Last winter, nearly 3.9 million domestic tourists visited Miami, many of them hoping to thaw out on its fabled beaches. I know the migration well, as most years I, too, make the quick trip from Philadelphia to scarf down guava-cheese pastries, practice my embarrassing Spanish and recharge my solar battery. The Magic City exacts a premium for the privilege. Especially on the barrier islands of Miami Beach, vacationing costs a lot. Recently, I wondered: Can you do Miami in a weekend for $1,000 or less? I put a rough plan together and tried my best.
Day One: $1,000 Remaining
For most Northerners descending on Miami, sun and sand rank high on the priorities list. That’s why I usually splurge on a hotel in Miami Beach and save by eating on the mainland, where the restaurants run more affordable and more interesting. But to spend less than $1,000, I knew this strategy wouldn’t work, since ride-shares, especially with the surge pricing that traffic jams trigger, would devour my budget. Staying at the beach, I realized, would mean staying at the Beach—focusing on places I could reach without getting in a car, something I’d never done. Ask me any other time where to eat in Little Haiti or Little River, the Gables or the Grove, and I can rattle off places with ease. But in Miami Beach, without a slush fund for stone crabs? I’d need to be creative.
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