[Dale]

Yeesh! Is it this bad ?

You can’t put Humpty Dumpty together again in South Beach

Miami Beach is stumbling through a minefield that could blow up its economy. Impacts of a worsening pandemic are battering the city’s economic driver, its visitor industry, causing officials to assess diversifying away from reliance

www.miamitodaynews.com

 

[UrbanImpact]

South Beach became less fun around 2010 or before when hip hop took over. People here in Broward don't seem to be making the trip anymore, mostly choosing mainland Miami now (Wynwood, etc.) when going south.

 

[Dale]

Wow! I guess I didn’t have a reference point when my wife and I vacationed there in 2016. Seemed quite the place then.

 

[FloridaBill]

South Beach became less fun around 2010 or before when hip hop took over. People here in Broward don't seem to be making the trip anymore, mostly choosing mainland Miami now (Wynwood, etc.) when going south.

Black people don't own hotels or nightclubs in Miami Beach, it's not their fault.

 

[UrbanImpact]

Black people don't own hotels or nightclubs in Miami Beach, it's not their fault.

I was going for more of when the music scene got terrible and we lost clubs like Cameo, Liquid, Mansion, etc.

 

[Rubi007]

Black people don't own hotels or nightclubs in Miami Beach, it's not their fault.

What he is trying to said is that back in 1990s-2010s SoBe was a cool, clean, nice place to be at night. After the Hip-hop crowd took over, everything was messed up. And he is 1000% right! You can get offended if you want, but its a fact!.. Not even decent families from Mainland Miami goes to SoBe at night anymore (only to Hispaniola way).. BTW he never mention black folks, He said HIP HOP crowd! Not all blacks folks are part of that crowd. There's lots of Hispanic and White people in the Hip Hop crowd.

 

[spellbound]

^^^You meant Espanola Way there, but I'm sure you knew that.

I'd say there's plenty of factors in SoBe's "decline." For myself, I think the place was simply a victim of its own success and over time kind of evolved into a clichéd and somewhat annoying version of what the tourist crowd (and some locals) think the place should be like...including a heavy dose of phoniness and an expectation of "anything goes" that unfortunately includes some really awful behavior.

South Beach had already lost its allure to me even by the time I moved away, and that was nearly 20 years ago. I've been back a few times since then but that was only because some out-of-town friends were visiting and wanted to see it and I also have a very dear friend who lives there. But aside from the architectural treasures there (which is still a great thing) it's pretty much "meh" for me and at night no thank you.

The time frame I really loved the area was in the late 80's to mid 90's when there was still a really creative vibe to it...lots of cool and independent music venues...still affordable rents for artists, musicians, etc. Back then, I loved it.

 

[CalleOchoGringo]

Yeah I remember when Lincoln Road was cool and that was when I was a teenager in the 90's. I could feel it ending as the Armani Exchanges and Versace's were moving in, and displacing all the eclectic one-off stores. It felt like the high end version of all the weird stores along St Marks Place in Greenwich village being replaced by Chili's and Applebee's type places. The sense of place was going away and it was becoming as generic as a strip mall somewhere in Nebraska (or I guess you can say Rodeo Drive in this case).

Seems to me like it was a long time coming.

 

[tenderforever]

I don't live in Miami and visit only every few years. The difference between South Beach in 2010, in 2013, in 2016, in 2018, and today is pretty tough to swallow. A radical decline in local shops, with corollary increases in chain shops and pricey restaurant group fare. It feels a lot less safe, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Don't get me started on Lincoln Road. I guess a lot of the energy has migrated over the Wynwood area, and it'll be cool (while that lasts) if that area develops into a walkable neighborhood.

 

[URBAN BEAUTY]

South Beach is sketchy nowadays. It's not longer enjoyable.