Spring scene in Miami

Women spend a rerlaxing Easter day at thte San Seair Condo in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Lindsay Brown//News Editor
Women spend a relaxing Easter day at the San Sear Condominiums in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla. Lindsay Brown//News Editor

Spring break in Miami can be difficult to navigate. If you aren’t careful, it’ll involve nothing more than traffic, crowded beaches, sunburns, expensive parking and liver disease. But you live here. You know better. So avoid the sun-starved spring breakers this year and consider some of these Miami options instead.

Meet the Real Miami: Just so you know, you haven’t really experienced Miami until you’ve braved the Calle Ocho Festival, which will take place Sunday on SW 8th Street between 12th and 27th avenues. There is traffic, reggaeton, rowdy revelers and a uniquely Miami-based brand of unsophisticated sexiness pervading the sweaty air. Not to mention the pastelitos, arepas, croquetas and carne asada all clamoring to clog your arteries along the way. In other words, it can’t be missed. Drape a Cuban flag across your shoulders, put on your favorite wife beater and enjoy the best the 305 has to offer.

Meatless in Miami: Mac n’ Vegetarian Food Truck, the first in Miami’s fleet to offer an entirely vegetarian menu (and even some vegan and gluten-free options), is hosting a tasting event at Sweat Records (5505 NE 2nd Ave), a local veggie hotspot Saturday. Carnivorous naysayers, mull this dish over before running back to the safety of your hamburger: Four-cheese mac with cheddar, fontina, gruyere and pecorino. Is your mouth watering yet?

Miami Bike Scene: This time around, the monthly community bike ride has taken on a new twist. Join your three or four hundred closest friends Saturday for a scenic ride through Downtown, Brickell, Edgewater and Wynwood before arriving at the newly opened O Cinema for the Bicycle Film Festival. Meet at 150 NW 1st St. at 4:45 p.m. Are you apprehensive about leaving your beloved fixie unattended? Don’t worry- there’s bicycle valet parking.

Miami Art walk: The second Saturday of the month is coming up and you know the drill: Second Saturday Art Walk in Wynwood means a night of artwork, hipsters and free drinks. This month, be sure to check out the Lelia Mordoch Galerie, where French artist Keran challenges the limitations of human anatomy in “Body Geometry.” Pass by Pan American Art Projects, where Rusty Scruby relates the details of a recent theft of his artwork and its subsequent discovery at a thrift store in “Here WiFi.”

Miami Movies:There’s no reason to sit on your couch trying to find your favorite re-runs this break. The Coral Gables Art Cinema (260 Aragon Avenue Coral Gables) has done the work for you. Starting Friday, Highlights Week, featuring titles like the racy “Orgasm Inc.” and the South-African feel-good comedy “White Wedding,” brings you the seven greatest films from the theater’s first six months in Coral Gables. If you missed them the first time around or want to stop by for an encore performance, this is your week. Cross the street to Books & Books after the movie for an espresso or a glass of wine, and toast to the fact that you’ve found re-runs better than Jersey Shore.

Amanda Gomez may be contacted at agomez@themiamihurricane.com.