Sunday, March 11, 2012

Lincoln Road Photo Series - Week III

South Beach's Lincoln Road, with its many shops and restaurants and its pedestrian charm, is one of the best places to people watch in Miami. I don't make it to Miami Beach as often as I should, but recently I signed up for a weekly Portuguese class just off Lincoln Road. I've therefore decided to begin a 3-week photo series in which I'll post a new picture of Lincoln Road each weekend. Enjoy week 3.


"Family-friendly" isn't typically what comes to mind when people think of South Beach, but a stroll through Lincoln Road reveals that it's not all clubs and Spring Breakers. This grassy spot is a favorite for children, who play tag and prance around with their colorful balloons.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Lincoln Road Photo Series - Week II

South Beach's Lincoln Road, with its many shops and restaurants and its pedestrian charm, is one of the best places to people watch in Miami. I don't make it to Miami Beach as often as I should, but recently I signed up for a weekly Portuguese class just off Lincoln Road. I've therefore decided to begin a 3-week photo series in which I'll post a new picture of Lincoln Road each weekend. Enjoy week 2.


When dining on Lincoln Road, most customers choose to sit outdoors and watch the world go by. When I say the world, I mean that literally. South Beach is home to many expats and is also highly popular with tourists. So, during your meal, try making out as many languages as you can.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Lincoln Road Photo Series - Week I

South Beach's Lincoln Road, with its many shops and restaurants and its pedestrian charm, is one of the best places to people watch in Miami. I don't make it to Miami Beach as often as I should, but recently I signed up for a weekly Portuguese class just off Lincoln Road. I've therefore decided to begin a 3-week photo series in which I'll post a new picture of Lincoln Road each weekend. Enjoy week 1.


The intersection of Lincoln Road and Meridian is a restful hangout spot for this aviary pair. Are they people watching, too?

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Do You Believe in "Majic"?

Dear Majic 102.7,

As my local oldies station, you played an important role in my early music education. You introduced me to Elvis and Aretha; when I became obsessed with The Beatles, I tuned in for Beatle Brunch every Sunday morning.

Fast forward to 2012. This morning on my way to work, I tuned in expecting to hear "Midnight Train to Georgia" or some such classic. What I heard instead was this announcement: "Majic 102.7, playing songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s."

I won't break it to you gently, Majic, because it needs to be said. I forbid you from playing 80s music. I know it's harsh, but do try to understand. You are an oldies station, and songs from the 80s are not oldies. Why? Because I was alive in the 80s, that's why.

Did you even consider the psychological damage you might cause to thousands of almost-30s? Is that what you want? No, I won't let you do that to others. I won't let you do that to yourself. I forbid it. It's for your own good.

Alright. Glad we had this talk.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Miami Doesn't Suck

A Forbes article by Kurt Badenhausen recently named Miami America's most miserable city. In my first post for this blog, I pointed out that Miami is plagued by low income, high poverty rates, and political corruption. These systemic problems mirror the factors that Forbes considered when rating "misery" in American cities.

While I won't argue with statistics, I reject the idea that one can use them to measure misery. "The most famous way to gauge misery is the Misery Index developed by economist Arthur Okun in the 1960s, which combines unemployment and inflation," says Badenhausen. The Misery Index? As I see it, something as amorphous as city-wide misery can't be accurately measured.

The Forbes article goes on to list the "less weighty" factors in the study: "commute times, weather, and how the area's pro sports teams did." First things first. I consider weather a primary, not a secondary factor. People -- be they successful or unemployed -- experience weather every day. While corrupt politicians may tick me off, they don't affect my daily mood in the way that weather does. People can oust politicians, as Miamians did when they voted overwhelmingly to recall Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, but they can't oust Mother Nature. There's a reason people continue moving down here despite the lower wages. Just saying.

On to sports teams. Badenhausen concedes that the Miami Heat has "brought Florida sports fans much joy" but adds that "the rest of the Miami pro sports scene is pure misery, with the Miami Dolphins, Miami Marlins, and Florida Panthers all among the worst teams in their respective sports last year." One year of failed sports teams equals misery? Granted, the Miami Dolphins have sucked for a long time, but the Miami Marlins (formerly the Florida Marlins) have only been around since 1993 and have won two World Series championships so far. I wouldn't call that miserable. As for the Florida Panthers, this is the tropics; many of us forget we even have a hockey team. I don't mean this as a slight on the sport or its fans, but having a crappy hockey team isn't forcing many Miamians into therapy. Why is success of sports teams one of the ten factors in the first place? Badenhausen, who covers business of sports for Forbes, has likely overemphasized athletics in his study.

While certain factors are overemphasized, others are sidestepped altogether. In his statistical findings, Badenhausen makes no mention of entertainment, or cultural events, or cuisine. I take free yoga lessons three times a week in a beautiful outdoor setting next to Biscayne Bay. In the last two weeks alone, I attended a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, enjoyed an amazing flamenco show with free wine and tapas at a new Spanish restaurant, and jammed to local band Suenalo at Coral Gables' monthly Art in the Park event. Altogether, I spent less than $10.

The Forbes article makes it sound like only sports stars and celebrities can live it up in Miami, while the rest of us are left to lament our miserable lives: "If you're among the 75% of households with an annual income under $75,000, [Miami] can be a hard place." I make a whole lot less than $75,000 and commute 45 minutes to work every day, but I'm not miserable. Most of my friends are educators who aren't raking in the dough, but they're not miserable either.

I don't deny that Miami has its problems, nor do I presume that my experience of Miami is representative of the overall population, yet I'm positive that Forbes' assessment of the city's "misery" level is skewed at best. I suspect that the same is true of other cities on the list. For all its foibles, Miami is a dynamic place to live. At the very least, it certainly doesn't suck.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Miamsterdam

Did you know that the Dutch are major bicycle enthusiasts? Of course you did. But did you know that there are more bikes than people in Holland? No, seriously, there are! That's because most people own AT LEAST one. I can see the MTV Cribs episode now, Dutch edition:

Yo, yo, what up? Welcome to my bachelor pad. I don't cook in this kitchen, but it's always stocked with gouda.... This is where the magic happens.... And these are, like, my most prized possessions. Check out my collection of rides! This one here's for cycling to the studio, this one's for impressing the ladies at the red light district, and this is my most pimped out one for red carpet events. Check out the rims on that baby!

MTV, you really should consider filming Cribs International. Also, you should play music again.

But back to the point: the Dutch live in a trafficless, clean air, bike-friendly utopia. Shockingly, their bike experts -- they have bike experts! how cute -- think they can do the same for Miami.

The Miami Herald reports that the Royal Netherlands embassy in D.C. sent us three "cycling as transportation" experts. They were charged with figuring out how to get more Miamians out of their cars and onto their bikes. Are they trying to tell us we need to work out more?

While this may seem a Herculean task for a city with such a rigid car culture, plans are already underway for several bike paths in key areas. If enough people show interest, who knows? This bike thing might just begin to take off. Can Miami be progressive on this issue? I hope so because, let's face it, we probably do need to work out more.

So welcome, Dutch bike experts! Try not to get run-over. That would make us look pretty bad.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

I Hate Heart South Beach

I've been driving in circles for 20 minutes. So far, I've cursed aloud to myself in the car five times for very legitimate reasons:

1) The cheap garage is full. #@!%
2) The other garage is $15 flat rate. #@!% that!
3) Ah, there's a spot down the street! Loading zone? #@!%
4) Does my car fit in this space? I'm a parallel parking goddess; I can make it work.... I can't make it work. #@!%
5) Guess I'll have to park in that overpriced garage after all. It's now $20? #@!% 

By the time I finally find a parking spot, I'm almost out of gas, grumpy, and hating South Beach. I walk past Collins Avenue to Ocean Drive, drenched in sweat, and wonder, "why do I even bother coming out here?" Then I hit the water and wonder, "why don't I come here more often?"

The truth is, most Miamians take the beach for granted. It's not going anywhere, right? But each time I do go, I can't believe I've been kept away so long. When I travel, I'm more interested in exploring what Miami doesn't offer -- centuries-old architecture, historic bars, mystery. Who needs the Mediterranean Sea when you live in Miami? Yet I rarely take advantage of our celebrated beaches. Shame on me.

I hereby resolve to visit Miami Beach as often as possible even if trying to park makes me want to shoot something.