Surprising Facts about Miami

Living in a country half globe away from the US, my perceptions about its cities are shaped by Hollywood movies. When I got the chance to travel to Miami, I know that it is a top holiday destination for its beaches. However, I didn't get much time to search further about the city before my departure. This is the main reason I got my own list of surprising facts about Miami.
Since my travel would be in December, I planed to buy myself a nice winter coat. But guess what, there is no snow in Miami! You could say that it’s a silly mistake to think that all part of the US would have snow in winter, but I share this wrong perception with many others! And you wouldn’t believe it, but I was a little bit disappointed. As one who always live in a tropical country, I dream of touching the beautiful snow.
Getting out of the airport at 10 pm, we drove along the deserted roads. All I saw was ordinary square houses. Where are those tall buildings, colorful lights and vibrant city? If you live in an island with high population density like Java, getting down the roads of Miami will feel like you’re going out of town. Also, the city is huge, but my choice of public transport is limited to buses which have a half hour interval, and an hour on weekends. Apparently, I live in the “middle of nowhere” part of Miami.
On the contrary, the beach changed forever the way I look at beaches. Forget the pristine blue water with white sand and coconut tree. The famous South Beach gave me the new concept: night life at the bars, hotels and restaurants, museums (including the erotic one), tattoos, motorcycle rent, skateboarding, hot cars, hip hop influence, and yoga class. This idea came to mind: that’s why Hollywood makes its films in this part of the city, and that’s also how it shapes my first impression about Miami. It’s ironic, since most people I know in Miami don’t like traveling to Miami beach.

I got my lesson: when traveling,never let your wrong expectation about a place stop you from exploring what’s great about it. Miami is great for the diverse background of the people. It's a Latin city since most of its people comes from South America, but you can also meet the rest of the world there. You can learn Spanish, but you can also find Hare Krishna temple, Taiwanese bubble tea, or the adaptation of Arabian Nights. One more thing I am happy to find out: although the whole world got its eyes for the World Cup, in Miami and maybe the whole USA, “the game” is always basketball.