Miami: Downtown

CORAL GABLES Gables Inn730 S. Dixie Hwy., 305/661-7999, thegablesinn.netA comfortable Mediterranean-style motel with arched, deep-ocher walkways and marble-tile floors. The downside: The highway location can make it noisy, so bring earplugs if you're a light sleeper. Doubles from $68. DOWNTOWN Holiday Inn Port of Miami Downtown340 Biscayne Blvd., 305/371-4400 or 800/526-5655, holiday-inn.com Recently renovated, with a nice view of the Port of Miami. Large, light rooms and easy access to public transportation. Outdoor pool. Kids eat free. Doubles from $109. DOWNTOWN Miami River Inn 118 SW S. River Dr., 305/325-0045 or 800/468-3589, miamiriverinn.comAn offbeat charmer with 40 guest rooms in a cluster of cottages around a courtyard and small pool. Rooms have hardwood floors and antique beds and dressers. "Well-behaved" pets welcome. Doubles from $69 in summer, $89 in winter. SOUTH BEACH Aqua Hotel1530 Collins Ave., 305/538-4361, aquamiami.com Funky motel conversion a block from the beach with spartan-chic rooms (concrete floors, modern furniture) overlooking a courtyard. The private sundeck makes a terrific (and quiet) sunbathing spot. Doubles from $99 in summer, $150 in winter. SOUTH BEACH Hotel Astor956 Washington Ave., 305/531-8081 or 800/270-4981, hotelastor.comThe beige rooms are huge for an old deco hotel, with nice touches like TVs on swivel poles and rain-head showers. The staff is reliably friendly. It's a two-block walk to the beach. Doubles from $125 in summer, $190 in winter. SOUTH BEACH Royal South Beach Condo Hotel758 Washington Ave., 305/673-9009 or 888/394-6835, royalsouthbeach.comA funky bargain with a candy-colored lobby and futuristic accents. White rooms have injection-molded plastic bed frames, curvy chaise lounges, and other Jetsons-style furniture. Every room has a microwave, coffeemaker, and free toothpaste. The beach is two blocks away. Doubles from $89. SOUTH BEACH South Beach Plaza Villas1411 Collins Ave., 305/531-1331, southbeachplazavillas.comA shady group of buildings crowded together and outfitted with dark-wood furniture and handsome, tone-on-tone fabrics. One of the best low-cost options near the water, with a lush tropical courtyard just a half-block off the beach. Doubles from $129. SOUTH BEACH The Standard 40 Island Ave., 305/673-1717, standardhotel.comA scene-y hotel on South Beach's western side, 10 blocks from the beach. There's a sumptuous spa with Turkish baths, waterfall hot tubs, nude mud baths, and an on-site yoga center. Rooms are small and basic. Doubles from $150, opens Oct. 2005. SOUTH BEACH Townhouse150 20th St., 305/534-3800 or 877/534-3800, townhousehotel.comThe best boutique hotel near the beach, with an attentive, laid-back staff; small, beautifully minimalist rooms; and an inviting roof deck with crimson water beds for sunbathing. A two-minute walk to the water. Doubles from $135. Appreciating Art Deco Miami is famous for its art deco architecture, especially the hotels that dominate South Beach's skyline. Deco comes in different styles that are easy to spot.   Art deco boasts bas-relief murals, neon lights, "eyebrows" (3-D concrete shades) above the windows, and details designed to look like ships, right down to their porthole-shaped windows.   Depression moderne is less ornamental, and most of its decorations are on the interior. A prime example is the Miami Beach Post Office building at 1300 Washington Ave.   Streamline moderne is marked by rounded-off corners and curves that make buildings seem to move.   To learn more, take one of the walking tours run by the MDPL (see the Essentials page).

TO / FROM THE AIRPORT SuperShuttle305/871-2000, supershuttle.comA van will deliver you to any address in Miami, though the route can be circuitous and long because of all the passengers it picks up and drops off. Book return trips at least 24 hours in advance. $10-$16 each way. TaxisTaxis are the quickest option from the Miami airport. Some fares are set at a flat rate according to seven zones. A one-way trip downtown costs about $19, while South Beach is $28. Note: The fee is per car, not per passenger. Car rental The only practical option for reaching Miami from the Fort Lauderdale airport, which most of the new budget carriers like JetBlue and Song use as their South Florida hub. The ride into Miami is about 45 minutes. GETTING AROUND Public buses & trains305/770-3131, miamidade.gov/transit/Miami's local bus system is slow but easy to use. Handiest routes include the no. 24 to Coral Gables and the C, K, and S, which all connect to South Beach and run north. $1.50 (exact change only). The Metrorail system makes 22 stops, each a mile apart, along a single north-south line between Palmetto and Dadeland South. Tourists, though, can use it as a quick option to whiz down to Coral Gables. $1.50 (exact change only). Free shuttles South Beach Local 305/535-9160, Metromover 305/770-3131, Coral Gables Trolley 305/460-5070, coralgables.com/cgweb/trolley.aspxConvenient, district-specific public transport includes the South Beach Local (25¢), which runs in a loop from Washing-ton Ave. to Dade Blvd. and then to Alton Rd. Downtown, the Metromover light-rail (free) ribbons around the central business district, making regular stops on the waterfront and in the Brickell and Omni districts. Coral Gables has its own daytime trolley service (free), which whisks you from Douglas Rd. to the Miracle Mile, making regular stops on the way. TaxisYou'll have no problem hailing a cab on the streets of South Beach. (Elsewhere in the city is more difficult.) Fares run $1.70 for the first eleventh of a mile, then 20¢ for each additional eleventh of a mile. Call Central Cab, 305/532-5555. WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND TOWN   Ocean Drive magazine, oceandrive.com   The Miami Herald's weeklong listings supplement, free with the newspaper every Friday   Miami New Times, miaminewtimes.com   Go Anywhere, Do Anything magazine (GADA)   Deco Drive TV show, nightly on WSVN-TV, Channel 7 TOURS The Urban Tour Host305/663-4455, miamiculturaltours.comChoose from an array of thematic tours: Watch workers roll cigars in Little Havana, see the homes of early Bahamian settlers, or join ecoguides in Everglades National Park. Call for schedule and pickup points. From $49 per person, includes lunch. Historical Museum of South Florida tours101 W. Flagler St., 305/375-1621, historical-museum.orgRotating schedule of about 20 historical walking and cycling trips that take in every aspect of the city: guided ghost walks, boat tours of the Miami River, and bike rides to the Bacardi Buildings on Biscayne Blvd. Call or check the website for current schedule. From $15. Miami Design Preservation League1001 Ocean Dr., 305/672-2014, mdpl.orgHighly recommended. Informative tours of the deco highlights run by the South Beach-based preservation society, which cherry-picks the best buildings along Collins and Washington aves., as well as Ocean Dr. $20. Wed.-Sun. NUMBERS TO KNOW   Information 411   Emergencies Police, fire, ambulance 911   Area codes 305, 786   Tourist info 800/933-8448   Sports, theater & concert tickets Ticketmaster 305/358-5885

SEE Musée Carnavalet23 rue de Sévigné, 01/44-59-58-58, paris.fr/musees/musee_carnavaletComposed of two beautiful Renaissance mansions situated amid manicured gardens, the museum charts the history of Paris through the belle epoque (late 1800s to WWI) and the present day. Paintings, sculptures, Neolithic archeological finds, and maps. Free. SEE Place des VosgesTidy early-17th-century row houses surround a grassy square. Their stately, formal elegance epitomizes architecture in the Marais, much of which was built for aristocrats. Businesses under the arcade, which wraps around the square, provide opportunities for splurging on clothes and art. EAT Au Petit Fer à Cheval30 rue Vieille du Temple, 01/42-72-47-47, cafeine.comThe kitchen at the "Little Horseshoe" (named for its U-shaped bar) keeps cooking until 1 a.m. It has a deserved reputation for moderately priced, robust French cuisine (the duck confit in particular). Weathered white tiles, chipped mirrors, and old wooden subway seats provide charm. EAT Brasserie Louis Philippe66 quai de l'Hôtel de Ville, 01/42-72-29-42Unpretentious, unrenovated fin de siècle decor-faded mirrors, tiles, ironwork, and a wood-and-leather spiral staircase. Order a steak in pepper or blue-cheese sauce. EAT Minh Chau10 rue de la Verrerie, 01/42-71-13-30One of the Marais's cheapest, friendliest restaurants, which is why it's usually packed. Refuel with such Vietnamese staples as spring and imperial rolls wrapped in mint leaves, and sautéed beef and onions over rice. EAT Sacha Finkelsztajn 27 rue des Rosiers, 01/42-72-78-91, laboutiquejaune.comA landmark bakery in the Jewish part of the Marais offering Yiddish goodies like fresh bread with poppy seeds and lemon cheesecake. It even has free samples. Unoccupied stools are rare, so consider a picnic on the grass at the nearby Place des Vosges. DRINK Beige13 rue des Archives, 01/42-71-69-69The wall along the sidewalk at this minimalist café slides open in warm weather, providing a breezy view of life in the fashionable Marais. While away the hours in one of the comfortable armchairs. DRINK La Belle Hortense31 rue Vieille du Temple, 01/48-04-71-60, cafeine.comA diminutive bookstore-bar that triples as a gallery and quadruples as a wineshop; it also occasionally holds literary events. DRINK Politburo25 rue du Roi de Sicile, 06/13-25-82-78 The walls are red, and 1920s-style Soviet Constructivist posters hang from the walls, but what really sets this bar apart are the inexpensive cocktails in a neighborhood that isn't. Rotating photograph exhibitions, too. SHOP Blaq Out52 rue Charlot, 01/42-77-88-18, blaqout.comFor DVDs of documentary, indie, and auteur films the chain stores can't be bothered with. The friendly employees enjoy guessing your tastes and suggesting titles (even if they don't carry them). The shop stocks discs in different languages and hosts public get-togethers with directors and actors. SHOP Iglaïne12 rue de la Grande-Truanderie, 01/42-36-19-91Affordable vintage garb from decades past. French Navy pantaloons, Hawaiian flower-print shirts, and leather slacks are easy finds, but rarities-say, a strapless raffia clutch-do crop up. PLAY Forum des ImagesForum des Halles, down the Porte St-Eustache stairs located in place Carrée, 01/44-76-62-00, forumdesimages.net Paris's largest vidéothèque screens more than 6,500 films shot in the capital (Breathless, Last Tango in Paris, etc.). Movie lovers select the film they want from a database, and then enjoy their choice on miniscreens designed for three or four viewers. The collection, dating from 1896, is touted as the "memory of Paris." E5.50 for two hours of viewing. PLAY Les Bains7 rue du Bourg l'Abbé, 01/48-87-01-80Dress über-hip and wipe off the smile for the detached cool look needed to get into this club. (Warning: Lines and wait times can sometimes test one's patience.) The institution suffered somewhat from a botched 2004 renovation, but it's still frequented by such aristocrats as Madonna, Brad Pitt, and Diddy, who once commandeered the turntables to wild cheering. Autograph-hunting deemed gauche.

SEE Passage Vendôme3 place de la RépubliqueThe arcade is a good example of France's early-19th-century shopping malls; it remains unrestored, unlike most of its polished, upscale cousins scattered around the grand boulevards to the west. The walkway is illuminated with "zenith lighting," or a glass roof. Closes at 8 p.m. SEE Promenade PlantéeAccess along avenue Daumesnil, promenade-plantee.orgBuilt atop a disused elevated railway, the walkway makes for a bird's-eye glimpse of life below. Underneath lies the Viaduc des Arts, a series of brick arches converted into well-heeled showrooms and artisan ateliers selling furniture, tapestries, musical instruments, and jewelry. EAT Café de l'Industrie16-17 rue St-Sabin, 01/47-00-13-53Reliable French food such as quiche and boeuf bourguignon (beef stewed in red wine) served amid eclectic decor and funky accents such as enormous tortoise shells, which hang on the wall. It attracts in-the-know locals and artsy globetrotters. EAT Chez Paul13 rue de Charonne, 01/47-00-34-57A bustling boîte with low ceilings and close tables. The menu features affordable highlights from France's cuisine traditionnelle, including rabbit thighs stuffed with mint and goat cheese. EAT Paris-Hanoi74 rue de Charonne, 01/47-00-47-59The cheapest trendy ethnic joint in town, so expect to dine with your elbows pinned to your sides. Try a Vietnamese dish of chicken sautéed in either ginger or citronella (lemongrass). EAT Pause Café Bastille41 rue de Charonne, 01/48-06-80-33A café where most habitués just plop down for an afternoon coffee or cool drink on the ample terrace, which gets great amounts of sunshine when the weather permits. Terrific for people-watching. SHOP 77029 rue Beaurepaire, 01/42-02-07-88Inexpensive vintage clothes and new knockoffs of the trendy look. But the real treat is the charm of Canal St-Martin, Paris's most laid-back waterfront, lined with sidewalk cafés and baby strollers. SHOP Le Night Shop34 rue de Lappe, 06/88-04-26-40An embodiment of the Cool Paris Hipster Boutique: a small, unisex space with colorful 1970s clothes and paintings by local and international unknowns. It keeps alternative business hours-until 2 a.m.-to be in sync with the well-known party scene that's sprouted around the street's proliferation of bars. Closed Sun. SHOP The Lazy Dog2 passage Thiéré, 01/58-30-94-76, thelazydog.frStocks a great selection of books and magazines on graphic art-many in English. Titles include such fashionable disciplines as Japanese junk-food packaging and American indie fonts. PLAY BatofarOpposite 11 quai François Mauriac, 01/53-60-17-30, batofar.orgThis former lightship, now a nightclub moored on the Left Bank south of the Bastille, is a research center for French cool-hunters. Its scènes d'été, or DJ parties, on summer Sunday aftenoons are especially popular-people come to lounge and hear expert DJs. Cover from E5 (but occasionally free). PLAY La Scène Bastille2 bis rue des Taillandiers, 01/48-06-50-70, la-scene.comA buzzing venue for above-average soul, rock, reggae, rap, and electronica bands, and DJs, with a lounge and second bar separate from the thundering concert and dance hall. Cover from E10. PLAY Le Sanz Sans49 rue du Faubourg St-Antoine, 01/44-75-78-78, sanzsans.comA slice of the capital's decadent dance scene, bringing together trappings of Baudelairian Paris-velvet-covered walls, paintings in gilded frames, deep armchairs, and purplish lighting-and techno music culture. Real-time video of the dance floor and bar, where bartenders on the main level whack cymbals on swinging lights, is screened in the chill-out mezzanine. No cover. TIPSee a fashion show Not invited to the big runway shows in Paris? Try the free weekly fashion shows at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, two Parisian department stores with locations on boulevard Haussmann. Printemps shows are Tuesdays at 10 a.m. (printemps.com); Galeries Lafayette's are Fridays at 11 a.m. Reserve in advance at welcome@galerieslafayette.com.