moniwal

SE 2nd Avenue in downtown Miami is a neat little road to walk down, not drive. There are many tourists travelling along this part of town either on foot or by car and either way, driving through it, is not fun. If you are walking though, SE 2nd Avenue has a few quaint little cafes and discount stores and is just a few blocks from the Galleria Mall. If you are braving the drive though, SE 2nd Avenue will eventually turn into Brickell Avenue, the more affluent and higher end part of Miami. Just beware, especially at night, if you are travelling down SE 2nd Ave, once you get to SE 2nd Street, there will be traffic that is exiting off of I-95 and the light for them is often hard to see as it comes up fast. Do not speed! It is also not suggested to be on foot at or around this intersection at night.

There is no real reason to be on Ne 1st Avenue in downtown Miami unless you are going to the college. NE 1st Ave nue runs alongside the back of Miami-Dade Community College's main building. There is a McDonalds across the way from the college where bathroom doors stay locked because of many many homeless people living in there. You will find that, even though you may want to give, there are just too many to give to. If you are visiting downtown Miami, it would be best to stay out on Biscayne Blvd.

South Dixie Highway aka US Highway 1 in South Miami is difficult. Difficult to drive on, that is. Dixie Highway is the road that Interstate 95 turns into when the highway ends. It is not too terribly bad when you first come off of I-95 onto Dixie. There are actually quite a few places to stop and check out. There is the South Florida Science Museum and the planetarium which are must sees, but besides that, beware. The traffic in this part of town is just horrendous. If you can, avoid this road at all costs during rush hour. Many times I have found myself stuck in traffic for hours, not even being able to change lanes to try and make a detour and there are not many detours if there is somewhere you need to be on Dixie Highway.

On the other hand, Dixie Highway has a plethora of small and large businesses, business offices, chain and local restaurants and cafes. Also Dixie Highway can take you all the way to the Florida Keys if need be, but I wouldn't suggest it. It's not the most pleasant ride. You will find that in most areas the speed limit is no more than 35 mph. One good thing about Dixie Highway though, I must say, is that the metrorail, Miami's local railway system, rides along side Dixie Highway and you can always stop, park and ride if the traffic is just to much.

Grande Ave is a great street. It is easiest to get to if you take a small side street off of Dixie Highway such as Virginia Ave. It is a nice, quiet drive and it is a great traffic aversion as there are many traffic situations, as you can imagine, in the Miami area. Once you get to Grande Ave, you will begin to come into quite alot of traffic. Many people frequent the shops in coconut grove and parking is very hard to find if you aren't willing to walk far. If you are, you'll be fine. Most parking here on Grande Ave is reasonably priced ranging from about $5 for the day to about $20. This, of course, depends on how close you are to the malls, whether you are in a garage or lot or if there are any events going on at the time.

Besides the traffic and the parking situations here on Grande Avenue, you will find that this road has a beautiful and historical feel to it as well as a fabulous eclectic aura. Here you will find the Mayfair Shoppes and Cocowalk which both have a vast array of fun and festivities everyday. One day you may find a food fair going on where local restaurants will bring their best dishes out under tents and vie for your business by offering you food at a discounted price. Then other days or evenings, you may find an artist painting on the sidewalk or spray painting beautiful pictures on canvas only using pots and pans and other utensils as his outlines. It truly is an amazing sight.

There is just so much to do and see here on Grande Avenue in the heart of Coconut Grove in Miami, I would suggest trying to spend more than one day here, at least.