PAGE SEVEN
Miami Beach - Andrew, Jacqui and her Mum - 2009
Having been to Anchorage to go to the CVPR Conference in 2008, in 2009 the organisers chose something of a contrast by picking Miami Beach as the venue.
Andrew travelled this time with Jacqui and her Mum – all experiencing business class. Miami Beach is some long way from Miami Airport, so the taxi ride – like almost every other one we took – cost over $30.
We were staying at the recently reopened iconic Fontainebleau Hotel in North Beach. This hotel was once the haunt of the rich and famous and features prominently in the James Bond movie ‘Goldfinger’. Having been almost derelict throughout Miami’s troubled 1970s and 1980s it is now once more operating as a top flight hotel.
Fontainebleau Hotel sign, Miami Beach, FL
Reception of the Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
The Stairway to Nowhere, Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
Fortunately, the Conference was on at this hotel, which gave Andrew the perfect excuse to stay there. At various times throughout our trip we walked around the interiors and the pool areas of the Hotel. It must be said it was full of people posing and trying to look glamorous – which could actually be said for all of Miami Beach. But it does contain some good restaurants and is beautifully decked out and really very stylish.
The Bleau Bar, Miami Beach, Florida
Jacqui in the Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach
Andrew in the Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach
Elize in the Fontainiebleau Hotel, Miami Beach
The next day was the day before the Conference, so I was only needed in the evening to set up the stall. So for most of the day we travelled out to Key Biscayne to the Miami Seaquarium. This was SeaWorld long before SeaWorld. It is here that the show ‘Flipper’ was filmed – there are actually statues of Flipper here.
Balconies of the Fontainebleau, Miami Beach, FL
The Pools at the Fontainebleau, Miami Beach, Florida
Another view of the Pools with Hotel behind, Miami Beach, FL
The Fountainebleau Hotel - where Goldfinger was shot, Miami Beach, Florida
Another view of the Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
One thing we discovered pretty quickly was that Miami in June is astonishingly hot and so humid it doesn’t bare thinking about. The operators of the Seaquarium had thoughtfully placed what can only be described as outside showers throughout the park which you could stand under and be drenched by cooling spray. However, having moved about 10 steps away you were once more boiling and drenched in your own sweat.
Flipper does his thing, Seaquarium, Miami, Florida
Dolphins and Girls in Harmony! Seaquarium, Miami, FL
Like most US aquaria there are a few set shows at the Seaquarium. The first of these we saw was the Flipper show (naturally) where a group of trainers went through a series of routines with some bottlenose dolphins. Now, there are some people who consider this to be cruel, and I have to admit there did not seem to be enough room at the Seaquarium in general for the animals. On the flipside, they are all cared for immaculately and the relationships between trainers and their charges were very obviously close.
More Dolphin fun, Seaquarium, Miami, Florida
After the Flipper show we went to see the Manatees – the most bizarre of sea-going mammals these surprisingly massive creatures live on what looks very much like sea-cabbage and spend 90% of their time dozing just beneath the surface with just their heads popping up over the waterline. This has made them alarmingly vulnerable to speedboats and even these ones in captivity seemed to bear the scars of close encounters with propellers.
Manatees, Miami Seaquarium, Florida
Surprisingly, a piece of wild fauna also caught Andrew’s attention as they headed towards the next show – a big green lizard (or alternatively a small dinosaur) which rather outstripped any of the little lizards he’d photographed on walls elsewhere in the World!
Big Lizard/Small Dinosaur, Miami, Florida
The other big show of the day is the Killer Whale Show (or Orca if you must). There is even more controversy about keeping Killer Whales in captivity, but once more the relationship between the keeper and this whale seemed so close that you could not doubt that it was being looked after extremely well.
The Killer Whale Show, Miami Seaquarium, Florida
Airborn - Miami Seaquarium, Florida
Best of Friends - Miami Seaquarium, Florida
The show was quite spectacular. To see this massive animal leap clear out of the water can’t help but make you appreciate its majesty and power. I would certainly hate to be a seal anywhere near this perfect killing machine.
Mmmm ... tongue tickle - Seaquarium, Miami, FL
Hitching a Ride - Miami Seaquarium, FL
Don't sit at the Front!! Miami Seaquarium, Florida
As usual the people in the front rows got properly drenched and the show, although brief, was perfectly executed and choreographed and ended with the spectacular sight of the trainer perched on the whales back out of the water. You can really get an idea of the size of the whale here.
End of the Show - Miami Seaquarium, Florida
After the show as we all left the whale and trainer spent time together, almost having a conversation. The dedication was pretty clear to see.
After the Show - Miami Seaquarium, Florida
Slightly less dynamic but no less dangerous were the alligators on show here. They tend to just sit around, but I was happier to see them here than wandering along by the poolside at the Fontainebleau! A few turtles completed the picture of sea-life in Florida.
Alligators! Miami Seaquarium, Florida
Turtle at Miami Seaquarium, Florida
Before heading back to the Hotel we all took an opportunity to cool down a bit – Jacqui’s Mum by having a massive flavoured ice thingy and Andrew by standing in the cooling mist of one of the shower thingies.
Cooling Down! Miami, FL
Also Cooling Down! Miami, Florida
The next day was Conference Day 1 – the busiest day – so Andrew spent the day inside whilst Jacqui and her Mum went to find shops. That evening Andrew took a series of photos looking out of their hotel room across towards Miami Downtown with some very effective and impressive cloud formations and sunset shots which follow below.
Palm Tree in Miami Beach, Florida
View from Hotel towards Downtown Miami, FL
Sun Going Down on Miami, Florida
Interesting Cloud, Miami, FL
Another Interesting Cloud! Miami, FL
The Florida Sun
Sunshine over Miami, Florida
The next day, in the afternoon, we all went jewellery hunting in Downtown Miami. It has to be said that Downtown Miami is pretty horrid. Very rundown and slightly menacing it was not a place we felt at all comfortable in. Then, to make things worse, the heavens absolutely opened and rain lashed down on us. The taxi drive back to the Fontainebleau felt like it was being done underwater and we were glad to get back to the Hotel and a feeling of civilisation. I would say the probability of us going back near Downtown Miami are very low.
Wet Day in Miami! Florida
Wet Taxi Ride, Downtown Miami, Florida
And Yet More Rain! Miami, FL
The most famous street in Miami Beach is Ocean Drive in the South Beach area. This is in the Art Deco District of Miami Beach. Miami Art Deco is actually a very specific type of Art Deco known as Streamline Moderne and is pretty much confined to the area.
Ocean Drive certainly seemed to be “where it was at” as far as nightlife, restaurants and anything much else in Miami Beach. Hordes of ‘The Beautiful People’ paraded up and down and virtually all the buildings along the front are either restaurants, bars or hotels.
Now if you are 20, single, like partying and are good looking, then I’m sure Ocean Drive is an absolute paradise. However, for us fuddy-duddy old farts it was not that great!
Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida
Art Deco Bike! Miami Beach, Florida
The heat was so oppressive by now that it was hard to walk more than a few paces without feeling tired. Even after having some food at a restaurant where they served the largest sangrias you will ever see, we were still exhausted by the humidity.
Big Sangria! Miami Beach, Florida
A Little Drinkie! Miami Beach, Florida
The Cleveland Hotel (detail), Miami Beach, Florida
That said, if you look beyond the canopies of the restaurants you can still see the Art Deco buildings in all their pastel shades of glory. One of the most photographed is the Colony Hotel, the perfect example of its type. Surrounding it on other sides are a series of other unlikely coloured structures which look like they are made of icing sugar.
The Famous Colony Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida
Art Deco Buildings, Miami Beach, FL
More Art Deco - Miami Beach, Florida
Park Central Hotel, Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL
Suddenly it's the Thirties! Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida
After a while you begin to attune to picking out the oddities – like a series of 1940s and 1950s cars parked along the roadside amidst the modern ones. In the end you are left with a feeling of being robbed of somewhere which could be quite special. If all the modern trapments were discarded and the whole 1930s/1940s thing played up a bit more Ocean Drive and the Art Deco District could be a lot more than it is now – basically “party central”.
More Old Cars and Old Buildings! Miami Beach, Florida
Nice Old Motor, Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida
Art Deco Windows, Miami Beach, Florida
No visit to Miami Beach can possibly be complete without actually setting foot on Miami Beach itself. The whole city is built on a long thin island, separated from the main part of Miami by a big lagoon. The seaward side of the island has a massive wide beach from top to bottom. The sand is that gloriously bright coral sand of the Caribbean. It is dotted with Art Deco beach huts and radiates heat back at an alarming rate which would most likely cook anyone foolish enough to sunbathe in the open for any amount of time.
Views of Miami Beach! Florida
Miami's Actual Beach, Florida
Some people did seem to be foolish enough to be doing that, but not us. We were quite happy with a little walk, a toe dip in the Atlantic and then to head back to the shade and cool drinks in the Fontainebleau.
Andrew on Miami Beach, Florida
Elize Paddles, Miami Beach, FL
Miami Beach, Florida
Art Deco Beach Hut! Miami Beach, Florida
All in all, Miami presented us with yet another face of America but not one which we are likely to return to unless getting on a cruise ship. Miami Downtown is pretty horrid and although Miami Beach is okay the heat seemed to make people a little bit crazy and at the Fontainebleau you were isolated from anywhere much else. If you only want to come to the Fontainebleau and nowhere else – and there was certainly enough at the Hotel to allow that – then great, but otherwise it wasn’t the destination for us.
Miami Beach - A Last Photo!
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and Shaun Runham
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