{"id":2292,"date":"2013-11-13T08:54:10","date_gmt":"2013-11-13T12:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~travelwriting\/?page_id=2292"},"modified":"2013-11-13T08:54:10","modified_gmt":"2013-11-13T12:54:10","slug":"come-for-the-food-stay-for-the-art-wynwood-has-something-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=2292","title":{"rendered":"Come for the food, stay for the art, Wynwood has something for everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted November 13, 2013<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By ANABELL BERNOT<\/p>\n

MIAMI — Groups of 20 something with their black berets and thick framed glasses hold their grilled brie and smoked pear sandwiches from Ms. Cheezious, known as \u201cthe sexiest food truck in Miami,\u201d while trying to analyze \u201cDolphin and Marlin,\u201d a multi-hued mural that cascades the back of a building in the Wynwood Art District.<\/p>\n

Wynwood is a section of Miami, north of downtown, that hosts the Wynwood Art Walk the second Saturday of every month. With more than 60 galleries and art complexes, more than 25 food trucks and a copious amount of spray-painted concrete allies as alluring as MichelAngelo\u2019s Sistine Chapel, hundreds of tourists and locals flood the streets to look at contemporary art and taste organic, unique food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw a statue of a dripping pink ice cream cone in one of the galleries,\u201d said Matt Henriquez, a Miami local. \u201cThis is why I come to Art Walk, because you get to see fun and whacky things.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Miami native, I have been to Wynwood\u2019s Art Walk three times, but each time I go, I get to explore different galleries and savor fresh food, so the colorful Miami district never becomes washed-out.<\/p>\n

The Wynwood Art Walk is well known for getting crowded around 8 p.m. so it is important to get there early for a good parking spot. Knowing that parking will be limited since the main area of the walk is from NW 20th Street and NW 36th Street and from NW 2nd Avenue to NE 2nd Avenue, I get there before 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Since the artists in the galleries are still adding their final touches to their exhibits, whether it be neon lights to attract attention or making sure the house wine is poured in every glass, this is the perfect time to get lost in the maze of colors that Wynwood\u2019s murals make up.<\/p>\n

As I walk along the sidewalks, I notice that no space is left barren. There lay drawings of Einstein with a pipe and sketches of emerald green snakes coiled around a half-bitten candy coated apple. When I look up, I see one of my favorite murals in Wynwood, called \u201cBallerinas\u201d by Anthony Lister on the back parking lot wall of 2300 NW 2nd Ave.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like ballerina meets stripper,\u201d said Holly Lowe, who was visiting from Denver.<\/p>\n

Lowe\u2019s description was right on point. According to Lister, he describes the mural as \u201cstrip-club ballerinas on drugs\u201d when he spoke to Miami New Times<\/i> during Art Basel.<\/p>\n

The ballerinas on the mural are waiving their arms freely as if they are casting a spell on those that stare at the painting for too long. The light pink of their costumes with the graffiti sprayed on to the walls splattered on their hips contrasts innocence with sultriness.<\/p>\n

From drugged out ballerinas to a cartoon Bruce Lee Character, Wynwood\u2019s artists are not afraid to think outside of the box.<\/p>\n

By 8 p.m., my stomach is growling and I\u2019m craving homey flavors that will shock and please my taste buds.<\/p>\n

While walking throughout Art Walk, you can spot five-star restaurants like B&M Market that sell traditional Caribbean food like brown stew and fish and cabbage or Balans Biscayne that is famous for its brunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy girlfriends and I come here for the mimosas and omelet\u2019s,\u201d said Miami native Andrea Gonzalez. \u201cIt\u2019s breezy, comfortable, and nice- great for Sunday brunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, I did not feel like having a white mantel sit-down dinner. I wanted to get my hands greasy with peanut oil and smothered in cheese, so naturally I went to the food trucks.<\/p>\n

The food trucks are located in a field on the corner of Northwest 23rd Street and Northwest 2nd Avenue and are there from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.<\/p>\n

With more than 30 trucks, you can choose to eat burgers at Burger Beast and have dessert at JOJI Yogurt, that serves soft serve ice cream and glow in the dark frozen yogurt.<\/p>\n

I raced to Ms. Cheezious to get my hands on a Grilled Harvest Sandwich, complete with spiced apples, havarti cheese, and grilled on multi-grain bread.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is like my grandma\u2019s cooking on steroids,\u201d said Cheezious food fan and native New Yorker Rob Galvez. \u201cThey pair up ingredients that you would never think about putting in a grilled cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

In my first bite, I tasted the cinnamon and nutmeg from the sweet and tart apples, and the creamy touch of the cheese meld with the crunchy, hearty bread. With a full stomach and a grin on my face, I was ready to head out to the exhibits.<\/p>\n

My first stop was at the Unix Fine Art exhibit. This exhibition features international and local painters and has a mix of contemporary and abstract art and statues.<\/p>\n

As a lover of chocolate, I was enticed by the statue of two Hershey chocolate syrup bottles spilling. It was unique because the chocolate was like paint dripping across the gallery floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was paint,\u201d said Miami resident Henry Gil. \u201cAnd then I saw the Hershey sign; It\u2019s creative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next, I went to The Lunch Box Gallery. I felt like I was on the set of a fashion show because tall, slender women stood by the artwork. I\u2019m not sure if they were part of the art.<\/p>\n

This gallery is small, but it packs a punch. The walls were symmetrically lined with photographs of people doing every day things but it had quirkiness to it. For instance, there is a photograph of a woman wearing a white- laced dress and laying on a vintage couch. Yet, she is wearing a fox mask with a medieval painting hanging above her.<\/p>\n

In every gallery, I took about 20 minutes trying to analyze the art and what the artist tried to portray by the colors and symbols he used. However, if you are not an art fan, these galleries will not disappoint you because they have various styles of art, from street art to contemporary.<\/p>\n

Wynwood Art Walk is one of the best attractions in Miami because it offers a variety of places to eat in, whether it is fancy French food or in-your-face burgers, and all types of artwork for all tastes.<\/p>\n

If You Go<\/strong><\/p>\n

Food Trucks<\/span><\/p>\n