SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN

 

Vice City Bean

 Sometimes gentrification has its benefits.  On the southern outskirts of Wynnwood in the middle of new glass palaces sprouting up like weeds and two blocks from the Adrienne Arsht Center (a government boondoggle if there ever was one), lies Vice City Bean, a quaint little eatery that serves up strong, black coffee, old school style. Despite the powerful brew, the place still has a strong whiff of nouveau chic.  Young hipsters wearing the obligatory knapsack walking in after parking their $5,000.00 bicycles out front.  Out the (again) obligatory Apple laptop as they pretend to be pecking away at the next great American novel while sipping some concoction that is as far removed from my black coffee as Texas is from California.  And what is it about adults wearing replica jerseys of their favorite sports stars?  I did that when I was ten.  For God's sakes, grow up.  Well, here is a view of the landscape on a sunny Sunday morning.

And the surrounding area is of course an microcosm of Miami itself.  The old on the verge of extinction while the new marches forward unaware of the urban landscape it is dumping into history's memory hole.

Just remember, as we mourn yesterday's passing, one hundred years from now, these reflective towers and their accompanying eateries will be symbols of a nostalgic yesteryear all being demolished in the name of progress.  Or as the French would have it, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.  

A Piece Of The Past

 Downtown Miami is almost wall to wall castles in the sand.  Gleaming glass towers that bespeak a lifestyle of upscale leisure: Sunday morning jogs in the park, brunches at Sea Spice, and, of course, high paying gigs in the high flying professions that make it all possible.  But the bulldozers and cranes left a little tast of yesterday.  If it were not a public park, it would not be there.

And give the owner of this small building credit.  He is holding out.  Let the BMW/Mercedes/Lexus pilots get a small taste of the past.

THAT'S PROGRESS!

 

They are a dying species.  The old school diner.  Nothing fancy.  They were just there.  If you wanted coffee, bacon and eggs, hash browns, or maybe, old style pancakes with lots of syrup, something south of $4.99 would do the trick.  Throw in a $2 tip for the smart aleck middle aged waitress and you were good as gold.  The places dotted the South Florida landscape.  Smitty's, Rascal House, The Ham And Eggery, and on and on.  Some are still around:  Jimmy's, Lester's, Grampa's, The Stadium Diner.  They all had a pedestrian quality to them.  On any given morning, a mix of lawyers, cops, ne'er do wells, construction workers, and court clerks, all reading The Miami Herald and watching the local news on a cheap , 19 inch TV hanging over the counter with the volume just a tad too high.  The background noise was silverware and dishes clanking together.  These images came to mind last night as I was making my way to my nightly boxing class on the outskirts of Wynnwood near Overtown.  I walked past a forgotten relic from Miami's past:  The S & S Diner.  A victim of progress.  The area as it used to be is being bulldozed to smithereens to be replaced by, what else, glass and steal edifices sub-divided into 900 square foot living spaces to accommodate ex New Yorkers who are sick and tired of the high crime and taxes in the Big Apple.  And people wonder why the rents are so high here.  But it didn't use to be that way.  Long ago, the S & S was a bustling little eatery that checked all the boxes for what now goes for "old school." 

 

So here's to yesterday.  As Meatloaf said it best:  "It was long ago and far away and things were so much better than they are today."

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT A SUNDAY. . .

 

A Hungry Tiger Eyeing Her Prey

 

BE CAREFUL. SLEEPING CAN BE DANGEROUS!

 

Sunday Night Coming Down. Where the Metro Rail Meets The Tri Rail

 

SHED NO TEARS

 

                     

THE CITY OF MIAMI CEMETARY/OCEAN DRIVE MAG IT AIN'T

 

EVERY WOMAN'S FANTASY

 

A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE

About as depressing a movie as you will ever watch.  

BEWARE DANGEROUS WOMEN!!!!!!

 

WARNING!!!!!!!

 

PUNCH ELITE FITNESS

Punch Elite Fitness is a boxing gym on the outer skirts of Overtown.  Nothing fancy.  Like drinking two day old black coffee or a shot of whisky at 7 am.  Gets the job done.