Miami

Miami was fun. I'm back in Boston now, so it's already seeming far away. The difference between the two cities could not be more stark. Where Miami was warm (weather-wise and in terms of the ambience), Boston is cold (though not as cold as I was expecting - just in the mid 60s), dark and drab in comparison.

I stayed in South Beach on Collins Avenue, which is parallel to the famed Ocean Drive. And despite being so close, I did not get to the beach until the evening before I left. I was far from alone on the beach though. There were many people running, playing, walking their dogs (or more likely, carrying them) or just taking a stroll like me.

Like many people know, Miami has a huge Latino population with many people originating from Cuba. Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic minority population in the United States. In many cities, I would guess that Spanish is like a second language. In Boston certainly, many signs are written in both English and Spanish (well, ok on reflection, maybe not that many), so I was used to living in a fairly diverse city. However, Miami felt like a totally different country. I read in a letter written to the Miami Herald today that Miami represents what many American cities will look like in a few years. I know that I really like the city. Whenever I travel to a new place, I always think about whether I could see myself living there or not. Miami is a "yes", though admittedly I still know relatively little about it.

I'll try and post some pics later on, though I didn't take very many and didn't really do any touristy things. I just kind of walked around and shopped a little. I did see Hulk Hogan (apparently he lives there now). I also saw Tony Montana's (?) house from the movie Scarface.