Portable Mind: A sort of travel guide

MIA

Outside my window, a band plays latin jazz by the pool as hotel guests in bikinis and swim trunks enjoy their first - third - or fifth cocktail of the day. I'm at the Ritz Carlton South Beach, a hotel that on first glance was somewhat ho-hum. There is a lot of competition for eyeballs in South Beach. I toured the hotel this morning with the sales director, and it has since surpassed my expectations. Incredible attention to detail and gorgeous architecture. And, amidst all of the noise in South Beach, it is a quiet spot.

I am here to take a break, and revive portablemind while I'm at it. While I've been way overdue for a good post, I've spent much of my time posting 140 character "mini posts" on Twitter. Today, I realized that Twitter is a perfect writing tool. I "tweet" throughout the day, and then have the perfect set of notes to construct a longer post or article.

I love it. Despite technology replacing my memory, and my handwriting continuing to deteriorate.

Backstage Pass

from Rubell and Fendi to Jimbo's, we ended the day of Total Miami Immersion with the ultimate destination, South Beach. I purposely split the group up and sent them out in trios to different hotels so as to experience the SoBe lifestyle, interact and, god willing, drink. After cocktails we reconvened at Casa Casuarina, otherwise known as the Versace mansion. Barton G, the Miami events company that worked with me all week and provided us with a backstage pass to Fabulous, designed an outrageous dinner in the courtyard by the pool.

It's interesting to watch people who don't get out much experience a place like South Beach. Later on in the evening I asked one colleague who was sitting by himself, no drink in hand, whether he was alright. Incredulous stare on his face, he replied "Fine, I'm just happy to look ... I can't believe that people actually look like this!"

For god’s sake, doesn't anyone watch CSI Miami?

Envy

In a potentially disastrous move I didn’t realize I was making until it was too late, I took my fellow travelers to the Rubell Family Gallery in Miami’s Design District. It was all part of the plan to remove them from the everyday, get them to think differently and draw inspiration from other cultural sources. The exhibits were so provocative that I can’t really write about them yet (and those who know, know why) but I will post about the experience soon. I will just say that the particular exhibits we were shown were created by artists who decided to use sex as a way to express themselves…

The design district is still a bit edgy as it undergoes revitalization, so I thought to myself while wandering around - if I lived here, this is the neighborhood I would buy in because it’s got to be really cheap. I later learned that as Miami begins to supplant New York as the place where international artists show their work first and/or exclusively, it's actually some of the most expensive real estate in town. We weaved in and out of galleries and furniture stores like Fendi Casa, where I coveted everything (this was clearly an aspirational outing for me as I learned that my taste is way more expensive than I thought). Even if you cannot afford anything, it is worth a visit for so many reasons - the brand, the design, the quality of fabric, the colors. And thankfully the sales manager who chatted with us was gorgeous, making everyone forget all about what they had just seen at Rubell.

I had a good dose of envy on this particular visit. New Yorkers feel that they have an edge over other cities because we think New York is where the cream of the crop is, especially when it comes to design and international style (and food). In Miami, I could feel the rug being pulled out from underneath us.

check out the Miami art blog  / photo by Kaitlin Yapchaian

Photo by Whitney K.

I'm trying really hard not to cry as I read the weather report for today, knowing that I have to be in the city and will be walking...
Partly cloudy and windy. High around 35F. Winds NW at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.Currently 28F, feels like 14F.

The beautiful photo was taken last week in Key Biscayne, just before we sat down to dinner. "Outside! in January!" everyone exclaimed, as they took their seats and wondered what the poor people were doing.
Walking the streets of Manhattan in the freezing cold, that's what.

Versailles, the kingdom of Little Havana

Versailles, Little Havana
Versailles restaurant, 3555 SW 8th Street, Miami
We landed at the wryly named Versailles for a Cuban lunch and I was concerned about the menu translation problem. I knew it would start as soon as someone ordered a coffee, specifically café con leche. It’s not that I didn’t want them to realize they weren’t in Kansas anymore, so to speak – but I’m smart enough to know that you can’t mess with lunch. Anyway, it’s not your Starbucks café con leche of course, so when the warm leche was served in the coffee cup and the coffee was placed on the table in a small beaker – to share - the cry heard around the table was “What is this?”

Deep breath. Once we got over that obstacle, lunch turned out to be a surprising smash.

The state attorney for Florida, Katherine Fernandez Rundle was lunching with the Miami Chief of Police John Timoney at a table nearby and one of my brilliant colleagues had to engage them, if only for a moment, to tell us something… anything about the city. They joined us for 5 minutes and I was amazed at the unbelievable power and presence that the two of them had together. Considering that Versailles is the spot in the neighborhood for Miami’s powerful, paticularly in the Cuban community, I thought later how aptly named it really is.

Identity Part II

El Credito Cigar Factory, corner of 11th Avenue and Calle Ocho, Little Havana. Overheard as we pulled up: “Are you kidding me? I’m not getting off the bus in this neighborhood…”

Ok, so maybe from the perspective of a 40-something corporate suburbanite, Calle Ocho appears to be the wrong side of the track. However, the comment made me realize we were doing the right thing, because sometimes you have to hold that mirror up…

Despite bars on the storefront windows and the dead (but still intimidating) pit bull lying on the sidewalk in front, the Latin charm beguiles. It is in the colorful buildings, carefully landscaped lawns and music radiating from unseen sources. In a billow of smoke, a fabulous Cuban woman opened the door to El Credito and welcomed us in to have a look around. It felt obnoxiously voyeuristic to me (my issue of associating myself with a group of 10 dressed in almost-identical golf shirts, I suppose)... but apparently visiting a local cigar shop to watch the staff of master cigar rollers make each one from scratch, then provide the customers with an opportunity to taste before purchase, is one way it's done. It is fascinating to watch… the staff is so focused on the work they didn’t seem to notice our presence…

Outside, we met a Cuban man selling cantaloupes from a cart, eager to relay his story and give us a warning… when he arrived in the area in 1972, it was a proud and safe neighborhood, but now there are shootings every night and it is no longer anyplace to be after dark. He wouldn’t allow us to film him, still believing that someone from back home might see his face on television…

(post script about the golf shirts: I have linked to the Ralph Lauren site, as this seems to be the golf shirt of choice, and need to add a disclaimer ~ none of the men wearing the golf shirts in my group looked anything like the men on this site; and it is hilarious that there is a video to watch on RL TV about the lifestyle of the golf- rather, Polo Knit - shirt. Highly recommended viewing :)

Who are you?

I am writing this post as I watch the Sunday NFL Playoff games (Bears just beat Seahawks 27-24 in an awesome game) which is probably not the best way to get it done; but I have to get my thoughts down on my trip to Miami before I lose them all...

The past 10 days will unfold in various pieces, but what really stands out right now is the word identity. What is the cultural identity of Miami - American, Latin American, Cuban, Haitian? or is it social, upper class or lower class, the beautiful people v the common? And when you travel, who are you? I arrived in Miami as a business traveler from New York, trying to wear my seriousness lightly in order to blend into my version of the city, which is "laid back vacationland"; but when I noticed in a local mall that I was the only blonde and everyone around me was speaking Spanish, where was I then and who was I in that place? Suddenly I was a foreigner, an anomaly. As a traveler, this is the experience I seek - to find the cultural edges and remarkable pieces that make up a place. Miami is teeming with such discoveries and the perfect place to lead a corporate group on a sort-of-accidental adventure, which happened to be part of my job this week...

We started at Stiltsville

and as we wondered about the crazy/courageous people who built houses in the middle of Biscayne Bay c. 1930's, we also learned something about ourselves... because you can't help but ask - am I that bold?

Rock Star

One of my colleagues said to me this week, knowing of my past in the music industry and perhaps more importantly, of my tendency as a teenager to run away with rock bands, "I won't consider this a successful meeting if at the end of it your hotel room isn't completely trashed."

Mission accomplished.

it's almost over...

I've been away at an undisclosed location (warm, dry air; brilliant sun set in a great expanse of blue sky; a palm tree here and there) closing out a very difficult year. I have allowed myself to be really lax on posting anything new... but I'll be back to it as soon as 2006 is over. Cheers and happy new year!

photo found on Flickr

Summer in the City

Last week I was in glammed-out Miami and this week I'm sitting in a hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. What a contrast.

When I'm not in Florida, I think I don't like it at all. Too many rednecks, strip malls, draining of the Everglades, etc (if you read Carl Hiaasen then you'll know what I mean). My aversion to the aforementioned elements lasts only until I arrive and step into the sweet, tropical air. Suddenly my memory - the correct one - returns, and I'm wondering why it took me so long to get back there.

I'm lucky enough to live vicariously through my work when I travel - stay in the nicest hotels, get on the list for the hottest clubs and experience places many people aren't able to. In Miami last week it was Casa Casuarina, Gianni Versace's former home. The mansion is now a private club and soon-to-be exclusive hotel where for $10k per night you can stay in his former bedroom, decorated exactly like it was when he lived there. It's a little creepy, to be honest.

Miami is a perfect quick escape and as crazy as it sounds, summertime might be the perfect time to go. Hotel rates are 1/2 the price, if not less (and I know you know how expensive Miami is); it's not as hot as you think (ocean breezes) and it's still totally happening- except with less people. And who would complain about that?

Places to check out now:

The Standard My boyfriend hates this hotel because it reminds him of high school (cliques and all) but I love all the Standards. Miami is the latest addition and it's in a great location, has outdoor baths and yes, is very cool so you'd better dress appropriately. Reasonably priced ~ $125 and up.

Mansion The hip club of the moment. Ask the concierge to get you on the list.

Nikki's on the Beach This place has been around for a few years but as any trendy place does, it switches the "cool" night every now and then. The current night to go is Sunday - total hedonism. You'll see things you never imagined.