Fontainebleau Tutors Come To You

Not to be confused with the identically named Fontainebleau Hotel on swanky Miami Beach or its namesake just outside of Paris, the city of Fontainebleau, Florida is a suburb of Miami approximately 15 miles from the glamorous hotel (prominently featured in the 1964 James Bond flick Goldfinger), six miles from Miami International Airport and right next door to Florida International University, the nation’s sixth-largest public university. A quick Google Earth scan of Fontainebleau shows a nicely maintained neighborhood marked by freshwater lakes and manicured golf courses surrounded by upscale residential areas. Indeed, household incomes and property values have risen significantly in Fontainebleau since 2000 with houses and condos virtually doubling in price.

Fontainebleau is marked by a multicultural flavor with large populations of Latin Americans, especially Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans. In fact, more than 90 percent of the residents are fluent in Spanish. Ethnic restaurants abound in this part of Miami with culinary delights from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, China and Japan. The Japanese restaurant Maido and the Latin American Las Palmeras have particularly good reputations. For those a little more into their own cuisine, organic food lovers will want to check out the Coral Gables Farmer’s Market held every Saturday.

The city’s cultural appeal tends to revolve around Florida International University, notably the Frost Art Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, on the university’s south campus. Founded in 1977 the museum provides a resource for the university’s faculty and students as well as being a cultural destination for residents and visitors alike. The museum hosts a wide range of ever-changing exhibitions and houses several permanent collections including the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center Collection which features paintings, sculptures and photographs by some of the world’s finest twentieth-century artists. The collection also boasts rare Japanese Netsuke Sculpture and ancient bronzes from Asian and American cultures. The state-of-the-art museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays, closed Mondays and legal holidays.

Shopping is at a premium in several of the nearby neighborhoods and the Miami International Mall is a quick leap over the Dolphin Expressway into the community of Doral. The mall is occupied by some of the top retail stores in the nation including Macy’s, JC Penney’s, Kohl’s, and Sears. Specialty brands such as Cubavera, Express, Forever 21, Gap, Old Navy, and the Disney Store also reside in the mall. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse and The Knife are among the 22 eateries. The one million square foot shopping destination is visited by more than 12 million guests each year.