Downtown Miami on Easter Monday

Hi there,

We are staying at South Beach saturday, sunday and monday on easter week-end. We are planning a visit to Downtown Miami on monday but we are wondering :

1) Will everything (stores, museums, etc.) be closed ?

2) Will center city be deserted and dangerous ?

Thank you,

Frederic

Montreal, Canada

Downtown Miami on Easter Monday

Easter Monday in Miami will be like the other 52 Mondays of the year. Museums, stores, everything will be open.

There is no recognition of Easter Monday in Miami.

Center city or downtown is not dangerous in the day time. At night it empties out pretty fast.

After the Miami heat basketball games I notice all the fans walk fast to their cars with their eyes on the ground.

Downtown Miami on Easter Monday

Really ? In Montreal, everything is closed on Easter monday. Happy to hear that we%26#39;ll be able to visit downtown Miami.

Thank you !

Maybe Montreal has a more Catholic/European culture in which lent is observed. Then holy week is some serious church going followed by a celebration on Easter Sunday. Easter monday is a sort of recovery day. A transition back to ordinary time. Maybe another hoilday as repayment for all the church going and piety of lent.

We observed it in New Jersery catholic school in the 1950s. No more, we are a very secular culture now.

Downtown Miami itself is very safe and busy. The Brickell section (south of the Miami River) has most of downtown%26#39;s residents, as most of the towers are condos and hotels. That area has the nightlife of Miami, some of the tallest buildings, and has a lot of construction going on right now. The section north of the Miami River is mainly a business center. It is safe around the clock but empties out at night due to the high density of financial centers, etc. (not many residents). With all the new development there is more nightlife and it%26#39;s safer at night now than it used to be though. The part that you should avoid is not downtown itself, but a section a couple miles northwest called Overtown. Even that area during the day is okay but it becomes very dangerous at night.....but it can be easily avoided. The Heat arena is near that area...although not actually in it. Everything should be open and you will be amazed at the amount of development in downtown Miami......center city is a lot better off now than it has been in a while for Miami. I was just in Montreal last summer by the way.....I see you%26#39;re from there.

I do not see anyreason to go to downtown Miami. There are many other places to go that will reward you more. Will you have a car? If so, I suggest going to Fairchild Tropical Gardens for the Chihully Exhibit or to the Everglades to see alligators and take a swamp boat ride. For a third world experience,go to Southwest 8th Street in Miami,Calle Ocho,, You wil definitely think you have traveled south.

Alternatively, drive up to Ft Lauderdale and go to the Las Olas Blvd Area to stroll,lovely. Then continue on the riverfront area and the museums around there. At night,take a ride on the Jungle Queen and see all of the love homes and scenery along the intercoastal. Then,get off at the private island for a huge dinner of ribs and chicken and all you can eat and watch one of the hokiest shows you have ever seen.It is a tradition and a bargain for the whole evening.

Drive on the strip of A1A to see the contrast with Miami Beach. This is assuming you will also drive Miami Beach, and not just South Beach.

These experiences will give you a taste of what makes this area fun. Downtown Miami will not.

Enjoy,Coleridge

favorite recipe chicken