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Florida's South Beach is the hot place for cool people
My grandmother was an original snowbird. Every winter she would escape to
Miami Beach and while away the days on the shady terrace of an ocean-front hotel that, like her, was somewhat past its prime.
Jump ahead 40 years and people are still sitting on that veranda ... only the hotel is refurbished, the furniture is designer-chic and the chatting women are two deeply tanned 20-something Germans sipping mojitos. From hip replacement to just plain hip, Miami South Beach, nicknamed SoBe, is fresh, energetic and trendy. It's a hot destination for cool people.
This is the original Miami Beach, tucked between the ocean and Biscayne Bay, stretching from the tip of the peninsula up the coast for approximately 20 blocks. It has a past, a story to tell, and unlike the CSI: Miami aerial view of building upon high-rise building crowding the beach, SoBe has personality.
From its origins in the 1920s as a millionaire's retreat, to the art deco building boom in the 1930s that created hundreds of distinctive pastel-coloured and lavishly ornamented buildings, over the years Miami Beach became known as a tropical paradise. Jackie Gleason hosted his weekly television variety show here and the groundbreaking Miami Vice brought the city into everyone's living room. But when the fixed-income retirees moved in, it became run-down. That is no more. Today, all the buildings have been restored and the area is officially known on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as the Art Deco District.
Swanky restaurants, bars and shops followed. Fashion icon
Gianni Versace bought an oceanfront mansion on the main drag and was later murdered on its front steps. The beautiful people arrived ... and SoBe's cutting-edge vibe was established.
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It is 10 a.m. on a mid-June morning and the temperature outside is already 35 C. The humidity is thick. Palm trees sway in the breeze providing momentary relief from the sticky heat. The ocean beckons. This is summer in the tropics. An antidote for a harried life -- it is just too hot to be rushed. My husband and I have come to SoBe to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Our plan is simple: read, relax, explore, indulge, play in the ocean.
Our hotel is on Ocean Drive, amidst 15 blocks of art-deco boutique hotels, restaurants and bars running alongside the ocean. Instead of soaring highrises obstructing the view on Ocean
Drive, there is Lummus Park, a shady, activity-filled oasis separating the street from the beach. Artists set up their easels in the shade, crafters sell handmade jewelry, the energetic play volleyball and bikers and walkers meander along its 2.5-kilometre path.
The wide, white sandy beach stretches on for miles. It is dotted with beach chairs and umbrellas provided by hotels or for rent. Many stores in the immediate area sell beach gear, so we buy our own to save the $15 to $20 daily rental. The sand sparkles, reflecting the sun. It's too hot to walk on barefoot. We find the perfect spot and settle into a lazy day of people-watching, reading and swimming. The ocean is warm, with waves strong enough to body-surf or just leisurely float.
Planes fly overhead trailing advertising. A man with a metal detector slowly makes his way down the beach, pausing occasionally to unearth a treasure that he drops into his pouch. A buff mother strikes a body-builder pose for the camera. High-speed boats pull parasailers. Lifeguards watch over the flocks of beach-goers from the funky and colourful towers that dot the shore.
It is here that we catch a glimpse of the bronzed German girls who were sitting on my grandmother's old veranda. They lie topless at water's edge, their oiled bodies glistening in the sun, creating an obstacle for coastline strollers who must walk around them. No one seems to mind. No one even does a double take. Tanned, tattooed, muscled, surgically enhanced and topless bodies are everywhere.
Hotels and restaurants line Ocean Drive. Each has a terrace covered by an umbrella or awning providing welcome shade and the opportunity to eat or sip a cocktail outdoors. Fans blow down on you, some with water misters, adding an extra measure of comfort. Hostesses stand out front inviting you in, reciting the menu as well as the drink specials (two-for-ones abound) and offering discount coupons.
Hot tropical days become sultry tropical nights and when the sun sets, the music level increases and you can feel the party vibe coming on. Out come the stilettos, the luxury cars cruising down Ocean Drive, the cigar vendors, the characters and the fashionistas.
We hope to spot a celebrity. Rumour has it that Kim Kardashian has been spotted on the beach. Several celebs have homes in Miami Beach -- Madonna, Lebron James, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Damon -- but no luck. Instead, we encounter a man strolling down the street with a snake wrapped around his neck. He is talking to a guy with a monkey perched on his shoulder.
This is definitely the place to par-ty. There are nightclubs and bars galore, each trying to out-hip each other. The Black Eyed Peas recently hosted a bash at Buck 15. The Florida Room, owned by rocker Lenny Kravitz, has become all the rage, while fashion shows are hosted on the stage at Mansion. Taking decadence to a whole new level is BED, where after dinner, the restaurant transforms into a club and the tables are replaced by king-size beds. |
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發表於 2010-10-3 23:14
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