Brickell for first-timers: the neighborhood I call home

When I moved to Brickell at 19, I thought I already knew Miami. I grew up in Miami Gardens, a city in the north of Miami-Dade County, and Brickell was the place we drove through on the way to somewhere else. Now it’s home: a high-rise apartment, a gym I’m a little too loyal to, and a view of Biscayne Bay that still stops me in the morning.

If you’re visiting for the first time, Brickell can look like nothing but glass towers and traffic. Give it an afternoon and you’ll find the water, the shade and the history hiding between the buildings. Here’s how I’d show you around.

What Brickell actually is

Brickell is Miami’s financial district, just south of downtown, between the Miami River and Biscayne Bay. Brickell Avenue, the main road through it, is lined with banks, offices and apartment towers, so on weekday mornings the sidewalks are full of people in suits walking very fast. (Slow walkers on Brickell Avenue are my number one pet peeve. I say this with love.)

It’s also one of the most walkable parts of Miami, which is rare in a city built around cars. Most of the places below are within a 20-minute walk of each other.

Getting around without a car

The best tip I can give you is the Metromover, Miami’s free elevated train. It loops through Brickell and downtown on its own little track above the streets, and because it’s free, it’s the best-value skyline tour in the city. I ride it just for the views when friends visit.

For longer trips, Brickell has a Metrorail station that connects to the rest of the county, and ride-share is easy to find. If you do drive, avoid rush hour on Brickell Avenue and the bridges. Trust me on this one.

Walk the water

Brickell sits on the bay, but the water isn’t always obvious from the main road. A few ways to find it:

• The Riverwalk and Baywalk. A waterfront path runs along parts of the Miami River and the bay. It’s patchy in places because it passes in front of different buildings, but the stretches that connect are lovely around sunset.
• Brickell Key. A small island connected to Brickell by a short bridge, with a walking path around its edge. One loop is about a mile, and it’s my favorite place for a slow, phone-free walk.
• The Brickell Avenue Bridge. Look up as you cross the Miami River: a bronze sculpture of a Tequesta family stands on top of a tall column, a tribute to the people who lived here long before the city.

A little history between the towers

At the mouth of the Miami River, on the Brickell side, is the Miami Circle, an archaeological site where the Tequesta people cut a ring of holes into the limestone about 2,000 years ago. It’s a quiet, grassy spot now, and most people walk right past it. I like knowing it’s there, under all that glass.

Further south, Simpson Park is a small patch of tropical hardwood hammock, the kind of native forest that once covered this whole area. It’s shady, green and surprisingly peaceful for a place a few minutes from some of the busiest streets in Miami.

The Underline

The Underline is a park being built underneath the Metrorail tracks, starting at the Miami River in Brickell and running south. The Brickell stretch has walking and biking paths, outdoor gym equipment, sports courts and plenty of benches. I use it for evening walks when I don’t have time to get to the beach, and on weekends it’s full of families, dog walkers and runners.

Shopping and eating

Brickell City Centre is the big shopping complex in the middle of the neighborhood, with open-air walkways and a mix of high-street and designer stores. It’s where I end up when I need something for a shoot tomorrow. Mary Brickell Village, a few blocks south, is an open-air strip of restaurants that gets busiest in the evening.

I won’t send you to specific restaurants, because they change so fast here, but you’ll find everything from sushi (my weakness) to Cuban sandwiches within a few blocks. Brunch is a serious sport in Brickell, especially on Saturdays.

When to go and what to wear

Brickell is at its best early in the morning, when the light hits the towers and the air is still soft, or in the evening, when the bay turns pink and the buildings light up. Midday, especially from June to September, is hot enough that you’ll want to move from shade to shade.

Wear something breathable, shoes you can actually walk in, and sunscreen even if it’s cloudy. The towers create wind tunnels, so a floaty dress will have opinions. Ask me how I know.

My perfect Brickell day

If you only have one day: a morning walk around Brickell Key, a Metromover ride up to downtown and back, lunch near Brickell City Centre, a slow afternoon on The Underline, and sunset from the Brickell Avenue Bridge as the boats come up the river. If you want to see how my own days here usually go, I put one together in A Day in Miami, and there are more Brickell moments in my gallery.

Coming to Miami soon? Say hi in the chat and tell me what you’re planning. I love helping people find the good corners of my city.