Miamians spend a considerable amount of time in our cars or indoors, shielded from the sounds of the city by windows, walls and whatever music we’re blasting at any moment. But step outside, open your ears, and you’ll notice there’s a cacophony that’s distinctly Miami. From clacking dominos at the park to the clang of construction to the sweet sounds of salsa, these are the noises that say Welcome to Miami.
Miami’s relatively calm waters don’t bode well for tourists in search of the rhythmic romance of rolling waves. Instead what you’ll find on the sands of Miami Beach are swarms of seagulls chomping at the bit for leftovers of your beach picnic. Along with pigeons and your occasional jellyfish, these seagulls are not at all shy and are likely to come right up to your towel to say hello.
Breaking news in Cuba finds its way to Versailles Restaurant (3555 SW 8th St, 305-444-0240) faster than it does to CNN or any local news outlet. In part because the crowd of regulars—made up of first- and second-generation Cubans who linger at the coffee window over their daily cafecito—have a direct line to the action. Come for a jolt and stay to eavesdrop the news.
A favorite of elderly men and ex pats from all over Latin America and Cuba, Máximo Gómez Park (801 SW 15th Ave) is a landmark in the Little Havana neighborhood. Walk by to find numerous four-person domino games happening simultaneously from dusk to dawn and listen for old Cuban tales amid clacking ivory pieces being shuffled across tables.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Jared422Judging by the sea of people who take over the streets and sidewalks of Wynwood on the second Saturday of the month, everyone in the city is an art lover. While it may not be the case, you’ll definitely hear art conversations and sounds of street musicians filling the hood as well as the low murmur of food trucks along NW 2nd Avenue.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Sherwin Sucaldito
Whether you’re strolling down Ocean Drive in South Beach or stopping at a coffee window on 8th Street in Little Havana, you’re likely to hear the sounds of salsa, which permeate a number of Miami’s neighborhoods. Your best bet for Latin beats is Mango’s Tropical Café (900 Ocean Dr, 305-673-4422) and Ball & Chain (1513 SW 8th St, 305-643-7820), both popular nightclubs with a solid daytime scene.
Fall through spring, the Soundscape Cinema Series screens free movies on the lawn at New World Center’s ExoStage (500 17th St at Washington Ave). Taking place on most Wednesday evenings beginning at 8pm, the films are projected onto a 7,000-square-foot wall, from which you’ll hear the thunderous Hollywood sounds resonate throughout several Miami Beach blocks.
They don’t call it the “crawlmetto” for nothing. The stretch of Florida State Road 826 known as the Palmetto Expressway gets its nickname from its continuously congested roadways, made worse by frequent accidents and shuttered lanes. The result? Drivers who turn to their horns to show their discontent.
Gone are the days of rum and cokes and vodka sodas. Today patrons look to mixologists to serve up drinks with a heap of ingredients and spirits (perhaps to justify the rising cost of cocktails in the city?). To wit, step into the Broken Shaker (2727 Indian Creek Dr, 305-531-2727), the Rum Line (1601 Collins Ave, 305-695-0110) or any local bar these days to find the sound of a rattling cocktail shaker at the hands of an expert bartender rather than your typical loud music.
Hibachi has gone the way of fondue in the dining world, more kitsch than culinary. But restaurants with Korean BBQ grills, like what you’ll find at Drunken Dragon (1424 Alton Rd, 305-397-8556) still hold their appeal. Settle in to a table with an inset grill, order from list of various cuts of beef and sauce, and get cooking.
The sound of a rapidly growing city goes something like what you’d hear in battle: banging, crashing, machine gun-style drilling. Though these sounds are now the defacto soundtrack of downtown, they’re also par for the course that includes the much-anticipated Brickell City Centre and SLS Hotel & Residences slated for as early as 2016.
Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Philip Pessar
Drive down Old Cutler Road in southern Miami-Dade or through parts of West Avenue in South Beach and Ponce de Leon in Coral Gables and you’re bound to hear parrots. They’re known to sleep in the palm trees, where their small green bodies stay camouflaged within the fronds.
