Miami is one of the American cities with the strongest Latin American influence in the world. Today more than 70% of the population speaks Spanish in everyday life — a transformation that began in the 1960s with the arrival of large Cuban communities.
Miami is a city that doesn’t reveal itself straight away. It’s not just beaches and skyscrapers — it’s a constant meeting point between different cultures, above all Caribbean and Latin American, which have shaped the city’s identity far more than its architecture ever could.
We visited Miami over Thanksgiving, but the experience had nothing in common with the classic American image of that holiday. No cold, no autumn leaves, no chunky knitwear. Just heat, humidity and the sea.
We went as a group of college friends and stayed with a local teammate. It was one of those simple trips, thrown together at the last minute, that work precisely because they carry no rigid expectations.
Miami’s city centre is very different from most American downtowns. It’s compact, modern and full of visual contrasts. Street art is a defining part of the city: in many neighbourhoods, especially in the Wynwood area, murals tell stories rooted in immigration, Caribbean culture, music and local identity.
South Beach is probably Miami’s most recognisable image, but in person it hits differently. The combination of white sand, turquoise water and Art Deco skyscrapers creates a very particular urban landscape, where the city and the sea blur together without any clear boundary between them.
The beach isn’t just a tourist spot — it’s part of daily life. You see people playing volleyball, groups working out, locals and visitors sharing the same stretch of sand without any fuss.
During our stay we caught a Miami Heat game. The atmosphere inside the arena captures the spirit of the city perfectly: high energy, an engaged crowd and a spectacle that felt a notch above other NBA cities we’d experienced.
Miami is probably one of the American cities where the cultural mix shows most clearly in everyday life. Language, food, music and daily rhythms all reflect, above all, the Caribbean and Latin American influence that runs through everything here.