The spirit of the place according to Allan Shulman

"Although I wasn't born in Miami, the city has become part of my DNA. I've got my own habits here, but I also love discovering new places. I love to dine at Pinch Kitchen, on Biscayne Boulevard, not far from my home in East Miami, a neighbourhood I've seen transformed in the fifteen years I've lived there.

Pinch Kitchen is the brainchild of two brilliant chefs who have turned it into a place full of life. The food is served on beautiful pottery plates and the atmosphere is fabulous. It's one of our favourite addresses of my family.

For lunch in Midtown, where my offices are located, I prefer Novecento, especially for the quality of the ingredients. What's more, you can stay there for hours. I sit down on the super-comfy benches with my laptop and a macchiato, and the time just flies.

A little further north, in the Wynwood district, I love Zak the Baker, an incredible bakery that recently launched and opens early in the morning, as early as seven o'clock. It's the perfect place to start the day with breads of all kinds and croissants as delicious as in France.

Not far from there, I recommend a visit to the Rubell Family Collection, one of my first projects, which houses one of the largest private collections of contemporary art in North America. It's also in Wynwood that I like to go when I have a gift to make, particularly at the L'Appartement concept store where you can find books, unexpected objects, various little things for the home and European furniture.

Otherwise, I head to Miami Beach, to the Wolfsonian Museum shop, which also sells books and unusual objects. When I'm in the area, I can spend hours at Books & Books, a bookshop with several branches in Miami and a great cultural programme.

It's also an opportunity for me to take a look at the Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive, one of my latest projects. It's one of my favourite places, but I'm very biased because my firm and I did a lot of work on this project. It used to be two hotels, which we completely renovated and linked by an egg-shaped, all-white footbridge called 'The Orb'. Today, it is a real work of urban art. There is also a lovely café and an extraordinary "Poetry Rail" featuring the work of 13 Miami poets.

For a drink at the end of the dayI recommend the lobby of the Soho Beach House, another of the hotels designed by my firm. But for a 50s vibe by the pool, you'll have to go back to Biscayne Boulevard, to the Vagabond, a former motel whose owner, Avra Jain, has brought it back to life with plenty of vintage touches.

When I have a bit of time, I stroll around YoungArts, a complex of former Bacardi brand warehouses, which offers concerts, choreography and exhibitions of young talent. I also like the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, which is located in Downtown, in a former post office.

And finally, I recommend the Perez Art Museum Miami, a museum that offers a singular experience in a singular context. A must: its gigantic roof with hanging gardens overlooking the bay.