Downtown, Miami
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Miami's downtown reflects the cosmopolitan nature and commercial importance of the city. The main thoroughfares are Flagler Street which is the North-South dividing line and Miami Avenue that splits the city from East to West.
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Bayfront Park
Bayfront Park, on the east side of Biscayne Boulevard, was redesigned in the 1980s. An attractive feature is the electronically controlled Pepper Fountain. Other highlights include an amphitheatre used for musical performances of all kinds, a tower for laser illuminations, and three important monuments: the Torch of Friendship, symbolising Miami's relationships with the countries of Central and South America; the World War II Memorial; and the Challenger Memorial, commemorating the crew of the Challenger spacecraft which exploded in 1986.
Bayside Marketplace
Bayside Marketplace is a large mall with more than 150 specialty and tourist shops, numerous cafes and restaurants and daily live entertainment. Visitors will find some well known chain stores as well as many unique, one of a kind places. The market place draws locals as well as tourists.As may be evident in the name, this outdoor style mall is located along the waterfront, looking out over docks and boats. Many people come here simply to soak up the atmosphere. Tour boats leave from here, visiting locations around Biscayne Bay. As well, there is a water taxi service to Miami Beach and downtown hotels located in the area.
Freedom Tower
One of the most striking buildings on Biscayne Boulevard, Freedom Tower (1925), displays a "wedding-cake" style. It is one of the oldest skyscrapers in the south-eastern United States, and served for many years as the headquarters of the Miami Daily News.Its name comes from its role as the immigration-processing center for hundreds of thousands of Cuban refugees who arrived in the 1960's.
Miami Children's Museum
The Miami Children's Museum was founded in 1983 and moved to its latest location in 2003. Educational and entertainment exhibits are designed to appeal to children's curiosity and creativity. Interactive exhibits at the Miami Children's Museum include a variety of themed galleries that revolve around arts, culture, community, and communication.The museum is located in a 56,500 square-foot facility with galleries, a 200 seat auditorium, restaurant, and gift shop.
NationsBank Tower
A landmark of downtown Miami, the 52-storey NationsBank Tower (1987), is brilliantly floodlit in many colours at night. It was designed by I. M. Pei, America's best known contemporary architect, in association with Spillis Candela and Partners. The floodlighting scheme, with several hundred 1000-watt lamps and different colours for different occasions (for example green on St Patrick's Day and red on St Valentine's Day) was devised by Douglas Leigh.
Rubell Family Collection
The Rubell Family Collection houses contemporary works of art by artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons, to name a few. Located in a former DEA confiscation facility, the gallery opened its doors in 1994 and has been a public gallery since 1996. The museum also features a New Media room, a bookstore, a gift shop and the Sculpture Garden.
Metro Dade Cultural Center
Three Spanish-style buildings make up the Metro-Dade Cultural Center. The 3.3 acre-complex includes the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, the Miami Art Museum of Miami-Dade County and the Miami Public Library.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
The Historical Museum of Southern Florida traces the history and development of the region over the last 10,000 years. There are artifacts from the area's first inhabitants, natural history exhibits, photographs, and one of the highlights, a 1920's era Miami trolley car.
Miami Art Museum of Miami-Dade County
The Miami Art Museum of Miami-Dade County features modern and contemporary art by international artists. The museum hosts a number of temporary exhibits throughout the year that reflect the various cultural traditions of South Florida.
Miami Public Library
The main branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library offers periodic lectures and concerts. It holds a collection of nearly four million books, including a lot of State history material found in the extensive "Florida room".
Miami Herald Building
The headquarters of Miami's major daily newspaper and its Spanish counterpart, "El Nuevo Herald", was sold to a casino operator who plans to develop an entertainment / hotel complex on the property.
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts offers state of the art facilities, access to many cultures, and a range of performing arts.
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