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Wednesday, June 21, 2006
finalsDiary: Must-see SoBe
CHICAGO – If you ever visit Miami, make sure to spend some time at nearby South Beach, where the bold and the beautiful mingle under the ravishing Florida sun.
Also known as SoBe, this tourist destination lies within the city of Miami Beach and it runs from Government Cut north to 21st street and from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to Biscayne Bay on the west.
SoBe is known for its architecture and art-deco, but it is notorious for its nightlife. The world’s top supermodels party here, the glare of their beauties matching any Hollywood star’s sparkle, watt for watt. The celebrity athletes converge here, too. And so do the rappers and their shiny bling.
My SoBe experience occurred during the off days that followed Game 5 of the NBA Finals. I went there with my Miami hosts Steve Uy and his bride Anna. We were joined by the Agnes Dujali, a beauty disguised as an accountant.
It was late afternoon when we got here, and the sun was starting its retreat. Parking was ridiculously tough to find, like looking for needles in a haystack. We went to the beach and walked on the fine sands while the winds of the Atlantic Ocean caressed.
Two women frolicked in the waters nearby. They were impossible to ignore. The strings of their bathing suits were thin as Chinese noodles, and they were topless, playfully teasing other beach-goers with their lumps of abundant and beautiful flesh.
I’m normally shy, but try hard as I did, I couldn’t look away. It was a time when “turning the other cheek” didn’t apply.
Later in the early evening, we walked the heart of SoBe, that patch of concrete jungle where some of the scenes of the movie “Birdcage” were set. Diner was at a place called Johnny Rockets.
The food was good, but I resented the fact that they didn’t serve rum and Coke. It was sold at other joints, I’d later find out. But my favorite mix cost $11 or more in SoBe. Back in Chicago, a rum and Coke costs just $4.50 or $7 in fancier digs.
We went home after dining, and we walked past the front gates of Gianni Versace’s mansion. His villa-type palace, where he was shot one sad day in 1997, was reportedly sold for $17 million and will soon be converted into high-rise condos.
Before the Uys and Agnes dropped me off at Marriott Biscayne, we had a nightcap at Bayside, a tourist spot lined with shops and stores and sits beside the American Airlines Arena. I fetched a couple of drinks at Mambo Cafe’ and we conveniently let time pass by.
It was 12:10 a.m. when I got to the hospitality suite at Marriott. Sleep followed shortly thereafter.
With Dwayne Wade blossoming into a megastar, the Heat figures to be in many Finals in years to come. That would be nice. Because Wade is a joy to watch and SoBe is pleasure to visit. (Homer D. Sayson)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 21, 2006 issue)
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