in place at the time of the meeting; check www.miamibeachboardwalk.com. Española Way, a pedestrian-only zone between 14th and 15th streets in Miami Beach, has recently been revitalized and decked out in historic Mediterranean Revival style. Art Deco Tours focus on the Art Deco Historic District of Miami Beach.

Miami’s Little Havana is a neighborhood well worth visiting on foot; try Little Havana Tours for a public or private experience. Wynwood Art Walk is a pedestrian tour exploring the vibrant Wynwood Art District.

Although Florida has been relatively open throughout the pandemic, Miami-Dade County had more stringent mask restrictions in effect at press time. Be sure to check ahead for any requirements at indoor venues. On the museum front, the Pérez Art Museum Miami is the city’s premier collection, focusing on modern and contemporary art with a special emphasis on Latin America, the Caribbean, and the African diaspora. Current exhibitions include “Marisol and Warhol Take New York” and “Jedd Novatt: Monotypes and More.” Miami Beach’s contemporary museum, The Bass, displays both indoor and outdoor art. Superblue is an immersive digital-light experience in the Allapattah neighborhood, across the street from the Rubell Museum, which is billed as one of the largest private contemporary collections in North America. Florida International University operates several art facilities: the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, the Patricia & Philip Frost Art Museum, and The Wolfsonian-FIU. Where else but South Beach would one find the World Erotic Art Museum? But if you want somewhere to take the kids, try the Miami Children’s Museum in Watson Island Park, or travel a little farther north to Fort Lauderdale for the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a Gilded Age estate on the shore of Biscayne Bay, featuring a museum (open Wednesday through Monday) and 10 acres of formal gardens. The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is a 3-acre space right next to the convention center. The Miami Seaquarium, on Virginia Key, offers marine-life shows and exhibits, with interactive experiences for children. Nature lovers can also visit Biscayne National Park and its living coral reef system, or the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center in Crandon Park on Key Biscayne. For a more sedate aquatic experience, take a swim at Coral Gables’ Venetian Pool, carved out of a coral rock quarry and fed with spring water.

Events

The Miami City Ballet will perform George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son and other works at 7:30 p.m. May 21 and 2 p.m. May 22 in the Au-Rene Theater of Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center. Israeli pianist Ariel Lanyi will play selections by Robert Schumann, Isaac Albeniz, and Ludwig van Beethoven at 5 p.m. May 22, as part of the Miami International Piano Festival series at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center.

On May 19, Cuban-American soprano Eliza­beth Caballero presents a recital titled “A Gershwin to Lecuona Journey” at Miami-Dade County Auditorium. Sting is at Hard Rock Live in Holly­wood on May 22, followed by Paul McCartney with his “Got Back Tour” on May 25.

The Miami Marlins will play host to the world champion Atlanta Braves in a weekend series May 20-22 at LoanDepot Park.