Here is a chance to experience South Beach better than most people who live here. Bobby’s Bike Hike Miami offers walking tours through the scenic and historic neighborhood of Ocean Drive. Tomorrow afternoon is your chance to meet Brazilian artist, Romero Britto, who has sculptures all over Miami, at a fun event. Baptist Health just got a $50 million donation for its Miami Neuroscience Institute. If you are taking a trip to Key West, one of the greatest selfie spots is waiting for you. (And it’s not Ernest Hemingway’s home.)

South Beach Food & Walking Tour

3 Hours | 11:30am & 4pm Daily | 1.2 miles, totally Walkable

Here is a chance to experience South Beach better than most people who live here. There is a company, called Bobby’s Bike Hike Miami, that offers walking tours through the scenic and historic neighborhood of Ocean Drive. You will get an insider’s look at the world’s largest collection of Art Deco buildings, Miami’s oldest bar, Gianni Versace’s oceanside mansion, the lineup of boutique hotels, and all of the outdoor restaurants. You’ll also enjoy tastes of top South Beach culinary outposts.

We have done this tour a few times and have met the most interesting people. Active people love this tour because you are walking, climbing a few steps in and out of buildings, hearing about places you pass all the time and absorbing facts that most people know nothing about. You’ll sound like an insider in a few hours.
This walking South Beach food tour is a literal feast for the senses – from authentic, international cuisines.  For three hours, you’ll enjoy tastes of top South Beach culinary outposts like News Cafe, Gloria Estefan’s Estefan Kitchen Express, Oh! Mexico, Mercato della Pescheria, and everyone else who wants to roll out the red carpet. The food tour also includes the history behind these local favorite restaurants and the stories behind their finely-crafted cuisine.

All food samples are included in the ticket price. You can add a VIP Craft Drink Package to any ticket (ages 21+) so you can sample three of our favorite local craft alcoholic beverages. Our walking food tour of Miami’s South Beach is an active, premium adventure along South Beach’s storied streets: an excellent way to catch the best sights and tastes of the area on a tropical afternoon!

As everyone knows, South Beach is known for its beaches, foodie scene, a large selection of entertainment venues and Art Deco architecture. South Beach began to emerge as a jetsetter destination in the late 1980s, known for its expansive beaches, late-night entertainment, top modeling agencies, and A-list celebrities among its residents and regular visitors.

Get the details for this tour and plenty of others in Miami.

Britto Live 

I’ve talked about Romero Britto a number of times in Miami Life.  He is one of Miami’s most famous citizens. I’m bringing him up again because you can actually meet him in person at his Lincoln Road gallery this Saturday March 23, 2024, from 2pm to 4pm.  It’s going to be very festive. Britto will be entertaining his fans with new artworks, live music, and champagne toasts. In case you forgot, Britto is a Brazilian artist who has sculptures all over Miami. He became so well known over the last few decades that you can now find his colorful artwork all over the world. His artwork reminds me of the colorful creations of Peter Max or Andy Warhol. Britto is so committed to philanthropy, he supports over 250 charities worldwide with an astonishing $120 million in donations.

Britto is a painter, serigrapher, and sculptor. He combines elements of cubism, pop art, and graffiti painting in his work, using vibrant colors and bold patterns as a visual expression of hope, dreams, and happiness.

The Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami is home to larger-than-life murals that offer positivity for children and hospital staff alike. Britto donated, the iconic Friendship Bear, which is utilized throughout The Jackson Health System as an advocate and mascot, walking the hallways and attending events bringing smiles and happiness to everyone!

Meet the man himself and put a smile on your face.

ROMERO BRITTO Fine Art Gallery

1102 Lincoln Rd Miami Beach

Ken Griffin Donates $50 Million To Baptist Health Foundation

Question: “What’s the first thing you do if you get sick in Miami?”

Answer: “Get on an airplane to New York.”

That was the joke many people in Miami would tell each other when they talked about their medical challenges. That joke is going to go the way of the Rascal House, Wolfie’s and Pumpernik’s. That was Miami several decades ago. Now Miami is slated to become one of the leading global health care cities thanks to a $50 million donation from Kenneth C. Griffin, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Citadel, one of the world’s leading alternative investment firms.

Griffin just donated $50 million to the Baptist Health Foundation. Eliot and I are donors too, of course on a much smaller but significant scale. Griffin is determined to make Baptist known worldwide. He said the research and progress that Baptist has made in neuroscience (plus plus) is outstanding.

Griffin’s gift, the largest single donation in Baptist Health South Florida’s nearly 65-year history, is expected to help the not-for-profit hospital system expand research capabilities at its Miami Neuroscience Institute and improve patient care, leaders of the hospital and its foundation say.

The gift will help Baptist build a new neuroscience center on the Kendall campus of Baptist Hospital. Griffin’s also made a significant donation to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami to help with cancer research.

Griffin was born in Daytona Beach. Citadel is considered to be one of the most successful hedge funds in history.

The Closest Spot to Cuba

I just want to remind everyone who takes a trip to Key West that one of the greatest selfie spots is waiting for you. No, it’s not the front of Ernest Hemingway’s house. It’s much more quirky than that. There is a giant fake buoy that sits on the water’s edge of Key West that shows you exactly the southernmost point in the United States, only 90 miles from Cuba. The buoy has been attracting crowds for over 40 years.

I feel like the landmark is an old friend. I have only seen it a few times in the last several years but I know it’s there. The reason I am bringing it up is because the Miami Herald just did a story on the life of the bouy and how it always needs to be painted and repaired because of the abuse it gets from visitors.

I hate seeing it damaged because it represents how close the United States is to Cuba and yet how different life is there because of its communist regime. We have been to Cuba twice. It’s only a 30 minute airplane ride from Miami yet you feel like you have traveled back in time.

Everything is old and broken and many people are starving. I wish there was an easy answer to change Cuba’s living conditions. It’s very painful to watch, especially when you can envision its potential. The island has a romantic beauty that everyone needs to see. We are all missing out on something very special.