Driver Spotlight: Meet Miami’s Undercover Tour Guide
This month we are putting a spotlight on Armando, a driver with over 30 years of experience in the transportation industry. His past clients read like a guest list at any major A-List party or political event. He has transported three prime ministers, as well as Colin Powell, Ann Bancroft, Madonna, Herb Ritts, Busta Rhymes, P Diddy, Lil Kim, Venus Williams, Matt Dillon, Cindy Crawford, and Placido Domingo to name a few.
Given his many years on the road, we asked Armando to help us wrap up our #ResolutionExplore campaign by sharing his favorite hidden gems in Miami with us.
Hidden Gems of Miami:
 | St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church 16711 W Dixie Hwy North Miami Beach, FL 33160 A medieval Spanish monastery cloister which was built in the town of Sacramenia in Segovia, Spain, in the 12th century but dismantled in the 20th century and shipped to New York in the United States. |
This historic building houses a baptismal font that predates Christopher Columbus by 400 years. William Randolph Hearst bought it on a trip in Spain, and had it brought over block by block in 11,000 wooden crates. It’s the oldest structure in the Western Hemisphere.
 | Miami Center 201 S Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33132 The Miami Center is a skyscraper in downtown Miami, Florida. Although Miami Center is not the city’s tallest building, it is a symbol of early downtown. |
All of the marble on the outside of the building was to be installed with the grain going north to south, but the workmen ignored the artist and installed the marble going east to west. It’s not even a perfect mistake, the pieces around the entrance that were to be placed in a horizontal pattern ended up installed vertically.
 | The Sidewalk on Biscayne BLVD Downtown Miami Miami, FL 33132 U.S. Route 1 in Florida runs 545 miles along the state’s east coast from Key West to its crossing of the St. Marys River into Georgia north of Boulogne, and south of Folkston. |
Burle Marx designed about a two miles (one on each side of the street) of walkways similar to those on Rio’s Copacabana for Biscayne Boulevard between the Arsht Center and the InterContinental Hotel — downtown’s beating heart. The pattern continues for over 2 miles and never repeats itself.
Favorite Restaurants:
 | Versailles Resturant 3555 SW 8th St Miami, FL 33135 Ample portions of classic fare & taste of the Cuban experience served in ornate space since 1971. Armando’s favorite Cuban food in Miami. |
 | Smith & Wollensky 1 Washington Ave Miami Beach, FL 33139 Chophouse chain outpost serving prime steaks & seafood in a clubby, power-dining setting. If you sit by the water you can catch the cruise ships as they sail out to sea. |
Keep an eye out for Armando the next time you take an uberPOOL in Miami Beach, as you might get your own personal history lesson about the Magic City.
Billy