'I visited a no-go gang area that has been transformed into a popular tourist spot' "Hey, you better look after your eyes, they gonna see so many things, they’re going to hurt," my Cuban-born driver Rafael cautions as we zip from Miami International Airport to the buzzing Wynwood district.
I found myself at the Ziff Ballet Opera House within the massive Adrienne Arsht Center, one of America's grandest performing arts venues, eagerly awaiting the Miami City Ballet's rendition of George Balanchine's "A Midsummer Night's Dream.".
As I set off on a tour with Wynwood Buggies to delve into the local street art scene, my guide and self-styled "philosopher" Marco barely drives a few metres in our six-seater golf cart before halting to showcase a towering mural splashed across a building's facade.
"At the same time there were a lot of kids in the streets and they wanted to experience life in a way they could have fun and they started writing on the walls, like every kid writes on the walls of its own room, and this is what is known today as graffiti.".
A brief walk through the Lincoln Road shopping district, adorned with Art Deco buildings including the repurposed Lincoln Theatre – now an H&M outlet, leads me to the New World Center.
