Arriving on private jets and armed with personal art advisers, the global culture crowd will soon descend upon Miami Beach for the annual Art Basel show (miamibeach.artbasel.com), which takes place from Dec. 6 to 9 in the heart of South Beach. Now in its 11th year, Art Basel is the most influential art event in all of the Americas, luring a global audience of art lovers, along with models, moguls and celebrities. While many of Art Basel’s choicest events are invite-only affairs, most of Miami Beach’s most desirable destinations, from temples of haute cuisine to temples of high culture, are open to all. We asked four Miami-mad regulars for their own personal black books.
Michael Tilson Thomas, artistic director, New World Symphony
I rise just before dawn for a walk around the Sunset Islands or to a local park like South Pointe overlooking the Atlantic. Back home, I read the newspapers and eat breakfast sitting on my dock looking over musical scores. I then head for the New World Center, the recently completed, Frank Gehry–designed home of the New World Symphony (nws.edu). So much is happening there that once I get in the building it’s hard to get out. But I take my breaks out on our roof garden or head out to the many little restaurants in the surrounding Lincoln Road district. I especially like the modern Cuban cuisine at Yuca (yuca.com), the unique Latin-Asian fusion dishes at Sushi Samba (sushisamba.com) and our ever reliable Italian family restaurant, Rosinella (rosinella.net).
On days I go home early, I try and stop at some of the small markets where sport fishermen sell their fresh catches. If I have the chance, I’ll also pop into the rapidly growing Wynwood area, or the Design District, where Miami’s gallery scene is thriving. I particularly like the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse (margulieswarehouse.com). Finally, if I’m not cooking fish for dinner, I’ll eat at Michael’s Genuine (michaelsgenuine.com), where the indoor-outdoor setup is also great for weekend brunch.
(LIST: 10 Things to Do in Miami)
Nadja Swarovski, board member, Swarovski Crystal
Whenever I’m in town, I stay at the Soho Beach House (sohobeachhouse.com). I start every day with a speed walk on the hotel’s private beach—a rarity in Miami—and then get my hair done at the Cowshed Spa. Before I head out, I have breakfast at Cecconi’s, imported from Venice, by way of London.
I usually head straight to the De la Cruz Collection (delacruzcollection.org) in the Design District, which houses an impeccable collection of contemporary art. From there I’ll swing over to the Bass Museum of Art (bassmuseum.org), which presents historical works and makes for a great counterpoint to the more ultramodern pieces on display in the Design District.
Next, it’s a dose of retail therapy and a much needed coffee at the Webster (thewebstermiami.com), which has three floors of fashion and accessories from well-known luxury brands and edgy, up-and-coming designers. The rooftop restaurant has fabulous views of the ocean and is a perfect spot for a late afternoon rest.
Then it’s back to Soho House for another walk along the beach before heading out for the evening. My favorite place for dinner is the garden at Casa Tua (casatualifestyle.com) in South Beach, which is tucked away in an early 1920s Mediterranean villa. The restaurant is run by a stylish husband-and-wife team from Italy and the interiors are filled with charming familial touches. The northern Italian cuisine is exquisite, especially the truffle risotto.
Marianne Goebl, director, Design Miami
I like to start my day with breakfast at the French bakery Buena Vista Deli (buenavistadeli.com), which offers what I consider to be Miami’s best selection of pastries. From there I’ll take a stroll through the Design District, popping into some of the great high-end-fashion boutiques before heading for lunch at Mandolin (mandolinmiami.com). It’s a low-key, neighborhood restaurant serving great Turkish and Greek food and very popular with families on weekends.
To see one of the best examples of contemporary architecture in Miami, I’d drive over to the 1111 Lincoln Road complex (1111lincolnroad.com), which has a stunning car park—yes, car park—designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron. The structure stands as a true homage to the car and offers a beautiful view over Miami Beach.
(MORE: Art Basel Miami: How the City on the Beach Became an International Cultural Hotspot)
Next, I’ll pay a visit to the Wolfsonian (wolfsonian.org), which is an extraordinary design museum right in the heart of South Beach. I love its eclectic collection of decorative artifacts and propaganda materials from 1885 to 1945.
I end the day at the W South Beach hotel (starwoodhotels.com), which has managed to retain its great buzz three years after its debut. I’ll do dinner at the Dutch, which offers a truly American remix of Caribbean, Latin and Asian flavors, and I’ll end the evening with drinks amid the lavish landscaping of Grove, the W’s indoor-outdoor lounge.
Lenny Kravitz, musician and president, Kravitz Design
Miami is a place I return to often and love to call home. When I’m in town I try to take advantage of the beautiful weather and begin my day with a seafront run on South Beach. If I go early enough, the beaches are nearly empty and really peaceful. After my run I hit JugoFresh (jugofresh.com) for one of their organic, cold-pressed juice blends.
In the early part of the day, I like to check out the Wynwood district. Many of the buildings have been painted by graffiti artists, and there’s always something new to see. If I have time, I’ll check out the Rubell Family Collection (rfc.museum), which is one of the world’s premier modern-art collections. I also go to Clive’s (clivescafe.com), a local Caribbean restaurant I’ve been visiting for years. They have great curries, stews and jerk dishes.
In the evening, I’ll go to the New World Symphony. During concerts, they project the performance on an exterior wall of the building, so you can sit on the lawn and enjoy. It’s a great opportunity for the community to experience classical music, and this season they’ll present works by everyone from Mahler to Rachmaninoff. Before the concert I’ll stop at the SLS South Beach hotel (slshotels.com) for a preshow cocktail at the Bazaar. They have this nitrogen caipirinha that is delicious—and since Kravitz Design created the hotel’s bungalow and presidential suite, I always feel at home.
Dinner is at my favorite restaurant, Zuma (zumarestaurant.com), where I can easily eat three times a week. Or, if I’m craving something more casual, I’ll head over to Pubbelly (pubbelly.com) on South Beach’s cooler, quieter western side. The young owners have also opened the hip tapas joint Barceloneta (barcelonetarestaurant.com) nearby.
Miami is a late-night city, so after dinner I’ll hit a club or two. I like to go upstairs at Casa Tua, which most folks think of as a dining spot, but they have a lot of percussion instruments, and you can play along with the DJ. It’s always packed.
Read more: http://style.time.com/2012/11/22/a-perfect-day-in-miami/#ixzz2Df0US4Mc - George Lindemann Jr
When it comes to staying connected, Twitter stands out from the social networking crowd for its constant flow of breaking news and pictures straight from the source. This Miami Art Week, Twitter can come in handy for more than just living vicariously though the lives of Miami's social butterflies. Whether you're looking for insider details on the art fairs, galleries, and parties you should be at, or simply looking to connect with likeminded individuals, it's all a click of a follow button away. Here are 27 Twitter accounts in no particular order you'll want filling up your feed during Miami Art Week.
1. Social media maven and Miami "It" girl Maria Arguello is your source for all the best happenings in town. Come MAW, she'll know where to go and where to eat, and she'll tweet you all about it.
2. We can only imagine how stocked Owen's inbox must be with the most sought after invites. We wouldn't expect anything less from the stylish, Loubuotin wearing publisher of Miami magazine.
3. Donnamarie Baptiste is the Events/Production Manager for Art Basel Miami Beach as well as an independent curator, organizing cutting edge exhibitions and events.
4. As the most fashionable man in Miami, The Webster's John Lin is automatically on the list of the most exclusive Art Basel events you only wish you could get into. Follow Lin for an insider point of view on the most fabulous goings-on during Art Week.
5. James Echols and Annette Peikert, the duo behind Soul Of Miami—the South Florida events and nightlife guide — are the most social couple in Miami. They're always at the scene of the best parties, gallery openings, and galas, all while providing a play by play, or shall we say a tweet by tweet?
6. Ocean Drive Magazine's Twitter bio saids it all. "The Bible of South Beach" will have your twitter feed buzzing with posts on the most fabulous MAW events.
7. Visit artist Jessy Nite's twitter feed, and you'll see she has some top-secret art installation in the works for Basel this year. Hit follow to see what she has up her sleeve.
8. The Webster's darling CEO Laure Heriard Dubreuil is also head of Miami's fashion Clan—she'll undoubtedly be hanging with the best dressed crowd throughout the week. It's only natural for those with a penchant for fashion to be curious about what she's wearing up to.
9. Publicist, writer and art lover Galena Mosovich is your gal for insightful tweets on the best of MAW art and where to have a cocktail.
10. Local urban-pop artist Ruben Ubiera is one of the collaborating artists for this Art Basel season's Pop-Up Piano Miami, a public arts project that brings awareness to Miami's music scene by having eight Steinway & Sons pianos painted by local artists set up throughout the city for "pop-up" concerts.
11. Bardot is providing the stage for artists in the likes of Neon Indian and Nicolas Jaar during Art Basel. Get the lowdown on all the dates and times for a post art fair show.
12. Dinners, parties, book signings, and installations. The Standard hotel has a promising agenda for the week, not to mention a spa to relax at post mayhem.
13. Just in time for Art Week, the cocktail bar is slated to open permanently at the beginning of December. Hit The Broken Shaker's follow button for the anticipated opening date, that way you're assured to be one of the first to sip on one of their magic elixirs.
14. Figuring out where to eat in the midst of Art Week mania can leave one feeling hopeless. Let The Chowfather ease things for you with his insightful tweets on where and what to eat.
15. Stay up to date on MOCA's Art Basel offerings—from parties to tours to exhibits.
16. Did you know the Bass Museum of Art offered an Art Pass for Art Fair Week? Tips and information like this are tweeted daily.
17. The official twitter of Art Basel Miami Beach provides news and details on exhibitions, artist talks, tours, and more.
18. Between Johnson’s eye for all that is up and coming and her seamless blending of eloquent snark and critical observation, we’re sure the editorial director and founder of ArtFagCity.com will lead us in the direction of some pretty good art.
19. Oh you don’t follow the communications firm that has the one and only Art Basel Miami Beach as one of their clients? You might want to get on that. Oh, they also handle communications for the Gagosian galleries, Dallas Contemporary, the Parrish Art Museum and Madison Square Art, just to name a few.
20. Do you remember that insane barbeque that Art.sy hosted on the beach in conjunction with Louis Vuitton last year? You may want to follow them just so you don’t miss out on whatever’s up their sleeves this year, but their insightful feed is sure to break down which are the better fairs and installations as well.
21. The lensman behind World Red Eye Photos, Seth Browarnik is the veritable eye of Miami. Browarnick's Twitter feed is always chock full of Miami's who's who galavanting around town.
22. Often called the “alternative” art fair, Fountain is going to be kicking it with an abundance street art and wild performances this year, per usual. Rumor has it that they’re also planning to do a rendition of the famous, Brooklyn series Tiki Disco party on Saturday night as well.
23. What you’re looking for specifically with this one is this hashtag #MovingtheStill. This, people, is the first ever animated GIF Festival, held by our one and only favorite microblog Tumblr, in conjunction with Paddle8.
24. The Brooklyn-based editor and co-founder of the renowned art blogazine, Hyperallergic.com, has a giddy and contagious passion for art, particularly of the street, performance and internet variety. And if you don’t follow him we can guarantee that you’ll probably overlook some of the best art Miami Art Week has to offer this year.
25. Monsieur Director of MoMA PS1 announced shortly after that b*tch Sandy that he was cancelling the museum’s annual party during Art Basel to throw a fundraiser for victims of the hurricane instead. We think it’s still going to be a party.
26. As Société Perrier’s very own Miami Market Manager, Eunique Fowler is naturally always out and about unearthing Miami's hidden gems and attending the most talked about events in town.
27. Last, but certainly not least, follow us at @SPerrier_USA for up to the minute coverage on all things Miami Art Week.