South Beach: City of Sol

I’ve lived among Latinos in Los Angeles for six years now. They are laid-back and contented. But on a recent trip to South Beach, I was struck by how vastly different the Latinos there are. They are entitled and fashion-centric. They’ve created a mini-Euro paradise of sun, society and sex appeal. South Beachers want you to know how much they paid for the latest designer's swimsuit, or how hard they've hunted for the perfect accessory (which sometimes comes in “human”).

I love South Beach, I really do. But it always seems a lot like Vegas after the first couple of days. In the beginning you’re overwhelmed with all the shiny glitz and glamour…but then by the third day you see beyond the pretty paint and it all just seems tacky and overboard. And you get tired of all of the pretentiousness. I mean, I was in a city built for the beach, but was turned away at every door of every lounge for wearing flip-flops!

So that’s when I decided to leave the endless parade of tourists in their fabulous boutique hotels along the coastline in search for the locals. I wanted the South Beach in the raw.

I walked a couple of streets inland from Ocean Avenue and found a gem. A diamond in the rough, so to speak. Automatic Slims Rock ‘n Roll bar, complete with stripper pole and endless 80s anthems. A place you’d expect to find in Hollywood maybe, but not South Beach. I looked around and the room was filled with Latinos! They came in punked-out hair and gothic goatees, Madonna lace bras and Guns ‘n Roses leather pants!

Like so many things, it is not what's on the coastline, but what is inland that counts. We stereotype entire races without recognizing their beautifully complex intricacies. And that’s precisely why I love my job. Because I get to bring them out of the dark and into the sol.