Greater Miami is a melting pot that would make America's founders swell with pride. Half of Miami's population is Hispanic, giving the city an international outlook. For the casual visitor this means a city peppered with the flavours of Latin American food, language, music, politics and spirit.

The Greater Miami Area, which includes Miami and Miami Beach as well as distinctive neighborhoods like Little Havana and Little Haiti, is a melting pot that America's founding fathers would be proud of. Half of Miami's population is Hispanic, and its immigrant communities focus on what's happening in Havana or Caracas as much as they follow events in Washington DC, giving the city an international outlook. For the casual visitor this means a city peppered with the flavors of Latin American food, language, music, politics and spirit.

Most visitors head for Miami Beach, a city built on a sandbar across Biscayne Bay from Miami. Many of the beach's locals are imports from New York, people tired of sitting through five hours of snarled traffic on their way to the Hamptons, who decided that Miami Beach made a lot more sense. They brought with them a fledgling art and culture crowd whose numbers included many younger artists.

There are special events all the time in Miami, a city known for its partying, though during the summer months the pickings are slim. The biggest event of them all is the Carnaval Miami, a nine-day festival at the beginning of March, which includes a Miss Carnaval contest, Carnaval Night concerts at the Orange Bowl, an inline skating contest, jazz concerts, a Latin drag show, and a Calle Ocho cooking contest. The Calle Ocho Festival is the culmination of Carnaval Miami and a great time to be in Little Havana, since there are lots of concerts, giveaways and Cuban food.