I don’t know what I expected.
Maybe I just never thought about what Miami Beach would be like. Didn’t really have time. Too busy preparing for our Orange Bowl coverage on Metronews.
And that is why, even after arriving here last Thursday, I’m still experiencing culture shock.
The WVU team hotel, the historic and luxurious Fountainebleau in Miami Beach, is an epicenter for what is trendy and elegant. From here, the influence spreads down the coastline a few miles to the ultra-fashionable South Beach district.
The region is heavily populated by the young, the thin and the beautiful. Where did they come from? Where did they get all their money?
Miami is an international city. Nearly two out of every three residents of this city were born in another country. The myriad Latin cultures dominate the city with sounds and feels like a non-stop beat.
The place moves fast and doesn’t seem to ever slow down.
Each morning, as I head down to our broadcast location at about 6:30, the last partiers are filing out of Liv, the world-famous nightclub that attracts the famous and the beautiful.
Seriously? The party ends at 6 a.m.?
You have to admire the commercial success of the region. After all, a few years ago Miami Beach had lost the luster that sustained it in the 50’s and 60’s. Miami Beach had been ridden hard and put away dirty. South Beach was a rundown haven for druggies.
But the area fought its way back. The Fountainebleau owners invested $1 billion. South Beach returned as an arts and cultural center with trendy clubs and restaurants.
At it’s best, the city is vibrant, tropical and historic. No question there is an energy about the place that pushes it forward at an intense pace.
But I wonder about the excess.
For example, how many of the young and beautiful women here are simply expressing themselves through their own personal style and how many are just trying to keep up with the Kardashians?
There is a difference.
The likes of Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton have elevated being an over-exposed vacuous socialite to an aspired profession. Nothing is created. Nothing is gained, except shameless self-promotion and exposure.
I don’t understand it all. But then again, I’m not in the demo.
There’s much to like about this part of our sprawling land. Great countries need international cities, such as Miami, that have their own unique identity that attract creative and ambitious people.
And it’s hard to beat the weather.
Still, something nags at me about the glitter, the expense and even the style. Maybe it’s just that I don’t fit in. It’s not them, it’s me.
Or maybe it’s that even a rich culture like Miami Beach has a frothy indulgence that is tempting, but unsatisfying.