Miami Beach (Part 1)

Have not been here in a long time and it’s good to see the changes and the things that have not changed. 

You can see the allure of the place.  When you crest the berm and get to the sand, the beach is beautiful and goes on endlessly to the north.

Bright white sand and clear blue water (with and occasional container ship getting in the way of your view)

The beach itself is accessible to everyone.  Sure, the rich can have their luxury condos and expensive hotels, but the beach is for people.  I love the egalitarian aspect of it.  There are even two “muscle beach” free gyms on the beach itself that anyone can use. 

The beach is clean, safe, and gorgeous as are many of the people.  The water is like bath water and you can soak in comfort without ever getting cold.

South Beach has the ability to be iconic and tired at the same time.  The Ocean Drive façade is ever enduring and the other parts of the beach get recycled as bars, clubs, and restaurants come and go (except for just a handful of places).

The main changes since the last time I’ve been here is the development of the south part of the beach and restricting some traffic on Ocean Drive.  

There used to be no reason to head south after exiting the MacArthur Causeway except for getting stone crab and there was just a bar called Penrod’s at the south tip of the beach.  It is now pretty nice.  Penrod’s is now a Nikki Beach.  High rise condo’s, upscale restaurants, and a great park and trail system ring the south end.  It is now one of the nicer parts of South Beach.

The other major change is that since COVID they made Ocean Drive a one-way street with a pedestrian/bike lane taking over one part.  I guess they had it completely closed for a while.  The effect is great since part of the appeal is strolling down the street and it cut’s down on the people cruising which can be annoying.

Making Ocean Drive one-way with bike lanes is a great addition to South Beach

Ocean Drive is still the iconic part of the beach and is what everyone associates with visually in their minds – the street by the beach with the art deco neon illuminating party goers – and I think they have made it even better with the street change.