Where's the Magic?
After you read this post, visit the "Stories" page for the next part of my original story "Choices".
I’ve lived in Miami a long time, so I believe that I am qualified to point out this city’s biggest shortfall. I don’t think I am the only person to realize this, and perhaps that’s why I am so puzzled as to why this idea has never truly surfaced in the past. Maybe, those who know it have simply accepted it as something that could never be changed or maybe those who care about such things have simply decided to leave.
To me, the city’s lack of amenities for the residents and tourists alike is what keeps Miami from being considered on par with the likes of New York and other big cities of the world. For my part, I stopped inviting family and friends to visit years ago, because one of the few things that I could suggest when they arrived was to jump in a rental car and drive up to Orlando. The alternatives were Key West or South Beach, but there is only so much lounging one can do and only so many breasts one can look at before the loud music and the obnoxious locals drives one away. The irony of it all is that I didn’t actually stop asking friends and family members to come, they simply lost interest on their own. Now, you might ask, why would people from the Midwest (where most of my friends and family live), not want to visit? The answer is relatively simple, but the solution is elusive, even with all of this Citys “charms”. Truth be told however, what is there to do here during the week, on the weekends, or even during the holidays? And despite what our city officials might have the public believe, they had nothing to do with creating the sunshine or the Atlantic.
With the mention of these two items, I have pointed out our greatest assets, which on their own do not make for a city great. If that were true, people would jump in their cars and crank up the air conditioner and they would never move away from the beach. We (residents) know however, that the sun burns and that South Beach loses its luster come daybreak and the endless parties get old when you have to get up at seven in the morning. So, tell me why are the event pages in our local papers so sparse, why do I have to be so envious of places like New York.
Of all of the things to do on the City’s Commissioners list of things to do, “Things to do” should be on the top. Miami needs more art, which means more galleries and a real museums, not one a visitor can traverse in fifteen minutes. It needs more music, more live music, because I keep hearing about how much culture this city has, because of the Latin influence, but I don’t even know where to hear live Salsa. Oh, there is plenty of “canned” music here with superstar deejays, playing other artist’s music, but what nice venues can you go to where you can hear an actual band play. And speaking of play, try more plays on for size. As “gay” as some might say this suggestion is, it would provide people with a choice, other than the movies. Now, I know that the Performing Arts Center (PAC) is there for those types of events and I applaud whoever was able to put that project together, but it is an island. . . in a not so good neighborhood. Maybe if Miami invested in more venues, smaller venues that didn’t cost so much, but created a variety of entertainment choices in one location. Perhaps then, we could start enticing people to come for the sun, but stay for culture. Maybe if there were things to do at night, other than go to a club or a movie, both of which people can do in their hometowns, visitors might not find themselves bored after a few days.
Stop spending so much money renovating all the buildings and let the city age for a while. That money would be better spent giving the residents reasons to get their friends and families to visit. Instead of attracting people here with shiny new high rises, why not give those who move here something to do outside their new domiciles? I don’t want to trivialize the more serious issues that plague the city. I know that we need to feed the hungry and house the homeless, but what happens to those who are less fortunate when one of our biggest revenue streams dries up, because people stop visiting?
I’ve lived in Miami a long time, so I believe that I am qualified to point out this city’s biggest shortfall. I don’t think I am the only person to realize this, and perhaps that’s why I am so puzzled as to why this idea has never truly surfaced in the past. Maybe, those who know it have simply accepted it as something that could never be changed or maybe those who care about such things have simply decided to leave.
To me, the city’s lack of amenities for the residents and tourists alike is what keeps Miami from being considered on par with the likes of New York and other big cities of the world. For my part, I stopped inviting family and friends to visit years ago, because one of the few things that I could suggest when they arrived was to jump in a rental car and drive up to Orlando. The alternatives were Key West or South Beach, but there is only so much lounging one can do and only so many breasts one can look at before the loud music and the obnoxious locals drives one away. The irony of it all is that I didn’t actually stop asking friends and family members to come, they simply lost interest on their own. Now, you might ask, why would people from the Midwest (where most of my friends and family live), not want to visit? The answer is relatively simple, but the solution is elusive, even with all of this Citys “charms”. Truth be told however, what is there to do here during the week, on the weekends, or even during the holidays? And despite what our city officials might have the public believe, they had nothing to do with creating the sunshine or the Atlantic.
With the mention of these two items, I have pointed out our greatest assets, which on their own do not make for a city great. If that were true, people would jump in their cars and crank up the air conditioner and they would never move away from the beach. We (residents) know however, that the sun burns and that South Beach loses its luster come daybreak and the endless parties get old when you have to get up at seven in the morning. So, tell me why are the event pages in our local papers so sparse, why do I have to be so envious of places like New York.
Of all of the things to do on the City’s Commissioners list of things to do, “Things to do” should be on the top. Miami needs more art, which means more galleries and a real museums, not one a visitor can traverse in fifteen minutes. It needs more music, more live music, because I keep hearing about how much culture this city has, because of the Latin influence, but I don’t even know where to hear live Salsa. Oh, there is plenty of “canned” music here with superstar deejays, playing other artist’s music, but what nice venues can you go to where you can hear an actual band play. And speaking of play, try more plays on for size. As “gay” as some might say this suggestion is, it would provide people with a choice, other than the movies. Now, I know that the Performing Arts Center (PAC) is there for those types of events and I applaud whoever was able to put that project together, but it is an island. . . in a not so good neighborhood. Maybe if Miami invested in more venues, smaller venues that didn’t cost so much, but created a variety of entertainment choices in one location. Perhaps then, we could start enticing people to come for the sun, but stay for culture. Maybe if there were things to do at night, other than go to a club or a movie, both of which people can do in their hometowns, visitors might not find themselves bored after a few days.
Stop spending so much money renovating all the buildings and let the city age for a while. That money would be better spent giving the residents reasons to get their friends and families to visit. Instead of attracting people here with shiny new high rises, why not give those who move here something to do outside their new domiciles? I don’t want to trivialize the more serious issues that plague the city. I know that we need to feed the hungry and house the homeless, but what happens to those who are less fortunate when one of our biggest revenue streams dries up, because people stop visiting?
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