10 Things That You Get Jaded About in Miami, but That Are Actually Awesome

3. Not placing your order for the first delivery of stone crabs on October 15th.

Stone crabs are a local delicacy made famous by Joe Weiss and his restaurant Joe’s Stone Crab. Stone crabs from Florida are flown to restaurants throughout the world. It was discovered the crab can regenerate its claw making it a sustainable seafood. Strict regulations are in place to ensure sustainability. Claws can only be harvested between October 15th and May 15th.

4. Assuming every city has good Cuban food.

Miami tops the list of best Cuban restaurants in the United States. From the famous pulled pork, Cuban sandwich, and Cuban coffee, Cuban food is everywhere.

5. Forgetting the Everglades National Park is in your backyard.

The Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical ecosystem in the Unites States, is 45 minutes by car from Miami. It is home to flora and fauna that you cannot see anywhere else and is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist.

6. Expecting your friends to bring you avocados and mangos.

Avocado or mango trees are in every yard. In season, these fruits are overly abundant. Often homeowners put a basket out on the sidewalk with a sign “take me.”

7. Reaching for your down jacket when you hear the weather forecast will drop to an overnight low of 65 degrees.

Other than the Florida Keys, Miami has the warmest winter weather in mainland United States.

8. Avoiding the beach from November through April because it is too cold to swim.

From May through October the water temperature is in the 80’s, often the same temperature as the air. In the cooler months, November through April, the water temperature drops to the mid 70’s.

9. Complaining that strolling along Ocean Drive in South Beach is too touristy.

The Art Deco District is the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world. The district includes hundreds of buildings, hotels, restaurants, and apartments built between 1923 and 1943. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

10. Avoiding the Miami Book Fair International and Art Basel.

Artists from all over the world come to Miami. The Miami Book Fair International, the largest literary event in the nation, attracts celebrity writers. During the first week of December, more than 77,000 people travel to attend Art Basel, one of the largest contemporary art festivals in the world. In addition to exhibitions throughout Miami Beach and Miami, internationally acclaimed graffiti artists are invited to paint selected walls in the Wynwood District.