Okay, that last one is a little extreme, but it comes from someone who is 30 years sober, so I guess he knows how to view life.
However, first, I must digress. It seems I might have been a tad reactionary in my response to the publicity about Nazis on Substack. I didn’t dig too deep, but I definitely was appalled by the whole situation. But to quote my daughter, Nazis are everywhere. Sad and outrageous, but true. So I will continue here and go on with my carpe diem.
As I approach 66, I’ve decided to stay living in NYC for a variety of reasons, BUT, here’s my plan: I want to be able to take off whenever I feel like it in search of good weather and/or friends — which pretty much equals Florida. So I’m doing several trial runs to find the absolute easiest, reasonably priced, moderately luxurious long weekend in Miami.
I went to South Beach first, and it definitely had some pros and cons. Pros: amazing bike lanes, parks, beaches, deco architecture. Cons: fucking thumping house music EVERYWHERE. One fun fact: my paternal Jewish immigrant grandmother lived exactly in south beach in her later years in a cheap residential hotel that is now probably blasting that fucking music. My sister actually found a picture!! Side note: my matronly “Bubbie” was also apparently involved in a torrid extramarital affair that divided the family forever. Who knew?
And now they do a rockin’ drag queen show on that same Collin’s Avenue amidst the beautifully restored deco buildings.
And of course the above is where Versace lived and died. I repeat Carpe Diem.
It’s worth the three hour flight, right?
See yah next time!
The Art Deco hotel I stayed in with my parents when we visited their parents in the 1950s, the DuBarry, has been torn down, alas.
I went to Miami about ten years ago and was absolutely obsessed by the art deco buildings so it was lovely to see some of them again!