Everytime that I drive by Rue Vendome street, my eyes are pulled towards the Normandy Fountain…read more There is something about this structure that sits in the middle of the Normandy neighborhood in Miami Beach. I see people over there sitting on the benches or tourists taking photos. Usually on weekends there are community events taking place, like farmers markets, live bands playing, arts and crafts festivals, cultural events, and children's activities. Today, the South Beach Jazz Festival is performing. I hope these special events continue for many years to come.

Located on the plaza at Rue Vendome is the Miami Beach historic landmark, the Normandy Fountain…read more During Florida's land boom years in 1925, the fountain and four apartment houses were the first structures built on Normandy Isle by Henri Levy who founded the community. It had a French theme in homage to Levy's homeland. Levy made his fortune by building a chain of movie theaters in Cincinnati and subsequently moved to Miami Beach in 1922. Normandy Isle was created from Warner-Meade Island, a swampy land mass in Biscayne Bay west of 71st street. Levy dredged for 24-hours a day over a two-year period to create Normandy Isle. Levy also spearheaded the construction of the 79th Street Causeway. In 2014 the fountain underwent a $350,000 restoration and the interior plumbing, electricity, and concrete was repaired. Damaged and missing tiles were replaced and lighting was added to the fountain and surrounding walkways. Plumbing fixtures that weren't there were added so the water could run. Water flows out of the heads of the lions that adorn the outside of the fountain. The City of Miami Beach uses the plaza at Rue Vendome to stage city events in front of the Normandy Fountain. Past events have included concerts at First Fridays and the Normandy Village Marketplace. Currently the fountain is undergoing another renovations along with improvements to the plaza. Hopefully the improvements will ensure the historic fountain survives another 100 years.

Another iconic building in Downtown Miami. Definitely worthy of a visit. If you do go, hit the…read morebutton to the top in the elevator, to see sweeping views. The public are allowed to go there. Once you are up there, you can see this area of Miami from a different wow factor insight. Check out my pictures for a taster.. The Miami Tower is a 47-story, landmark office skyscraper in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located in central Downtown. It is currently the 16th tallest building in Miami and Florida. Add to your "must see" list for Down town Miami.

Newly renovated "Sky Lounge" is awesome! The gym is nicer than some gyms you have to pay for. Staff…read moreis nice and the building is clean.

I first saw - and entered El Jardin in 1982/83. At that time it contained the office of Father…read moreRoger Radloff, a Catholic priest and Jungian psychologist which he used in relation to a private practice that he maintained in addition to being the "shrink for the diocese" as he put it. His assistant at that time was Eugene Ritter. I believe Radloff also offered services to students at the adjoining Carrollton School, which owned the gatehouse. As with all Miami revival architecture, El Jardin is at one with the earth, looks organic, and is built with color, shapes and textures as well as stone.

I went to coconut Grove to see as many historical places as possible, and spotted this one. See…read moreinfo I got from the net regarding it. El Jardin is a house located at 3747 Main Highway in Miami, Florida. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. El Jardin is now home to Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1974. Built in 1918 along a ridge of oolitic limestone, El Jardin expresses the broad training of its architect, Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott, and the experience of its owner, John Bindley, then president of Pittsburgh Steel. Kiehnel, in a September 1928 article for Tropical Home and Garden, referred to the house as a "progenitor of the Modern Mediterranean style home." Kiehnel relocated to Miami from Pittsburgh and became the architect for many landmark buildings, including the Coral Gables Congregational Church, Miami Senior High, and the Coral Gables Elementary School.

I love taking in the historic sites around Coral Gables. One such place is the Coral Gables…read moreWaterway. Historic marker F-453 detailing the history of this important waterway was installed in 2012 by the Florida Society Children of the American Revolution, the Miami Chapter Sons of the American Revolution, and the Florida Department of State. When George Merrick designed Coral Gables he marketed it as having 40 miles of waterfront property. He wanted all of the city landmarks to be connected by water. He offered gondola rides from the Biltmore to the Cocoplum neighborhood to prospective home buyers. The historic Coral Gables Waterway is 8 miles long and it runs from Biscayne Bay through the beautiful neighborhoods of Coral Gables. The waterway travels west into the city, passing Cartegena Plaza which is where Old Cutler Road, Sunset Drive, Ingraham Highway, Cocoplum Road and LeJeune Road all intersect. The waterway then continues north along Riviera Drive until it reaches the Biltmore Hotel. Another leg of the waterway travels west through the University of Miami large lake and then east to Granada Boulevard. Underneath the LeJeune Road bridge there are limestone cliffs that rise 20 feet. The Coral Gables Museum and the Bridge Renaissance Organization run boat and canoe tours of the waterway. Whether viewing it from a boat or one of the lovely bridges spanning it the Coral Gables Waterway is just one of the features that makes the Coral Gables the city beautiful.

Worthy of a look if you are in the area. You can see some yacht, boats and nice homes from the red…read morebridge. You can also walk beneath the red bridge, where fishing takes place sometimes. This is also near a nice park which is located at the same address.

Well, most of the tourists are not aware of it, but you'll notice it when you pass by…read more It's located at Ocean Dr × 5th St. It's very colorful, has a lively vibe, and sometimes there's a line to take a photo with it--other times it's completely empty, depending on the timing. It's totally an Insta-worthy and cute photo spot. The bright colors really pop in pictures, especially on a sunny day with the beach vibe around. If you're already walking on Ocean Drive, it's just a quick stop, but it makes for a fun little photo memory. The bright pastel colors perfectly match the city's tropical vibe and Art Deco style. It's usually the first landmark people stop at when entering Miami Beach. Early morning or late evening is best if you want photos without long lines. It's a quick stop, but definitely an iconic Miami picture.

As a fan of architecture and history I was delighted to spot this historic marker in the North…read moreShore neighborhood in Miami Beach. Stopping for a minute to read a historic marker is a great way to learn more about the history of an area. I have gained so much knowledge about Florida from these blue historical markers that can you find all around the state. This marker is on a median next to Tatum Park and it recounts the history of the mid century North Shore neighborhood. The North Shore Historic District in North Beach, Miami Beach is famous for having the most intact mid-20th century resort architecture (MiMo) in the Greater Miami area. The neighborhood was platted in 1929 and is bounded by 87th Street, Collins Avenue, 73rd Street, and Hawthorne Avenue. After WWII many GI's moved to Florida where the warmer weather was beneficial for helping to recover from their war wounds. A post WWII construction boom saw the creation narrow garden apartments with features designed to adapt to Miami. These architectural details included patios, loggias, flat roofs with broad overhanging eaves, exterior staircases, and catwalks. The architecture in the district is primarily Miami Modernism MiMo style featuring futuristic and modern elements, unique to Miami. Design features include acute angles, delta wings, pipe columns, sweeping curved walls, and soaring pylons. Other architectural styles reflected in the district, include Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, and Moderne. The North Shore Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Marker F-1090 was erected in 2020 by The City of Miami Beach and the Florida Department of State.

The South Beach Clock Tower stands near the beach entrance and is a recognizable landmark along the…read moreSouth Beach area. Its clean white structure and simple design make it a classic meeting point for visitors. Surrounded by palm trees and beach pathways, it adds a charming coastal feel to the area. It's also a nice background for quick beach photos. It's always a great idea to take a photo with the clock tower in the background. Since it displays the date and time, it makes the moment even more memorable.

I love discovering old places, and if they are abandoned even better for me! It is surely worthy of…read morea trip - lets hope they GET ON WITH RESTORING IT, and stop wasting money on just maintaining it!! (its been owned by the state since 2007 after all!!!) Here is some more information and history about this house (sourced from https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/things-to-do/arts-history/marjory-stoneman-douglas-house.html) Almost 68 years after Marjory Stoneman Douglas' "The Everglades: River of Grass" changed the popular conception of the Everglades from worthless swamp to treasured ecosystem, the Stoneman Douglas house in Miami's leafy Coconut Grove neighborhood will be designated a national historic landmark. During his first visit to Everglades National Park in April 2015, President Barack Obama declared the protective designation for the conservationist's modest 1926 cottage at 3744 Stewart Ave. No plans have been announced yet for opening the stucco-covered, wood-frame Stoneman Douglas house to the public, although fans still can go by the historic one-story home, now surrounded by million-dollar mansions. Preservationists and environmentalists have argued for years with neighbors over the fate of the bungalow and concerns that turning it into an education center or attraction would overwhelm the area with traffic and violate residential land use codes. A plan to move the house three miles from its South Grove location to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden was scrapped in 2006. The Stoneman Douglas house and property have been owned by the State of Florida and since 2007 has been maintained by the Florida Park Service as a lasting memorial to a remarkable "woman who saved the Everglades." As a 34-year-old divorced woman living with her father, buying her own house represented independence to Douglas. In her autobiography, "Voice of the River," she wrote about her desire to have a place of her own. I didn't need much of a house, just a workshop, a place of my own. All I wanted was one big room with living quarters tacked on. I knew an architect, George Hyde, who drew up some plans. He mostly built factories, which was fortunate, because I hoped my little house would be as stout and as sparse as a factory with not much to worry about. Because she never learned to drive, the house had no driveway (or air conditioning, electric stove or dishwasher). Part Tudor Revival and part Medieval Revival in design, the house, created by well-known architect George Hyde, is noted for its hip roof, half-timbering, post-hurricane wood floors, elegant detailing, and cast bronze hardware. Starting out as a young writer working for her father at The Miami Herald in 1915 following her brief marriage, Marjory Stoneman Douglas eventually produced more than 100 short stories for popular magazines. "River of Grass," published in 1947, was her most influential work. Later in life, she became a relentless crusader for the natural preservation and restoration of the nature of South Florida. She recognized that the Everglades was a system that depended not only on the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee into the park, but also upon the Kissimmee River which feeds the lake. To add a voting constituency to her efforts, in 1970 she formed the Friends of the Everglades, and was active as the head of the organization. Dubbed the "Grande Dame of the Everglades," she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Upon her death at the age of 108 in 1998, The Independent in London stated, "In the history of the American environmental movement, there have been few more remarkable figures than Marjory Stoneman Douglas." Today, Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, protects over 1.5 million acres. It's the third-largest national park in the lower 48 states, behind Yellowstone National Park and Death Valley National Park. There are three ways to access the park by car. The main entrance in Homestead connects visitors to the Royal Palm Area and the Flamingo Area of Everglades National Park. The Shark Valley entrance is in Miami and the Gulf Coast Entrance is in Everglades City.

Marjorie Stoneman Douglas lived in this home in Coconut Grove. It was built in 1926 by George Hyde…read moreand is designed to look like an English Cotswolds country cottage. The house looks like it is out of a fairy tale. The house is extremely small, barely 900 feet. Marjorie considered it more of a workshop than a home. It is a single story wood frame T shaped structure with a stucco, brick, and half-timbered exterior walls and a sloping roof covered in wood shingles. The interior has hardwood flooring, plaster walls, and plaster ceilings with exposed beams. The interior has one large room that used to be dominated by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas's desk. The other rooms are a little bedroom and a tiny kitchen that only held a hot plate and toaster. Furnishings in the home were very simple. The house didn't have a driveway because she never learned to drive or central air conditioning. Marjorie did much of her writing in the home including the 1947 book The Everglades: River of Grass which spawned a movement to save the Everglades from development. The state of Florida purchased the house in 1991. Marjory was allowed to live out the rest of her life in her home which she did until she passed away at the age of 108 in 1998. The house was designated a national landmark in 2015. The house sits vacant as the people in the neighborhood have fought any attempts at turning the house into a museum fearing the traffic it would bring to the area. With the shooting that took place at the high school named in Marjorie Stoneman Douglas's honor in Parkland her name has been thrust back in the spotlight and there is renewed interest in finally doing something with the house. It seems like the neighbors may finally be coming around to allowing access to the house on a limited basis. Before that can happen the state needs to repair termite damage and mold caused by an air conditioner leak. Some of the ideas for the house are to turn it into a museum to honor Marjory or to allow a writer to live there in residence. A plan that has been scraped is to move the house to Fairchild tropical Gardens where there is a statue of Marjory Stoneman Douglas sitting on a bench. I am a long time Marjory Stoneman Douglas fan. As someone who loves the Everglades I appreciate her and everything she did to save it from development. I have seen many lovely pictures of her outside her home usually with a cat. Visiting her house was a thrill. I especially loved discovering the seahorse on the outside fireplace and the hand shaped doorknocker on the front door. I truly hope the neighbors and the state can come to an agreement to allow people access to the property. Right now you can easily park in front of the house and take a peek in the windows. Marjory Stoneman Douglas created a lasting environmental legacy and her home deserves to be protected and maintained. Maybe even more so after what happened in Parkland. The house belongs to all of us and we should be able to pay our respects to her there.