Miami - Places and Poker - High Stakes
Miami Florida
I hadn't spent a lot of time in Miami before I went down there in mid-'05 to man the Yahoo hospitality suite at the MTV Video Music Awards. Turns out to be really my kind of town, and though I've only had a chance to scratch the surface of what Miami has to offer, it's a pretty sweet surface, so if your travels ever take you there, for the MTV Video Music Awards or whatever, here's a few scenes you'll definitely want to check out.
POKER - SORT OF
Naturally you want to know about poker in these parts, but I gotta tell you the pickings for poker are pretty slim in South Florida. You can go to the Miccosukee Hotel and Resort in Miami or the Hard Rock up the road in Ft. Lauderdale, but in both places you'll discover the sad truth about poker in Florida: It's stupid beyond belief. That's because the state puts a cap on betting of $2 per bet, $8 max per round. You'd have to be pretty hard up for cards to get excited about that. But it's the only game in town, so what're you gonna do?
THE PLACE TO STAY
Art deco style meets Asian hospitality at the Mandarin Oriental Miami, located on Brickell Key. For the best of the best of the best, book yourself a night in the Mandarin Suite, where you'll find everything you need -- and some things you don't need -- including two plasma screen TVs, a DVD player, two phone lines, a balcony overlooking Biscayne Bay, your own kitchen, your own spa, your own spa butlers, and even a docking station for your iPod. Of course, a night in the MS'll set you back more than five grand, but what the hell, you can't take it with you, right?
SOUTH BEACH TILL DAWN
The place to dance in Miami is South Beach, and the place to dance in South Beach is Club Deep, and not just because you might run into Ricky Williams, Vince Carter or Sugar Shane Mosley there. What really rocks Deep is their 2000-gallon aquarium dance floor, where you can literally dance on water.
For a more serene scene, check out Opium Garden, "a surreal world of Zen-like tranquility." While opium is not on the menu, their bar might be the best-stocked one in the world, with over 100 top shelf liquors and spirits, and bottles of bubbly. When you've had all the tranquility you can stand, visit their sister club, Privé, and rock all night with SoBe's beautiful people.
THE PLACE TO EAT
Dining doesn't get much hipper than at Nobu at the Shore Club in South Beach. Weirdly, the menu is "Japanese with South American influence," and you might not think that works but it totally does, resulting in such exotica as kumamoto oysters with Maui onion salsa, sea urchin tempura, and anti-cucho Peruvian style spicy skewers. If you don't quite know what to order -- or even quite know what something is -- don't worry about it. Best thing you can do at Nobu, especially your first time there, is just put yourself in your waiter's hands. He will not lead you astray!
Another odd combination that really works is Tantra, a mix of Middle Eastern and European influences served up as an "aphrodisiac" cuisine. Try the Saigon saffron seafood stew or grilled quail on tagliatelle with fresh figs. Don't know if they'll deliver on their promise of culinary ecstasy, but then again the might. Their motto, after all, is "Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."
WHAT TO DO
Of course you're gonna want to hit the beach. If you've got an adventurous soul, the beach to hit is the clothing optional Haulover Beach, just north of Bal Harbor. One of the great things about Haulover is that it's run and maintained by the city, meaning that you'll find showers, equipment rental, food, drink, even lifeguards. Haulover is definitely worth a visit, but just one thing... don't forget your sunscreen.
Another Miami must-scene is Little Havana, especially if your taste runs to that good Cuban food or hand-rolled cigars. Stroll along Southwest Eighth Street (known to locals as Calle Ocho) and check out the shops selling embroidered guayabera shirts or the latest Latin beat CDs. Best time to visit: Cultural Friday, the last Friday of each month, when Calle Ocho comes alive with music and art.
Sure, you could catch the Heat, Dolphins, or Marlins while you're in town, but for a taste of real Miami sports, why not check out jai-alai, "the world's fastest game," at the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton? Though the game was invented in the Basque region of Spain, its American home is Miami, and they've been playing it -- and betting on it -- here since 1926. How fast does a jai-alai ball travel? Oh, just 150 miles an hour, that's all.
THE KEYS TO (GETTING OUT OF) THE CITY
If you've got some time on your hands, get your hands on a rented convertible, put the top down, get the wind in your hair and drive south on Highway 1 till you can't drive any more. Then you'll be in Key West, a bohemian hangout/hideout at the end of everything. Once you're there, make a beeline for The Green Parrot or Captain Tony's (the oldest bar in Florida). Order yourself a pitcher of margaritas and settle in. You may never leave Key West again -- and if you didn't, you wouldn't be the first.
