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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).
More than just a road of memory and connection, Old Cutler is also a gateway to Miami’s vast biodiversity. Iguanas and crabs crawl along its edges. Banyans and strangler figs form the canopies that shade the asphalt. There are also terrifying stories of crocodiles lurking beneath Snowden’s Creek, a warning to would-be jumpers (my 13-year-old self never took this advice). And of course, the road leads to Fairchild, Miami’s lush botanical garden, home to more than 3,400 species of plants.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to see more than just trees and memories on Old Cutler.
The road also reflects some of the deeper truths of this city, truths that aren’t always easy to face. Old Cutler reveals Miami’s beauty, but it also exposes its socioeconomic divide.
When I was younger, people told me that US1 was Miami’s true dividing line. But over time, I’ve come to realize that Old Cutler tells a similar story. You begin at Le Jeune, where towering homes line the road through Cocoplum Circle. But as you drive south toward Cutler Bay and Goulds, a different reality comes into view. The homes shrink. Inequality grows.
It’s a story that is all too common in Miami. And as the city continues to boom, it’s on us to ensure that growth happens equitably—along this road and beyond.
I’m nearly 27, and in all these years of driving and riding along Old Cutler, I still feel there’s no road quite like it. Old Cutler has endured Miami’s most drastic changes, yet it miraculously preserves the same beauty and purpose, with old homes, mansions, mangroves, and even horses at 176th by the library.
Old Cutler Road—you are a defining character in south Miami, in my life and so many others. Keep moving us forward. Even as the city around you transforms, I hope you stay just as you are, the soul of our home.
Tiago Rachelson is Carl Rachelson’s son. He is now 26 and currently lives in New York City.
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