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Photo by: Fontainebleau - Miami Beach

It was Miami in the 1950s and 1960s. Sinatra stayed at the Fontainebleau. The Beatles had the Deauville. And middle-class families had the upper reaches of Biscayne Boulevard, where a row of motels, built in the Miami Modern style, beckoned with neon and fins. There was the South Pacific, with space-age diagonal lines; the Vagabond and its statues of frolicking sea nymphs; and, of course, the 7 Seas, which channeled all manner of oceanic adventure. It was a fantasyland of turquoise swimming pools. As decades passed, however, travelers made for beach destinations and the once-gleaming motels fell into disrepair. By the 1980s, many of them had been demolished; others rented rooms by the hour.

Thankfully, all that has changed. As Miami blossomed in the early 2000s, so did Biscayne Boulevard. In 2006, the city designated the area from 50th to 77th streets a historic neighborhood now known as the MiMo District (short for Miami Modern). Other businesses have since emerged. The whitewashed Vagabond is home to an upscale clothier called Transit as well as a monthly organic green market. Hipsters pour into Red Light, a Cajun-infused seafood joint. Balan's, a longtime Miami Beach eatery, just opened a branch at 67th street. One block south is the studio and boutique of Miami designer Julian Chang. "This kind of [architectural] design was stylish and forward at the same time," he says. "It influences my work -- the fact that I can be a part of it is pretty amazing."