Saturday, January 24, 2004

Ocean Drive

When we returned to Miami we headed to our hotel at 9am.  They were nice enough to give us a room.  The bell hop was so kind and helpful.  He gave us directions to the Metro Mover and the names of the stops we need to get back to Little Havana. He also gave us the bus directions to South Beach.

After a harrowing ride hanging on while we crossed the I95 causeway we landed in South Beach and began to walk. We stumbled upon the Art Deco Weekend festival being held on Ocean Blvd. 

It was beautiful as much as it was fun.  The crowds milling about seemed more local than tourists. The street side of Ocean were open cafes one after the other.  The ocean side was the visual technicolor of booths and vendors.  Everything from Art Deco antiques to T-shirts, paintings and photographs, jewelry and magic wands.  Whimsical and delightful everything was swirled together with a parade of the most beautiful people imaginable, the smell of mouth watering food and the quintessential Hatuey beer. 

The back drop was the Art Deco style buildings with the neon and the soft pastel colors surrounded by palm trees and the golden light of a fading afternoon ....well, this is my next favorite memory of the trip.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

With all the color and the whimsy of art deco - it must have been like a bit like fantasyland.

Anonymous said...

READING THIS ENTRY WAS ALMOST AS GOOD AS BEING THERE. WILL BE BACK AGAIN. HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Anonymous said...

This sounds wonderful, I love Art Deco! You must've had a blast. Then again, Miami and environs some of the most fun places around. I'm going to read backwards to know more about your trip. By the way, welcome back!

Anonymous said...

My mom LOVED art deco and from her I learned to love it myself and now find I can't get enough. Love the picture above. Your trip sounds like so much fun what I have read so far.
Monica

Anonymous said...

An Art Deco festival! -- I would have been heaven.

Anonymous said...

I love the Art Deco look and for some strange reason associate it with Miami, although I've never been there. I can visualize it with what you've written. ---Robbie