Instagram: South Beach via @viennafashioncat/Coconut Grove via @travelswithtracy
The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the South Florida neighborhood of the year, kicked off with 16 areas vying for the trophy. For this week's Final Four, we'll have one matchup on Monday and the other on Tuesday, with the Curbed Cup Final on Wednesday. Voting for each pairing ends 24 hours after it begins.
South Beach barely survived the last round in a fierce matchup with Edgewater. It differs from other parts of South Florida in that there's no other place offering such a versatile platter of dining, entertainment and living options. Despite the constant shredding of roads and events at times causing mind-numbing traffic, residents put up with it because despite some chaos, it's worth it in the end. 2015 has been a massive year of luxury hotel and condo development, from 1 Hotel to Faena. And not everything on the island is exorbitantly priced, you just need to know where to look. Take Soundscape Cinema, for example. The weekly wall-projection movie experience on 17th Street and Washington is free. Bring pillows, a bottle of wine and a blanket, grab nearby takeout and boom - the ultimate date night. Then there's the over-the-counter Huahua's off Lincoln Road - home of the best tacos in South Florida. Now we just need to figure out how to save South Beach from rising sea levels...
Coconut Grove's takedown of top-seeded Brickell in the Elite Eight was one of this year's most shocking upsets. As Miami's oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood, it features a clientele of various ages, from students at the U invading their bars on Thursday nights - looking at you, Mr. Moe's - to their plethora of art shows throughout the year attracting all sorts of folks from across South Florida. Monty's remains one of the better spots to take visiting friends from out of town. High-end condos continue to sprout. Cinépolis in CocoWalk is unquestionably one of the better movie theaters in Miami, with their reserved seating and addition of beer and wine. The Grove also offers extravagant homes built with character, like Mediterranean mammoth La Brisa, which hit the market at a whopping $47.5 million.
· Curbed Cup 2015 [Curbed Miami]
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