Before I visited in August 2024, I hadn’t been to Miami since 2016. If memory serves me correctly, Miami is the first place I traveled as an adult, but I was broke college student, so it was interesting to see the difference between that trip and this go-round.

Aside from the difference in my financial situation, I am now more traveled and could make more acute observations. For example, having traveled to Cuba in 2019, I can now see the similarities between the two destinations that people often mention. Without the context of personally experiencing the energy of Havana, Cuba, I would not have thought twice about the microcosm that is Little Havana in Miami.

Ocean Drive is lined with beautifully colored buildings just like Havana, the main difference being the addition of modern art deco elements. One of observations I’ve made spending time in the Caribbean is that I don’t have time to be sad there. The combination of bold colors, warm sun, and being by the water is truly undefeated. Visiting Miami recently, I had a similar feeling. It’s an ideal vacation for escapism without having to leave the country.

For a week, I walked around absorbing as much of this kind of energy as I could, hoping to bottle a bit of it to return to Virginia with me. I look at the photos I captured and they feel like a whispered memory from an old friend, vibrant and alive, yet just out of reach until next time.