Denniston Jennifer - Lonely Planet Florida Travel Guide

Tan, tropical Florida is smarter and more culturally savvy then her appearance suggests. This state, particularly South Florida, has a reputation for attracting eccentrics and idiosyncratic types from across the United States, Latin America and Europe. Many of these folks, and their descendants, have gone on to create or provide patronage for the arts, as evidenced by enormous concert spaces in Miami, a glut of museums on the Gulf Coast, and a long, literary tradition Florida has produced more than her fair share of great American authors.

Many Latin Americans resent when citizens of the United States call themselves, simply, 'Americans.' 'Are we not citizens of the Americas too?' they ask. Yes, and in this vein, Miami () is the capital of America, North and South. No other city blends the Anglo attitude of North America with the Latin energy of South America and the Caribbean. Throw in an African American heritage, gastronomic edge, pounding nightlife, a skyline plucked from a patrician's dream and miles of gorgeous sand, and say hello to the Magic City.