Subcultures and Miami

I have a confession to make: Miami was probably the most interesting place I've visited during my past few months traveling. While there I got to learn about the Cuban Diaspora, sunbathe at the beach, explore a pretty big city, and experience being one of very few white boys within a given radius. I learned a lot and saw a lot, which resulted in an experience that fit my expectations perfectly, whilst subverting them at the very same time.

Before I dive into my Miami adventures, I'd like to highlight the biggest thing I noticed during my time there. And no, it wasn't the skyscrapers. The one aspect that will always stand out in my mind when I think of Miami is it's distinct subcultures and the type of communities that pop up as a result of them. Many other cities have different groups of people and unique cultures contained within their limits, but none of them stand out quite as much as those in Miami. As such, I am going to break this blog into three sections, with each one highlighting a unique area that I spent time in during my stay. I obviously didn't see them all, but I got a very good idea of Miami's culture.

I had to get a photo with the smallest palm tree I've ever seen

The Design District (Miami Elite)

When I first heard of the Design District my assumption was that it was a downtown strip that had been adopted by local artists with lots of mom and pop shops lining the streets. That was not what the Design District was. However, what it did end up being was somehow more interesting that my assumptions had asserted.

Beginning my adventure in the Design District

At face value, the Design District is a playground for the wealthiest of Miami's residents. Its a secluded downtown shopping area that features unique buildings and wacky sculptures. Instead of streets lined with mom and pop shops, most of the stores were filled with expensive clothing and modern minimalist furniture. Instead of feeling like a series of streets littered with fun art pieces, it felt like a giant open air shopping mall that had been designed by high brow elites. Most of the "design" elements ended up just being a car or statue glued to the side of a building.

This was a weird enough building design choice that I had to get a photo of it

I am aware that this description sounds super negative, but I actually had a really fun time in the area. Even though I've seen a lot of upscale places on my trip, none of them felt quite as excessive as this. The Design District offered me the unique opportunity to walk among the upper class citizens of Miami. As I strolled through the various streets in the Design District, I felt like I was peering into another world. And even though the "design" elements were pretty disappointing, it was still fun to examine what really rich people think makes a building interesting. Ironically, the only free museum in the Design District-the Insititute of Contemporary Art Miami-also felt quite alien to me. No shame to the contemporary artists or contemporary art lovers out there, but I just can't seem to get much from said style of art. I find it to be a fun look into other people's psychology, but not my own.

Can you tell I don't get modern contemporary art?

While the Deisgn District was definitely not a downtown strip that had been adopted by local artists with lots of mom and pop shops lining the streets, it was a super fun way to peer into the psychology of a social class that is completely foreign to me. If I was able to take anything away from my time in Miami, it's that the Design District is a hilarious example of wealthy excess.

I felt this Domino structure was interesting enough to take a photo with

Gotta get a photo on the waterfront if you're in Miami

Downtown (Miami Middle Class)

Before actually seeing Miami, this was the area that was most closely associated with the word. And to be honest... it's probably the prettiest "city" I've been in. I still hold that Savannah is the prettiest city I've ever had the pleasure of exploring, but when I think of the word "city", I don't think of Savannah. It may have the population to be considered as such, but it doesn't have the terrible traffic, busy streets, and skyscrapers that I associate with a city. Downtown Miami, on the other hand, is a city in every part of the word. And boy does it do it well. The way the blues of the sky, the greens of the grasses, and the whites of the skyscrapers all complement eachother is truly masterful. Before visiting downtown Miami, I never thought I'd call a skyscraper "pretty".

Being taken away by the prettiest skyscrapers I've ever seen

Walking around downtown Miami gave me the chance to live an experience I've wanted to since I was a child. Just strolling on the riverwalk made me feel like the coolest guy in America. It's no wonder the downtown area is so heavily ingrained in our collective image of Miami-it's pretty spectacular. However, as I ventured further into the city, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Even though every building I passed and every boat I watched float away was filled with material beauty, it all lacked substance. As I walked in a crowd of vacationers and passed numerous tourist attactions, I realized how same-y everything felt. I realized that despite downtown Miami housing hundreds of tourists, when they all left, they would all tell their friends eerily similar stories. The only difference in their memories would be the name of boat company that took them sailing.

I thought this statue was worth taking a photo of... and I just wanted to take more photos

That said, I did find one moment of substance during my time in Downtown Miami. The riverwalk had taken me through a open air shopping complex and just when I thought the trail had ended, I spotted a walkway going under a bridge. At that point I was ready to head back to my car, but still curious enough that I ventured forth. As I passed under the bridge and felt the noise of the tourist crowds slowly disappear I felt a strange sense of bliss. When I looked ahead of me, I say a inconspicuous row of palm trees and a nice bench that offered the chance to just take a rest. It's kinda crazy to say, but sitting on that bench and just enjoying the peaceful sound of the wind in the trees may be my single best memory from my time in Miami. I don't specifically know why, but the sense of peace I felt was just so grand. My ongoing theory is that when you're constantly inundated with the sounds and sights of the city, just having a brief reprieve from it all gives you a great sense of relief.

Really appreciate the bliss I felt from this strip of the river walk

Now some of you may have been shaking your heads when the subtitle for this section was "Miami Middle Class". After all, what's "middle class" about giant skyscrapers and oceanfront living. In most cases, I'd agree with that sentiment, but I think it's easy to forget that terms like "lower class" and "upper class" are on a constantly sliding scale that is completely dependent on the area the terms are being used to describe. For the vast majority of us, downtown Miami is definitely "upper class", but in reality, most of the people living in those skyscrapers are not the wealthiest that Miami has to offer. Sure downtown has some super rich people, but in terms of the Miami wealth distribution, the vast majority are in the middle bracket. I say all this, because I want to highlight how the divide between Miami's subcultures is so great. Especially as we move into the final section...

Really enjoying my Miami beach day

Allapattah (The Miami Lower Class)

For those that are curious, I spent most of my down time in the suburbs of Allapattah and as a result, it had the most profound impact on me. For all intents and purposes Allapattah is probably the "shadiest" part of Miami. It's one of many areas that the Miami marketing experts don't want you to see. Many of the buildings look rundown, the houses are small, and the roads could definitely use some updates. However, it's also the part of Miami that I am fondest of. There may not be any shiny sand or skybound skyscrapers, but there is something distinctly real. Almost all the shops are owned by locals, the people were friendly, and there was a distinct sense of community. Every night I made dinner, there were numerous little league baseball games happening just across the park. Although this was the area where I was truly a minority-as the vast majority of Allapattah residents were of Latin descent-it was also the area that I felt the most at home. No one that I walked by on the street gave me a second look. After all, they simply didn't have the time. The people of Allapattah weren't sunbound tourists looking to get their tan on or wealthy elites that put cars on buildings and call it art. Instead they were just everyday folks like you and me, simply working to make ends meet one day at a time. Enjoying the simplest pleasures, like watching their son or daughter play ball.

Conclusion

I may have sounded harsh when describing certain parts of Miami, but I want to be clear that I loved every part of it. I loved pretending to be a snooty art lover in the Design District, I loved blending into the crowd of tourists as I walked around the city, and I loved peering into the everyday life of an Allapattah resident. The time I spent in Miami will forever be in my memories and has cemented itself as one of the best parts of my trip. This is largely due to the distinct groups of people living within it and the unique experiences they all offer. For someone looking to spend a week in Miami, I recommend checking out the big city and the beaches. Allapattah doesn't have much to offer someone just passing through. However, even though most of the advertisements surrounding Miami feature stunning skyscrapers, beautiful boats, and breathtaking beaches, whenever someone asks me what lies at the heart of the city, my mind will always go back to a packed park and the sound of eager Baseball parents. In all honesty, I couldn't think of a better way to end the trip...