Miami Beach: the bustling city
G. Elena Calero 1st Enterprise Story
Miami Beach is the Mecca of South Florida, at least in some local residents' minds. No one can deny the vibrancy, exuberance, the culture, the 24-hour availability of businesses and nightlife, the short distances, the tolerance of different befiefs, and the positive impact it brings to South Florida in terms of tourism and enriching its culture. But as there are two sides of every story there is also the negative impact on the city which is the new emerging high rise construction that is slowly gaining ground over the older classic style arquitecture.
Some people think of Miami Beach or South Beach as a party place to drink, dance and stay up at all hours of the night.
Tourists and others that see Miami Beach on television or in magazines think of it as only the three block radius that is the Art Deco strip down Ocean Drive. But there are also those that call it home.
Some say it is similar to living in New York City especially the area around South Beach. One might wonder why. One of the reasons is because everythng is close, at a walking distance. There are also many businesses that are open late, and of the
most interesting is the variety of activities and culural events that the city holds year round.
One of the residents Victoria de la Torre, 22, a college student, says that she loves living in Miami Beach because everything is so close that she can ride the bike and leave her car.
"It saves me gas and saves the environment," says Victoria.
She compares Miami Beach like a sort of one-stop-shop. For instance if you are a night owl you can count on the laundry mat, the pharmacy, the bar, the club, and some special cultural events to be going on 24 hours a day.
Victoria de la Torre has lived in Miami Beach since 1995. She moved from Coral Gables after her parents divorced. She currently resides on the corner of 60th street and Collins Avenue. She lives with her father, Jarle de la Torre, 54, a realtor.
As Victoria has grown up in Miami Beach just like many children have, she says she has noticed big changes taking place. One of the biggest changes has been with the construction boom. Real State has taken over in terms of building high rises.
She says, "I have noticed how many of the older, 50's looking stores and apartments have been taken down and replaced by 50-story high rise condos."
These new condominiums along the shoreline have attracted a lot of professional 30-somethings, as well as tourist who buy for the sole purpose of vacationing over the summers. Residents of this city have seen changes over the past few years as younger
residents move in.
Jarle de la Torre, says that over the past few years he has seen a tremendous demand for single-room condos along the water.
He says, "Part of the reason why I moved was because the real state here was booming and my business has grown tremendously thanks to this overwhelming demand. Although it has been decreasing."
Another uniqueness of this city is the diversity. Thirty years back the majority of Miami Beach was occupied by Cubans and Jewish Americans. But now there are a lot of residents from South America, Central, and from Europe.
"Around South Beach I've seen a lot of Germans, Brazilians, and Argentinias," says Victoria.
There is a vibrant Italian community, especifically around South Beach.
Driving down Lincoln Road, Collins Avenue, and Ocean Drive one can observe the many Italian stores, restaurants, and ice cream shops that have been flourishing for many years.
One Italian restaurant and winery on Lincoln Road that is a testament of how well and alive Italians are in South Beach is La Lupa Di Roma and Vineira. It is a 10-year old estabishment where the son of the founder, Flavio Nisti Jr., a 37-year old
Roman came during the 90's because one of his best friends, the one and only Gianni Versace, invited his friend to the bustling South Beach for a good time. It was not long before he brought his "mama" and "papa" to open their restaurant, meanwhile closing the one in Rome.
As one sits, Flavio personally greets you as if he was your long lost cousin. His father cooks and the "mama" runs the place.
"I truly feel like I brought a piece of Roma to South Beach," says Flavio. Ofcourse I'm a Roman first, but I love South Beach," he continues.
The Nisti family has strong roots to their native Italy, and therefore make it a point to keep their heritage and culture alive so that others can learn about different ethnicities.
The family says that the residents have always welcomed them and have been very respectful of their Italian culture. Some of their friends are not Italians but Jewish.
"Sometimes we have disagreements about religion and politics but at the end we seem to enjoy "la dolce vita", good wine and of course the Italian cuisine," says Flavio.
This is very unique to Miami Beach, because the cultural and diversity side of it is alive and well. There are so many differnet festivals, theatres, dance performances, operas, plays, concerts, fairs, etc. that go on year round. There is
always something going on.
Many of the events take place in the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is the heart of many of the city's cultural events.
This is not only good for the economic part of the city but it also helps the different ethnic groups come together to share their culture, food, beliefs with one another. This is part of the reason why the majority of Miami Beach residents can
still coexist and respect each other; when tolerance and dignity for others is becoming more and more difficult to attain around the world.
In an ideal world Miami Beach would be the perfect place to move and enjoy the rest of one's life, but as reality has to kick in there are some emerging problems gaining ground in this diverse community. Since many of the older buildings are coming down for the sake of the newer state-of-the art condos and businesses there seems to be a tension between the older and the younger generation.
When Victoria goes to cafes, the supermarket, or a nearby restaurant she says that she overhears older pople complain about how the "young folks" are bringing too much noise, raucous, violence and ruining the peace that was once so common in their
community.
Around South Beach there has been a small increase in fights, and small misdermeaners, due to violations of selling liquor to minors, noise violations, and a lack of control from the management of the nightclubs and bars.
However, there seems to be hope among the older residents with the newly elected mayor, Matti Bower, the city's first female and Cuban-American mayor, that some type of control will be enforced during the nights at the local clubs and bars.
Gloria Engel, a 62-yearl old, social security secretary from the Bronx, says that Bower seems to bring the right ideals and control that South Beach needs.
"I voted for her because it seems that she will lead this city towards a very promising future," says Gloria.
Nevertheless, every major city has its problems along with its good points, but there is one thing we can all agree that there is no better perk then waking up and seeing the first glimpse of the sun out of your 20th floor bedroom window. As it is the case for Victoria de la Torre.
She says, "How many people get to do that, not many."
