I recently subscribed to the Miami Herald in order to read humorist Dave Barry's annual holiday gift guide and year-end review articles. Barry quit writing his weekly Miami Hearld column years ago but still contributes those two pieces and various other columns as the mood strikes him. It was only $1.00 for 6 months - or was it a year? - and at the time it seemed like a bargain. However, I am now getting multiple daily e-mails giving me updates about what is happening in Miami, including the opening of Ocean Drive in Miami Beach to traffic. It has been closed or partially closed since the pandemic. Residents prefer it stay closed, but business owners wanted it back open because they say it hurts business. The owners of the Clevelander Hotel sued the city, and won, and so the road is reopening to traffic this week, although things are still in flux, as the city eventually wants to make it traffic free. I myself have to agree with the city. The last time I was in South Beach, in 2016, I stayed until after dark to take photographs of the neon lights, such as the one above, and it was a nightmare walking along the sidewalk on Ocean Drive. Restaurants had tables taking up a lot of space, and there was something like 100,000 people trying to get past each other as they moved back and forth checking out the action. I resolved to never again stay there after sunset, the same policy I have when traveling in Transylvania. But if Ocean Drive stayed free of cars, it would be much easier to walk around. If that were the case, I might consider staying in South Beach later in the evening, unless, of course, vampires started hanging out there, too. And from what I've seen of Ocean Drive after dark, I would not be surprised.
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