Bayside Market Place, Miami

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I like that is was a nice shopping area. I didn't like that it seemed to cater to the tourists. It was nice to see the marina right there. Some expensive looking yachts. The restaurants looked very affordable. Not sure how good. There was an interesting looking burger place. I think you customize your burger the way you want it. Some nice dress shops and jewelry stores. There were a couple of perfume stores (which I notice when I was on Flagler Street are also quite prevalent). Overall, I think worth checking out if you are nearby. I did buy a very nice scarf for my daughter. It was kind of a rose gold color (maybe copper) and some beads on the tassels for $18. You can catch the tourist boats and buses here.

Bayside Market Place is an open air shopping mall located near the seashore in Miami. The mall is a bit low-key in architecture, and it has a strange out-of-place feeling that I've never felt before in any shopping mall in the US. It felt like Asian mall, full of people and a lot of small vendor stalls.

There are both the normal chain stores, such as GAP or Disney, and then also local merchants -- some of them having really small outlets. We walked twice past the toy store we were looking for, and it was not even hidden anywhere. Just small enough not to be noticiable immediately.

There is a separate food garden that seem to focus on the greasy side, so we skipped it. A nice perk was a small square inside the mall with local band playing salsa; there were muscle boats in the background -- felt like being in Miami Vice.

The mall is actually great. There are many stores selling UNIQUE gifts at very reasonable prices. There are also decent places to eat and to shop.

What to buy: Check out the kiosk selling gifts made of seashells in particular. Or if your budget allows it, a store selling bones and gemstones with a $140K Mosasaurus (sp) skeleton on the ceiling.

What to pay: depending on your budget

While visiting South Beach my mother and I went to the Luckiest Hard Rock Cafe ever.

What to buy: We took plenty of pictures and looked over in the store for lapelle pins, mugs, key chains, and Knit Shirts. I even found a rag dill for my endearing lads younger daughter.

What to pay: My mom wasn't hurt but persuaded to buy a expensive gift package of pleasure and interest like pins for curiousity and authority. She may have paid $49.99 dollars for her special feelings, but I found it only respectless. I wonder now!

Bayside is a partly covered, mall kind of shopping lane. There are two levels of shops and restaurants here. At the center is an area where there are perfomances once in a while. Here are also the little market style shops where you can get your Miami Souvenirs.

You can see some more pictures in our Bayside travelogue


Picture taken december 9th, 2003 at 17:57



What to buy: Well since all the major brand shops are available you can buy about anything you could think of from clothing to electronics.

What to pay: It's more expensive then you would pay at an outlet.

Miamarina was right next to Bayside. So we ate here a couple of nights and shopped a bit. Didn't buy anything though.

The website says it is Miami's number one tourist attraction which is a bit of overhype IMHO as I think there are other places in Miami that attract the tourists more than this place.

It is adjacent to the port of Miami and is connected to American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat. It is accessible by the monorail - there is a stop nearby. There is a parking garage and valet parking down by the Hard Rock.

The website also says:
"Atmosphere and Crowd: Bayside is an outdoor mall with a colorful, attractive decor. It offers a beautiful view of Miami's Biscayne Bay. Bayside mainly consists of tourists, both national and international, but maintains a considerable amount of local patrons. Bayside is a great place for family entertainment."

"The Casino Princesa is a cruise that departs from Bayfront Park, just next to Bayside. The four and a half hour cruise offers trips around Biscayne Bay, and sails twice daily and three times on Saturday."

They had live music at night and we could sit on deck and listen, or if it wasn't something we liked, we could go into the boat and watch TV.

What to buy: There are more than 100 shops and places to eat. on 16 acres including Pier 5 Market, a specialty retail market. There is also an extensive food court in addition to the restaurants.

Restaurants:

Hard Rock Cafe
Hooters
Lombardi's Ristoranti
Latin American Cafe
Le Cafe
Los Ranchos

Bars:

Fat Tuesday
Let's Make a Daquiri

Stores:

Bentley's Luggage
Bermuda Bay
Cache
Guess
Sam Goody
The Sharper Image
Victoria's Secret

This is one of the nicest shopping centers I've ever been to. I liked it because it's different to other shoppings, mainly because you can do shopping and at the same time walk under the sun, and you may even get a suntan! Then, after a long walk, you can relax and sit by the sea to have a coffee or light lunch in one of the many restaurants and caffees by the sea.

What to buy: Denim clothes at GAP, Lingerie at Vanity Fair, Toys at the Disney Store.

What to pay: Prices from 10U$ up.

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This was a very nice mall in downtown Miami. What made it different, was that it was an outdoor mall complete with all different shops, restaurants, and dancing.