The Miami Lifestyle

This weekend I spent several hours biking on Collins Avenue and A1A with a few of my local cyclist friends. While we are dealing with major oversupply in the real estate market and continued news of major layoffs, we are truly blessed to live in this diverse and beautiful city. Let’s face it, for many living in Miami is a ”lifestyle” choice. While the rest of the country is enduring freezing temperatures or major snow storms, here we are living it up on the beach and swimming in the warm clear azure waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Miami is growing up. Our downtown area may appear to be a concrete jungle, but if you look closely, it has the makings of one of the most striking urban centers in the world. When is the last time you looked at downtown from across the Biscayne Bay at night? This past weekend the annual Miami Marathon kicked off from the American Airlines Arena. The 26.2 mile race covers one of the most unique courses of all major marathons. In the early morning hours runners pass through and experience the Port of Miami, South Beach, Ocean Drive, Miami Beach Golf Club, the Venetian Isles, Brickell Avenue, Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne. We are constantly spoiled and exposed to major cultural, art, drama and professional sporting events in our city, lest not we forget our incredible architecture, organic farmers markets and a constant flow of international visitors.

This city never ceases to surprise me. Browsing  through the December edition of Ocean Drive Magazine, I read about several new culinary superstars and recent restaurant openings. In the new Fontainebleau Miami Beach, we have Gotham Steak, Scarpetta, Hakkasan and La Cote. In the new W Hotel Miami Beach, which is scheduled to open this Spring, Mr. Chow and Serafina will make their debut. In Miami Beach, we continue to welcome new restaurants such as Gaia Ristorante on Ocean Drive, the famous Parisian restaurant Au Pied De Cochon,  Sean Brasel’s Meat Market on Lincoln Road, Red Steakhouse, Fogo de Chao, and Philippe Chow’s “Philippe” in the Gansevoort South.

We may not have a large employer base, Silicon Valley, nor the most reliable workforce, but we do have something that keeps people wanting to move and live here. It’s a love hate thing. I am confident, however, that for most of us it is a lot more love than hate. This is a special city and we are fortunate to enjoy it in all of her glory.