{"id":399,"date":"2012-09-22T06:52:48","date_gmt":"2012-09-22T10:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~travelwriting\/?page_id=399"},"modified":"2012-10-05T16:01:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-05T20:01:00","slug":"brickell-miami-neighborhood-where-culture-food-style-come-together","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=399","title":{"rendered":"Brickell: Miami neighborhood where culture, food, and style come together"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted Sept. 22, 2012<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By EMMA REYES<\/p>\n

MIAMI, Fla. \u2013 Surrounded by high-rises that light up the Miami skyline, restaurants filled with people enjoying different cuisines from burgers, table-side prepared\u00a0guacamole and fried rice and small shops open for business, Brickell is an urban neighborhood on the rise.<\/p>\n

Brickell is made up of more than 30,000 full-time residents, according to Gabriel Gonzalez, director of Commercial Real Estate at\u00a0RESF Commercial.<\/p>\n

\"Gin\u00e9s

Artist Gin\u00e9s Serr\u00e1n-Pag\u00e1n’s sculpture,\u00a0 Union of the World, is displayed at Mary Brickell Village\u00a0 (Photo by Emma Reyes).<\/p><\/div>\n

The pioneers of the area were Mary Brickell and her husband, William, who started the trading post in 1870. Mary Brickell\u2019s vision for the area was for it to become the heart of business in Miami.<\/p>\n

Today, the area is known as the Miami financial district. In the past four years, the area has recovered from the 2006-07 market crash.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez explained in an e-mail that the recovery was due to the financial markets and international businesses that came to this area. The neighborhood has also become known for its large number of international banks.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrickell is the fastest growing neighborhood in Miami and is famous for containing the highest concentration of international banks in the United States,\u201d Gonzalez added.<\/p>\n

In the heart of Brickell is the chic center, The Shops at Mary Brickell Village. The center is divided into two plazas that are surrounded by mature oak and mahogany trees decorated with twinkle-lights that illuminate the area like stars in the sky.<\/p>\n

Part of what makes up the center is a 32,000 square foot Publix Super Market on the first floor along with restaurants and shops and a 42,500 square foot LA Fitness on the second floor alongside bars.<\/p>\n

Mary Brickell Village is also equipped with some popular restaurants, which include Subway, P.F. Chang\u2019s, Burger & Beer Joint, Rosa Mexicano, LA Sweets and Starbucks and lifestyle necessaries as OXXO Cleaners, Uni K Wax and Regions Bank. Blush Boutique Brickell and Peace Love World are some of the clothing stores in the area.<\/p>\n

This part of Brickell is known for its restaurants, bars and shops mostly visited by professionals from around the area. During the weekends, it is also known as one of Miami\u2019s hot spots where locals dress in their finest and enjoy their night at one of the many bars and lounges in the area.<\/p>\n

According to Gonzalez, Brickell is one of three areas in Miami that have established itself as \u201ctrue\u201d Miami. It has to do with the area becoming a popular place for international visitors, especially people from Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain and Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201c[They] move to and live [here] because of the many cultures represented in restaurants and stores in the immediate trade area,\u201d said Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

Flavia Merschmann, a full-time student from the University of Tampa, was visiting friends and she expressed the same views to what Gonzalez stated about the area being \u201ctrue\u201d Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely! This is a picture of Miami…. it’s where everybody and everything comes together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Merschmann also expressed why she liked going to Brickell and The Shops at Mary Brickell Village so much.<\/p>\n

\"Westside

The west side of The Shops of Mary Brickell Village (Photo by Emma Reyes).<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYou can find a bit of everything at Mary Brickell Village, from Chinese food, to Mexican to delicious burgers, great bars, beautiful boutiques and even beauty salons. I guess that and the fact that the population is so diverse makes this place so amazing and unique.”<\/p>\n

Local resident Cory H. Clair, a financial representative for John Hancock Financial Network, lives within walking distance from The Shops at Mary Brickell Village. He visits the center once a week for groceries or to enjoy some breakfast or lunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite place to visit in Brickell, by far, is Balans. They have this grilled chicken and fresh mozzarella sandwich that I can eat every day without getting sick of it. Goes best with a little balsamic vinegar poured over the mozz,\u201d Clair said.<\/p>\n

The Shops at Mary Brickell Village is also known for local celebrities who drop by and enjoy their evening. Bartender Natalia Cardenas, who works in The Oceanaire Seafood Room, said Pitbull and Shakira are just a few entertainers who have eaten in the luxury restaurant.<\/p>\n

The Oceanaire Seafood Room is an elegant venue with blue lighting, modern d\u00e9cor and lobsters and crabs on ice, to just name a few, that adorn the bar area giving the customer a preview of what the restaurant has to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has a reputation of being a destination location. People come here for birthdays or anniversaries or special events,\u201d added Cardenas.<\/p>\n

The atmosphere in this area of Brickell and in The Oceanaire Seafood Room is recognized as a place where the employees that work in the shops, bars and restaurants will remember their customers.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Shops at Mary Brickell Village offer an active nightlife with a variety of restaurants (Photo by Emma Reyes).<\/p><\/div>\n

Cardenas added once the people go into the eatery more than once, the customer becomes a friend and that is her favorite part of working in a place like The Oceanaire Seafood Room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people, the regulars and the community, I guess. They start as regulars and then they become friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brickell is an area where a tourist can see how the residents of Miami enjoy their weekend nights or Sunday morning brunch. It\u2019s an area where culture, food and style come together.<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO
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