Miami's nightlife is still unsurpassed. Drinking tends to take second place to eating and partying, but a number of friendly local bars double as very good live music venues. Reggae is particularly strong; Miami has a sizable Jamaican population, and local as well as flown-in acts appear regularly. Miami's clubs - especially those specializing in salsa or merengue and hosted by Spanish-speaking DJs - are among the hippest in the world, with most of the action at South Beach. Door policies are notoriously obnoxious at current in-spots; the places listed below include laid-back local haunts and some of the hotter bars.
Friday's Miami Herald carries full weekend entertainment listings ; the free weekly New Times has reliable information on cafés and clubs, while the free TWN ( The Weekly News ) is the key source of gay and lesbian info .
If you want to try out the local sports scene, the Marlins pro baseball team, who won the World Series in 1997 in only their fourth season, and the Dolphins , Miami's pro football team, play at the Pro Player Stadium, sixteen miles northwest of downtown at 2269 Dan Marino Boulevard (box office Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; tel 305/620-2578).
Bars and live music
The Abbey Brewing Company 1115 16th St, South Beach. The small yet homey spot is South Beach's only microbrewery. (Try the creamy Oatmeal Stout - their best and most popular brew.) Happy hour Mon-Fri 1-7pm. Churchill's...
Clubs
B.E.D. 929 Washington Ave, Miami Beach. This restaurant serves its meals on curtained beds where everyone lounges, Roman-style, to try the so-called FrancoFloribbeAsian food: get there early to snag one of the beds.
