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Old Cutler Road, the 15-mile stretch of asphalt linking Coral Gables to Cutler Bay, is more than a street to me. It’s south Miami’s heartbeat—a road that carries memories for everyone who drives it.
Since my birth in 1998, my life has been tied to this road. Legend has it that the night my mother went into labor, I first traveled Old Cutler in the womb. As a child, I spent countless mornings biking to Deering’s People Dock, where I’d eventually watch pairs of fathers and sons cast fishing lines into Biscayne Bay—and friends parked at Starbucks munching on cake pops and marshmallow bars. Old Cutler carried me through the angsty years of adolescence too. Many nights, I drove home on it in silence, lost in questions about my purpose and path.
Old Cutler, as it’s been for me, is cemented into the story of south Miami and in the lives of those who inhabit it. Every turn leads into a different neighborhood, each with its own culture and rhythm. One turn ushers a school bus in Palmetto Bay to Palmer Trinity or Alexander Montessori. Another, after a busy school day, brings parents onto 144th and US1 for afternoon cortaditos at the French Bakery, or to athletes fueling up at Chipotle on 124th, or friends savoring chicken pita sandwiches at The Daily Bread on 120th (still as good as ever)…