As we shared in our recent interview with AlphaCurrent, this blog—and our commitment to keeping you in the know about what's going on around Miami—has been a huge driving force in getting us to leave our Miami Beach comfort zone. Blogging has encouraged us to get to know Miami's other communities, as well as thrust upon us unique opportunities to get to know the people and businesses that make them special. Most recently, we've been spending a lot of time in Downtown Miami which we've come to discover has a very NYC feel. In fact, throughout our "sleepover" at the Langford Hotel earlier this month, we had to constantly remind ourselves we were still in Miami.
Our stay began with one of Dr. Paul George's popular walking tours, learning how Miami's downtown developed from its origin as a Tequesta settlement into the bustling urban neighborhood it is today. The New Tropic was on point when they called Dr. George the man that knows everything about Miami. He was a wealth of knowledge and his tour served as the perfect backstory for a night at the historic Langford Building within which the hotel is housed. We left amazed by his ability to remember even the most seemingly insignificant of facts about Miami's history, like what George Langford was eating when he purchased the building. (I mean, we can barely remember what we had for lunch today.)
After the tour we headed straight to the Langford Hotel's indoor/outdoor penthouse, which the Pubbelly Boys have converted into a super cool rooftop bar and lounge called Pawn Broker. For a city that has amazing weather and stunning views, we are sorely deficient in rooftop hangouts so the opening of Pawn Broker is a step in the right direction. Their menu is comprised of creative, delicious cocktails and bites, expertly catering to everything Miami loves in their handcrafted drinks from gimmicky (the Giggle Water, the George A. Romero) to sophisticated (the Pawnbroker, the Lady Lindy). Fellow staycationer DJ Hott Pants got us particularly giddy over the George A. Romero's pineapple vessel and crazy straws. We also had to have the Corn Pop Fizz because it comes with actual Corn Pops and they're the breakfast of champions so...
A few drinks later we rode the elevator to the lobby and out the street for dinner at next door neighbor PB Station. Like its penthouse counterpart, this eatery is a Pubbelly Boys creation and a clutch one at that. (If you work in Downtown, you definitely need to check out their Express Lunch through which you get an appetizer and entree for only $25 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) We food coma-ed our way through Chef José Mendin's BBQ dates, french onion soup dumplings, buttery bone marrow on crispy toast, and a whole grill's worth of seafood and juicy meats, which we capped off with a night cap at Pawn Broker. It was absolute bliss knowing we were steps away from comfy sweatpants and a queen-sized bed throughout the indulgent meal, a luxury we often request and are never afforded during other food blogging engagements.
Our staycation came to a swift end the following morning after a very relaxing rooftop yoga session overlooking the sunrise as it enveloped the Miami skyline. And as we hopped into the Uber that would take us back over the bridge to our beloved little barrier island, we couldn't help but be grateful for the staycation that made us see a new, magically metropolitan side to downtown only a night at the Langford Hotel will reveal.
P.S. If you love food and want a glimpse into the Langford experience, don't miss this month's foodie-themed Disrupt Miami panel discussion (with complimentary breakfast!!) on Friday, August 26th at 9 a.m. moderated by Gio of Chat Chow TV and featuring representatives from PB Station, gastroPod, Proper Sausages, Izzy's Fish & Oyster, SEED Food & Wine Festival and Slow Food Miami. RSVP to rsvp [at] workshopcollective [dot] com.
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