When people ask me why I started blogging, my answer to them is simple, I’m that “go-to” friend who loves to talk about the latest store openings, or the perfect happy hour spots and let’s not forget the best local groomers for your pets. I’m the one you call when you’re trying to pick the perfect place to go out for dinner and I just so happen to live in a pretty hip, up-and-coming neighborhood in South Florida called Midtown Miami.
I like to think of Midtown Miami as our own little version of Brooklyn. To some, that might seem preposterous, but to me, it’s my reality and I have some pretty decent insights as to why I can make that comparison.
Midtown Miami is centrally situated right alongside Biscayne Bay, directly across from South Beach. It’s a 12-minute drive from the airport, directly north of downtown and a little bit further away from Brickell. Not only is it set in an ideal location, Midtown Miami is a haven for those of us who enjoy being near the madness that can be South Beach but also relish in savoring local foodie spots such as Sugarcane, Gigi’s and Sakaya Kitchen. Midtown is the place that artists, young professionals and families of all different backgrounds and cultures can call home. Everywhere you look, you’re bound to see a dog being walked, a stroller being pushed or the occasional bum roaming the streets. I didn’t say Midtown was perfect, but it provides the type of environment that many city dwellers crave. Local bars and lounges such as Bardot and the Electric Pickle have even caught the attention of Brickellites and the Beach crowd.
All in all, Midtown Miami offers its locals the same vibe, venues and vida as does Brooklyn to its residents. While the area directly west of Midtown is still considered to be impoverished, gentrification is slowly taking place and residents find themselves being able to walk to more places to grab a cup of coffee, get their hair cut and shop for clothes.
I love living in Midtown, as it provides me access to all the things I love; intriguing art displays, live music venues and a plethora of locally owned restaurants to eat at and have Sunday brunches at. I invite you to come check it out anytime.
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Things To Do In Delray Beach
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Beads on the Ave
Intro to Beading, Wire Loop, or Wire Crochet Class at Beads on the Ave (Up to 51% Off)
Amid glittering glass baubles, students learn how to bead or manipulate wires to create their own wearable art
Beads on the Ave
$35 $17
Adult BYOB Art Class for Two, Kids’ After School Art Class, or Family Art Class at Talin Tropic Co. (Up to 68% Off)
Talin Tropic Co.
Talin Tropic
$90
$29
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Three or Five 60-Minute Personal-Training Sessions at One2One Personal Training (Up to 80% Off)
One2One Personal Training
Palm Beach Gym and Fitness Center
$120
$29.99
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One or Two Months of Unlimited Basix Fitness Classes for One or Two at B.E.A.S.T Fitness (Up to 56% Off)
B.E.A.S.T Fitness
Delray Beach
$85
$39
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$49 for a One Month of Unlimited Yoga Classes at Bikram Yoga Delray Beach ($190 Value)
Bikram Yoga Delray Beach
South Delray Shopping Center
$190
$49
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$15 for Five Weeks of Boot-Camp Classes at Hard Exercise Works ($199 Value)
Hard Exercise Works
Delray Beach
$199
$15
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$24 for $48 Worth of Kungfu Classes at Practice Kungfu and Tai Chi
Practice Kungfu and Tai Chi
Boynton Beach-Delray Beach
$48
$24
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One Month of Unlimited CrossFit Classes or 20 Classes at CrossFit BarTown (Up to 80% Off)
CrossFit BarTown
Delray Beach
$150
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One Month of Unlimited Boot Camp or 10 Boot-Camp Classes at CrossFit Delray Beach (Up to 61% Off)
CrossFit Delray Beach
Delray Park of Commerce East
$59
$29
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10 Group Latin or Ballroom Dance Lessons for One or Two at Melendrez Dance Studios (Up to 65% Off)
Melendrez Dance Studios
Inside The Grand Ballroom
$100
$44
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Select Local Merchants
FLA Aquatics owes its growth from a 65-member operation to the home of multiple state, national, and international champions to 2000 Olympic coach Duffy Dillon, who—as noted in the Sun Sentinel—was recently inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame. Dillon has amassed an experienced staff of certified instructors who have passed a national level-two background screening, including head coaches with level-five certification from the American Swimming Coaches Association. The company's multiple locations offer programs for all ages, including very young children learning to safely enter the water, competitive high schoolers, and adults seeking to train for a triathlon or start a floatie-based fashion trend.
2503 Seacrest Boulevard
Delray Beach,
FL
US
From its central location in Delray, The Salt Fly hauls its standup-paddleboarding rental equipment to many nearby beaches, the Intracoastal Waterway, and Lake Ida so customers can enjoy some watery fun. The outfit’s owner—also the head of the Delray Beach Standup Paddleboard Club—meets his clients anywhere within 13 miles of Delray to drop off boards and paddles. He even offers lessons on how to catch waves, power across glassy expanses, or accurately mimic fish faces. Boarders can also sign up for a four-hour guided ecotour of Key Biscayne, where they'll have the opportunity to catch glimpses of the tropical fish, stingrays, and young sharks residing in the back bays.
17 1/2 NE 9th Street
Delray Beach,
FL
US
Groups of women gather at the South Florida Women's Expo for a night dedicated to them. Vendors showcase feminine-friendly wares, which women browse while sampling wine and food. Chefs are on-hand to whip up delectable recipes for galleries of onlookers, models strut the fashion show runway in the latest couture, and psychics predict which attendees will have trouble remembering where they parked their car. A select few will win prizes such as spa packages, jewelry, and exclusive trips.
16700 Jog Road
Delray Beach,
FL
US
Colorful mats and bouncy trampolines fill the play-space at A Barrel O Monkeys Inc. This indoor playground exposes kids to creative and energetic play with open-gym sessions, Mommy and Me classes, and gymnastics sessions, during which kids can practice their cartwheels or glide down the slide to their heart's content. Kids can also zip-line through the gym or create art projects during all-inclusive birthday parties.
460 NE 5th Ave
Delray Beach,
FL
US
It's 1980-something. Glen, a young boy, dons a pair of glasses with one blue lens and one red, excited by this new technology that's supposed to make things on the screen pop out at you. During the next two hours, Glen ducks swooping avians during the revival of Alfred Hitchcock's ¬The Birds in 3-D, terrified, yet thrilled. This is one of Glen Gray's earliest memories about the theater his father built more than 30 years ago. Today, Glen lives out those moments each day as the proprietor of Movies of Delray, where the projectors roll a medley of Hollywood features, and foreign, art-house, and independent films.
Gold walls and burgundy curtains lend to the lobby’s art-deco air, and a large chandelier illuminates more than 60 pencil drawings of movie icons of yore, such as John Wayne, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe. This old-fashioned lobby disguises the updates within: brand-new bathrooms, granite countertops at the concession stand, and in the theaters themselves, digital surround sound and updated seating. Rows of black leather seats cushion moviegoers with high backs and wide benches so cozy that Glen claims guests have fallen asleep in them, only waking up at the end of the picture or when Bruce Willis turns out to have been a metaphor all along.
In celebration of film, professor Shelly Isaacs graces the theater with screenings of obscure Oscar-winning or Oscar-nominated foreign films. After each screening, he discusses the film with audiences, dissecting and analyzing the cinematography, characters, and plot.
7421 W Atlantic Ave
Delray Beach,
FL
US
Housed in a restored 1924 bungalow, Dada feels more like a chic friend's home than a typical restaurant. The owners use its different rooms to their advantage, offering a choice of spaces with different artwork and ambience. In one, you might eat a quiet, romantic dinner next to a fireplace; in another, there might be a reggae band playing well into the evening. Other performers take to the open mics in the basement, and outside voices are allowed to run free in a huge yard twinkling with lights. It all adds up to an experience that's quite different from the usual mold of South Florida nightlife, and the name Dada reflects that art movement's love for incongruous juxtapositions.
There's nothing absurd or surreal about two-time Delray Beach Garlic Festival champion chef Bruce Feingold's cuisine, however?it's simply creative, eclectic, and accessible. There is, for instance, a sandwich spilling over with seven different kinds of cheese?ranked as the second best grilled cheese in the area by the New Times (which has also given Dada high marks for its late-night eats and its bartenders). There are also more grown-up options, including lots of fresh fish. But for dessert, it's hard to resist the pure decadence of the Bunny, a sticky brownie with ice cream and bacon caramel.
52 N Swinton Ave
Delray Beach,
FL
US
