Hi friends, welcome back! After spending a relaxing day in South Beach, it was time to head to Brickell for Jon's conference the following day. Lucky for us the conference was at the Four Seasons. We don't usually stay at 5-star hotels so this was a treat! We loved our room, especially all the space, fancy bathroom, and view of Brickell. The hotel also has access to the Equinox gym and a beautiful rooftop pool that I took advantage of.
Brickell is the financial center in Miami and full of skyscrapers, condos, and restaurants. It felt a little like home but with spacious, palm tree lined sidewalks and better smelling air. It also has an above ground public transportation system that made it easy for me to get around. Brickell is in Biscayne Bay and doesn't have a beach, so if I was going to Miami for vacation, I'd opt to stay in South Beach instead of Brickell.
While Jon was in his meetings, I did some exploring on my own. On Monday I went to Vizcaya Museum & Gardens (future posts), and while I was there, a fellow traveler told me about a dog sculpture park I should check out. The following day I took the Metrorail north and enjoyed the views along the way. A ride only cost $2.25, a lot cheaper than an Uber. From the Metrorail I walked along the promenade near the cruise port on my way to the sculpture park. I passed by the Kaseya Center where the Heat play basketball.
The sculpture garden is located in Maruice A. Ferre Park next to the Perez Art Museum and Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. The art museum is closed Tuesdays or it would've been a good place to spend a few hours. The sculptures I was looking for was the Dogs & Cats Walkway & Sculpture Garden completed by fifty local artists. The collection includes colorful sculptures of 26 dogs and 26 cats along with a description and history of each breed. This display was controversial because the city awarded almost $1 million dollars of taxpayer money to the project without any other proposals or negotiations.
As a dog lover I enjoyed walking though the sculpture park. It was interesting to see each artists use of color and design.
I also enjoyed walking through the park. I need to make some friends with whoever owns those boats!
There's a similar sculpture to this one in New Jersey by the same artist Jaume Plensa. This one is called "Awilda" and she watches over the Port of Miami.
Heading back I saw the Freedom Tower in Miami but it's still under construction. This building was used to house Cuban refugees during the Cuban Revolution. It's now a U.S. National Historic Landmark and home to an art gallery and offices of Miami Dade College.
I walked through Bayside Marketplace but it was very touristy, so I just did a quick lap before heading back to the Metrorail to go back to the hotel.
The rest of the day I took advantage of the pool and caught up on my book.
Stay tuned for a tour of Vizcaya!
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