South Beach After Dark: Like A Rodeo, Once Is Interesting, Twice Is A Mistake

Back in 2016, when I was fixing up my sister Susan and my condo in Stuart, Florida to rent out, I took a break and rode the Tri-Rail down to Miami to do a little sightseeing. I took the train instead of driving because the last time I visited Miami, the interstate was closed down due to an accident on the way home, and it took hours to get back to Stuart (I never did find the turnpike). After deboarding in the middle of a warehouse district, I took the Metromover downtown, and from there took the Metrorail to Coconut Grove, which I really enjoyed visiting again. Then I headed back downtown and took the bus to Miami Beach. It seemed to take forever, but when I got there, I took a lot of photographs, especially of the art deco buildings all lit up in neon after sunset, as seen in the photo on the left. And I must say, it was crowded as hell on those sidewalks on Ocean Drive. Thousands of partiers trying to move around the many outdoor patios in front of those renovated hotels. After a short while, I was ready to get something to eat and head home. 

I stopped at the Burger King over on Washington, where the manager was all stressed out because a homeless person had walked into the place and defecated in the center of the restaurant. I ordered a burger and had a beer or two (And yes! That particular Burger King does serve beer!) and decided to dine on the patio outside, with a good view of the homeless population on Washington. Afterwards, I headed back by bus and the Metromover to the Tri-Rail stop, where I found out that the Tri-Rail train I wanted to take did not run on Saturday, and had to wait God knows how long for the next one, getting home around the same damn time I did when I drove and the freeway was closed. Once Susan and I take our condo back from our tenants sometime in the next 6 months, I do want to go back to Miami Beach during the daytime and take a guided tour of the Art Deco Historic District, but I'll be damned if I will stay there after sunset. Just like attending a rodeo, as my old DU Bookstore boss Ed used to say, "once is interesting, twice is a mistake." And so I will definitely drive this time. I am sure Washington Avenue is much more upscale these days, and that public transportation has improved since my last visit, but I don't care. I am old now, and if I tried that same trip again, I would probably never make it out of that Burger King, just sitting at the table sobbing.