To read past installments of Miami According to Brooklyn, click here.
Since I've lived and worked in both Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, I want to talk about the differences between the scenes, and also just getting around in each place. First off as far as Ft. Lauderdale goes, transportation sucks. Everything's extremely spread out, and it's just a pain in the ass to get everywhere. In Miami everything's a little bit closer together. The public transportation is definitely a lot better, and you can literally ride your bike to all these places. You don't necessarily have to drive everywhere.
As far as the people, people are very flaky in Miami. Not like there's a ton of bad people, and everyone in Ft. Lauderdale is good, though. There are flaky people in both places, but there are definitely more flaky people in Miami. And there are way more jackasses who hang out in the clubs, the Ed Hardys who put drugs in girls drinks and talk about, Oh I drive a BMW, and my hair is super-slicked-back, and oh, check out my million-dollar watch. And the kids in Ft. Lauderdale are more like, Hey how's it going, wanna hang out?
That's the case even at the clubs I've worked at or go to in Miami. We do get those fucking douchebags at the Vagabond, and there are tons of those douchebags who go to the White Room, and when I worked at [the now-defunct] Circa 28 it was the same way. Still, though, there were more cool people, like people I'd rather have a conversation with, at all of those clubs, as compared to Cameo or those places.
As far as Miami goes, I would like to see more places where you go in there have a good time, a couple drinks, and cool music -- it doesn't have to have some over-the-top DJ. More of like a hang-out type of vibe. In Ft. Lauderdale there are a couple places like that - there is that corner where the Poorhouse is.
I think Miami needs a place like that, where somebody can go hang out and not fucking have to empty out their bank accounts to buy themselves and their significant other a drink. There are a few places like that, but I feel like there should be more. The Vagabond, where I work, is one of those places, and the White Room, and PS14. And even on South Beach there are a couple good parties, like Black Sundays at Bella Rose, and cool DJs working out there like Johnny the Boy and Obi T/Damaged Goods.
But then - on both sides of the causeway -- there are those places like Space, Cameo, and Karu & Y where you need a black AmEx just to get in. And that's not what it should be about. It should be about going out, makinga couple friends, bullshitting, and letting off some steam. That's what I think Miami really needs.
Five Albums I'm Listening to This Week: 1) Coliseum, No Salvation, 2) Converge, No Heroes, 3) Culture, Born of You, 4) Red Roses for a Blue Lady, Return to Melancholy, 5), Fugazi, 13 Songs.
Quote of the Week: "There is more to life than increasing its speed." -- Gandhi
