Coral Gables, Florida
Partly Sunny - Mid 70s
Coral Gables is our favorite post-cruise destination. The City Beautiful is comfortable, walkable, and historic. It has good food and considerable charm.
And, it's not just a city, it's a movement. "The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It promoted beauty, not only for its own sake, but also to create moral and civic virtue among urban populations. Advocates of the philosophy believed that such beautification could promote a harmonious social order that would increase the quality of life, while critics would complain that the movement was overly concerned with aesthetics at the expense of social reform.
Coral Gables was developed by George Edgar Merrick during the Florida land boom of the 1920s entirely upon the City Beautiful movement, with obelisks, fountains, and monuments seen in street roundabouts, parks, and city buildings. Today, Coral Gables is one of Miami's most expensive suburban communities, long known for its strict zoning regulations which preserve the City Beautiful elements along with its Mediterranean Revival architecture style, which is prevalent throughout the city. Coral Gables has many parks and a heavy tree canopy with an urban forest planted largely in the 1920s."
The hotel is all business, with historical bones. The Colonnade Building was built in 1926 and served as offices for George Merrick, the founder of Coral Gables. It has had several incarnations over the years, such as the Florida National Bank in this photo from 1949 courtesy of HistoryMiami.
Most of the ornate features of the exterior have been obscured by a series of renovations, but some of the interiors reveal the past.
Coral Gables is also home to our favorite chain restaurant, Hillstone. The line is usually out the door with families and an attractive mix of the young and fashionable. The service is always outstanding and the food never disappoints. Grilled artichokes are a joy in season, the French dips are thick and rare, and the baked potatoes are as big as your head and come fully loaded.
Another favorite is Ortanique on the Mile. Love the name, love the tagline Cuisine of the Sun, love the room, love the chef. Cindy Hutson is one of the originators of Floribbean cuisine. We were both jerks for dinner, sharing the Jerked Chicken Pene Pasta and the Jerked Niman Ranch Double Portk Chop with Guava Bacardi "Oakheart" Spiced Rum Sauce and South American Moros Topped with Drunken Raison Tropical Fruit Flambe.
Graziano's was the great discovery of this trip. Family owned and operated, Coral Gables is ground zero, but they have several other locations around Miami. It is a bakery, coffee shop, wine bar, cafeteria, sit down restaurant, market, and butcher shop. Cuban is the dominant Latin culture in South Florida, but Graziano's has a different accent. It's Argentinian, and it has a Gaucho's love of meat. Buy it in the butcher shop and they will grill it while you wait. And, there are empanadas. Oh, the empanadas. Sweet and savory, carnivore and vegetarian, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dozens of varieties hot and fresh all day long.
The people are great too. One of the servers was from Cuba. We told her we had just been, and how much we loved it. She asked where we were from. "SEATTLE!!! I want to go to Seattle." Cuba was an exotic dream for us, but Seattle is just as exotic to her. We hope she visits.
As great as Graziano's is, it can't be all things to all people, and the coffee is just OK. Fortunately, right across the street is one of Miami's best. Pasion del Cielo specializes in single-source beans from around the tropics. We chose Cuban beans, of course, and they made the coffee as dark and deep, sweet and spicy, as a night at the Tropicana.
The City Beautiful has perfected The Pool Beautiful. The Venetian Pool was carved out of the quarry that built Coral Gables. It is pink and pleasant, with gardens and grottos, the most glorious public pool you can imagine.
The pool was created in 1923 from a coral rock quarry, where much of the original coral rock was used to border and further accentuate the pool. It also features two large historic lookout towers, with a view to the City Beautiful.
The 820,000 gallon pool is fed with spring water from an underground aquifer. In the spring and summer seasons, the pool is filled and drained daily!
Of course the aquifer is not the only feature that enhances a visitor’s experience. There are two waterfalls that provide a scenic backdrop as well as the cave-like grottos which provide a fun experience for swimmers.
The Venetian Pool’s beauty is further accentuated by its loggias, porticos, palm trees and signature bridge. It truly is an unforgettable experience!"
The people are great too. One of the servers was from Cuba. We told her we had just been, and how much we loved it. She asked where we were from. "SEATTLE!!! I want to go to Seattle." Cuba was an exotic dream for us, but Seattle is just as exotic to her. We hope she visits.
The City Beautiful has perfected The Pool Beautiful. The Venetian Pool was carved out of the quarry that built Coral Gables. It is pink and pleasant, with gardens and grottos, the most glorious public pool you can imagine.
"The Venetian Pool is an aquatic facility unlike any other in the country. It has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, and is still one of the main tourist attractions for those visiting the City of Coral Gables.
This was our final pilgrimage of the trip. We rented lounge chairs, and I soaked up the sun while Tres soaked in the pool.
Next Stop: It's a Big World!!!
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