SOUTH BEACH BEAT

I know I need to get out more....! After Germany, Austria and Hungary ...staying at home was so relaxing. For family matters, I drove 4 hours to Miami to visit friends as well and enjoy some of that good Latin atmosphere that has become what Miami and So Be is all about.

What used to be a sleepy little beach getaway for folks from the Northeast, is now a have for Southamericans and HipHopers from all over the US.

The major "line of demarcation" is 5th St. When you cross the causeway to South Beach....the traffic empties on that street. If you go left...you head into the heart of SoBe...but if you turn right you are in the midst of the new condo complexes owed by locals and foreigners alike.

Below 5th is the quieter side of this pulsing beach city. There are still great restaurants and bars like Smith and Wolensky Steak House and Joe's Stone Crab. But mostly there are residences of the rich, the not so rich and yes , the famous. Buildings are private and gated with doormen and valets who guard the privacy of their residents carefully.

The condo of my daughter and family is also here right on South Point Park and within a 2 block walk to the beach. Best of all it has a view to the Port of Miami and you can sit on the balcony and watch the cruise ships come and go, and cargo ships unload their containers all the while jets take off from Miami International heading for Europe, South America and the far reaches of the USA. At night the city of Miami sparkles in the distance with bright reflections on the water of the canal in front of the condo.

While the more sophisticated side pulses at a slower Latin beat....the upper side of 5th street in the heart of SoBe is reaching a fever pitch. This side of Sobe comes alive around 11 PM and keeps on dancing until the early morning. Collins Avenue is one long strip of partying restaurants and bars up to and including Lincoln Road which is filled from end to end with every imaginable type of people. Gay couples, straight couples, Latins, tourists, Europeans, Japanese and Chinese...all can be found enjoying the night life of South Beach.

This is the place I love to go both day and night to enjoy one of the most interesting and international cities in the southern USA. Back at the condo.....I relax with a glass of good wine and a wish that I could stay longer....but Palm Coast is only 4 hours up the road...and I can come back here whenever I want.

Viva SoBe!