Two '48 Hours' in Miami Beach

Today I was flicking through old reports & photos of my Florida fly-drive last October, constantly thinking to myself why I never blogged any of it but today, that changes.

We clocked up roughly 1,000 miles (a fair few of them include getting lost) going clockwise from Miami Beach to Naples, up the West Coast to Clearwater and across to the Kennedy Space Center via Orlando and back down the East to South Beach in time for Sleepless Night, a quirky night in which I remember seeing a Scotsman (the American take on one) on stilts and playing the bagpipes.

I could do a whole piece on my first trip to Miami Beach because there’s just so much to witness, and to state the obvious, this is an electric place with bars & clubs tending not to close until 6am. I remember walking down Collins Avenue at around midnight with people only just coming out to play, it’s certainly nothing like any city in the UK, especially when you spot the oversized Pineapples for $4 and Chihuahuas in pet shop windows on Espanola Way, buying one like you would with a pair of shoes.

My first 48 hours here included being woken by some music blaring from the next room at 7 in the morning, but jetlag meant I could head out and walk around town when only a handful were doing the same, so as any newcomer to South Beach (SoBe for short) I thought I'd see the beach. The hotel on Washington Avenue was opposite a Police Station, and as I was heading a few blocks to the beach, a convoy of the force headed out for their fitness training. I could only quietly whimper a 'morning officer' back as the burly troop of them marched past into the distance, but for all its late night party-going, Miami at sunrise is eerily tranquil… or possibly because it was midweek.

The second 48 hours, and my last in the States before heading home included ‘Sleepless Night’ where art galleries, restaurants and many other businesses stay open for a majority of the night. The whole night has become a haze to me; all I can remember is swivelling around taking quick snaps of anything that looked peculiar, including this car-bike-thing.

There was also someone with a couple of spray-cans doing some neat stuff on Collins Ave.

Unfortunately, Sleepless Night 2012 has been cancelled which is a shame because it’s an event that has something for all ages and tastes, and with the weather, it’s a place that’s feasible for majority of the year. Overall, this city is a microcosm of nightlife & beach, a Central and South American exclave of history, food and people. Miami is a must-go.

Thoughts on my 4 nights spent in Miami Beach in October & November 2011

Tweet

Does the US understand the European mindset?

(Tastes like you haven't done your research)

I remember a trip to the Sunshine State not too long ago (my first piece) that consists of my time in South Beach. I also spent a lot of time on the west coast and central Florida talking to the local folk, some born & bred and some from across other parts of the nation, who were all too happy to engage in conversation when they clocked onto my accent.

The most interesting chat I had with was Bill, a retiree originally from one of the numerous sprawling suburbs of New York City who was talking about the business him and his wife used to run before putting their feet up and buying property in Cape Coral. He sounded like an honest enough guy. He worked hard, paid his taxes and saved up enough to take it easy.

But when the conversation turned to Europe and in particular, the Eurozone, there were some interesting points he bought up, just a little example:

"These Italians sitting in their café's living 'La Dolce Vita' (Italian phrase meaning 'the sweet life') not working and now they're broke."

Blaming the people is the easy way out, but the blame doesn't not necessarily lie with the work ethic. The balance between work and leisure is seen all across Europe, not all in the Eurozone & European Union (including the UK). As an apprentice I get 22 days paid-leave a year, along with the usual stuff like a right to appeal for unfair dismissal, which is certainly no bad thing.

The European way would like, and as crude as it sounds to the American Puritan, to suggest that there is more to life than working. This mixture of work and down-time is beneficial to general health with reduction of stress, which in turn can bring on illness and mental complications.

Another plus is the paid-leave (vacation time) with the amount of days set in stone. One of the key points on why many Americans hold preconceived notions of other countries is the lack of time to travel overseas and witness, with their own eyes, how others live, instead of the media outlets telling them what's happening, usually filling the 'world' section on their respective websites with negative articles. It's not about being lazy, just appreciating other things than your job.
Tweet