Miami’s The Place to Be
After an uneventful flight to Miami International Airport I have made it to Miami Beach via two bus routes. Other than the rain between buses it wasn’t bad. The city, like most others, has lots of sprawl and lots of cars. It looks like so many other cities I’ve visited, espcially Southern California.
The fashionable South Beach area is quite urban in its physical form, although geared toward the tourist rather than acting as a cohesive neighborhood — as least the blocks I’ve seen so far. Cabs are everywhere and are able to pick up passengers from off the street rather than at designated stands only.Â
Scooters are everywhere — I stopped into one little scooter rental store. Fifty bucks for 24 hours with a $300 refundable deposit. Hmmmm… Had a good lunch at a little hole in the wall latino place — a fish taco did the trick.
I’m staying two blocks from the hotel where the conference is being held, this gives me a chance to see things along the way as I walk back and forth. Unfortunately the hotel wifi system is not working as normal so my access may be limited.Â
Unfortuantley it is overcast with the occassional rain shower but I think I might head back to the beach (just across from the hotel). The water is cold but the wet sand feels good under the feet. Â
Reminds me that I just got back from Orlando on Monday… I do miss the warm weather already!
It looks like Will Smith agrees with you:
“Party in the city where the heat is on
All night, on the beach till the break of dawn
Welcome to Miami
(Buenvenidos a Miami)
Bouncin in the club where the heat is on
All night, on the beach till the break of dawn
I’m goin to Miami
(Welcome to Miami)”
Are you going to be bouncin’ in the club Steve? If you are you probably won’t need a coat, according to the above quote they have the heat on in there.
Miami is a fun city and in the wealthier areas near the coast are beautiful. I had an amazing Cuban dinner at a fancy little place on SouthBeach.
Steve — only you would say that the remnants of a Tropical Storm are light rain showers. Have fun in Miami Beach — say away from Ocean Drive — total tourist trap. Lincoln Street Mall (I think I’ve got the name right but maybe not) is a great little hangout with lots of funky shops, restaurants and bars. There’s some chains and some local biz mixed in which is nice. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the old art deco arch. — that’s my favorite part of South Beach, otherwise, I really won’t miss the place when it’s underwater due to Global Warming. Watch out for the jellyfish and the portuguese man-o-war on the beach… they are about to be plentiful. Brad.
Steve-
Glad you are enjoying tropical storm Noel in Miami. Hope your stay works out well. While you are here, you should try to navigate from where you are staying to where everyone actually lives without a car. Or better yet, come out to where we all live, and try to walk around or ride a bike. I vacationed here in 2001 before moving here in 2002. The vacation was great, after all, I was staying on the beach and didn’t need to get anywhere. Living here leaves me with a longing to return to STL.
Take care, and have a safe trip back.
Bill
Whump! There it is: Another St. Louis expatriot confessing a longing to return to the Lou. We may have our shortcomings, but life in the STL is pretty good compared to most places. Bill, it would be great if you’d share with UR the top three or four things you miss most about St. Louis. Hearing positive things from outside the local media bubble is good food for our regional self-image!
Sure. I miss bar-b-q’s with my neighbors. I miss walking to Schnucks at Hanley and Clayton and not getting honked at for having the gaul to be a pedestrian. I miss Card’s games with my friends and family. I miss taking my wife and dog to forest park for a walk or a paddle boat ride. I miss going to the zoo for free. I miss the short drive to herman for Octoberfest. I miss people actually caring about each other. I miss people not honking at every intersection, and not running red lights, and not driving up my a@@. I miss being able to buy a beer for less than $5. I miss the CWE on a cool evening. I miss hay rides in the countryside. I miss the smell of fireplaces in the fall. I miss watching the leaves turn, and the first snowfall, and looking forward to spring when the flowers in my mom’s garden would bloom. I miss my mom and dad. I miss the sense of community. I miss the lack of garbage and graffitti. I miss hardwood floors in old homes. I miss the arch and the view looking down market street around christmas. I miss the old bar that used to be “The Seven Gables Inn”. I miss the Cheshire late at night with freinds. I miss keeping warm in Blue Hill on a cold Thursday night. I miss using a clean metro rail system without graffitti on every available space. I miss shooting the breeze over a game of darts and thinking about how great it would be to live somewhere else (trust me, it doesn’t!).
I’m a recent expat, having moved from Tower Grove Heights to Atlanta in May. I miss:
Soulard Market
Walking to the end of my block and deciding whether to have Thai, Vietnamese, sushi, or Afghan food
Tower Grove Park
Midwestern values (seriously; here it’s ALL about what car you drive)
Running into neighbors at the grocery store
Good baseball and baseball fans
And, like Mr. Kruse, I miss Forest Park and the zoo.
On the bright side, since no one’s actually a native of Atlanta, the city’s pretty friendly.
Thanks William and Julia, you summed it well. There’s *lots* to love about this town, whatever your take on the politics and development policies. We hope someday, if it’s what you want, you make it back. I know a lot of people who have left this area. There aren’t too many that don’t deeply miss the place. It gets under your skin. In a good way.
I’m finishing my last semester of law school at SLU, so I should be home by Aug 2, 2008!!!
No, it doesn’t have a thing to do with the physical form of the urban core. The urban core is a tiny percentage of the St. Louis area. Most people who love St. Louis don’t spend much time in the urban core. They love this place for the people, the pace of life, baseball, the history, the jobs, lots of things. A cool urban core is nice, and improving it has its benefits. But for most people, it’s not on the top of their priority list. They’re looking for the overall quality of life. Funny thing is, the spam code for this comment is: accessible. Yup, that pretty well sums it up. STL is accessible (“…and all within reach”). Fascinating in so many ways. We could do a whole thread on the unique qualities of the St. Louis baseball fan.