Coral Gables is one of those places--like Rome--where wandering around is a complete joy. OK, you're not going to stumble across the excavation of a Roman ruin or the spot where Caesar was assassinated, but you will see incredible architecture, unbelievable flora, and unexpected fauna--such as peacocks wandering around a residential street. These are considered a nuisance by the way, particularly for the waste they leave, but it's a bird sanctuary, so you aren't allowed to disturb the birds or their eggs. Apparently neighbors come to blows over this, which looks pretty ludicrous considering the violence in some of the Miami area's other neighborhoods.

Coral Gables was the dream of George Merrick, who in the mid 1920s enlisted a talented group of people to create this planned community, based in large part on Washington Irving's writings about Spain. Coral Gables and the University of Miami, which is in Coral Gables, were founded almost simultaneously, although the city grew and prospered a bit faster than the University, where one building sat uncompleted for over 20 years. It was originally billed as an "open air" university, and many classes were held outside (on purpose!!) Soon, however, the rapid growth and hoopla of Coral Gables were dealt severe blows by hurricanes of 1927 and 1935 and the Great Depression, which began in 1929. Many of the grandiose plans for Coral Gables went by the wayside, and Merrick himself was reduced to bankruptcy. Still, the city struggled on, and by refusing to compromise its strict building standards, it survived and began to prosper again, especially when WW II resulted in the basing of thousands of soldiers in the area. Many of them received their training at the university. The magnificent Biltmore Hotel, which had also fallen on hard times, was turned into a military hospital and after the war became a VA hospital. Only decades later would the City of Coral Gables acquire it and eventually see it turned back to its original purpose.

OK, there's so much to talk about Coral Gables. But what about this book? It succeeds in giving a brief sketch history of the founding and development of the city. The early promotional materials reproduced here are great examples of hype--except that in this case it was largely true. Many of the historic photos are also great, but, of course, they are all in black & white, so they pale in comparison to the Coral Gables you can look up from your book and actually see. There is also too much emphasis on photos of street cars. The street car line went broke after the 1935 hurricane when there was no money to rebuild. It's a shame, of course, but the average reader is unlikely to share the author's level of enthusiasm with this mode of transportation. The book also concludes for some unknown reason with a chapter about Coral Gables' neighboring community, South Miami. I guess it doesn't warrant its own book, or the publisher was hoping to pick up a few South Miami sales. More pages on Coral Gables would have been welcome, because this book barely touches the surface of the wonderful things I have seen driving around this town. There needs to be much more about the various canals for instance. What was their original purpose and why have some fallen into a bit of disrepair. How about later development in Coral Gables, which seems to have departed from the Spanish Colonial style of the early buildings into a more modern Mediterranean architecture with terra cotta roofs (which to me at least is even more appealing.) How about telling us a little more about the trees and flowers? Or especially telling us more about wonderful unique things such as the Chinese Village.

OK, so I'm asking for too much. Still, with a bit more organization and focus, this book could have been better. It's still a reasonable starting point if you want to quickly grasp how this wonderful place came about, but it will leave you wanting more. Or maybe we should just put down the books and go for another walk or drive down Granada Avenue or the Country Club Prado or.... ( )