South Beach, Home of the Tanned and Topless

Today started out with a walk down Collins Ave. from our hotel (in North Beach) to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. After we ate we hopped on the H bus to South Beach, located about a 15 minute drive away. We spent the entire day walking up and down Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue, people watching, walking on the beach for the first time since we've been here, and taking in the scenery. We were amazed at the amount of abandoned and run down buildings here, some looking like they've been empty since the 1980's. There are also quite a few new and renovated buildings as well, and there is certainly no shortage of wealth in the area.
During our walk down Ocean Drive we passed the former mansion of Gianni Versace. In 1997 Versace was murdered on his steps here by Andrew Cunanan. The home is now a ritzy hotel, where rooms range from $2000 to $10,000 a night!

We also discovered after walking out on the beach that bikini tops are optional here. I knew there were topless beaches around...I just didn't know that this was one of them. Sorry I don't have any lude photos to share (okay, maybe just one), but I was more fascinated by the white sand and clear blue water (definitely not something you see on the West coast!).

After walking about 50 blocks back and forth, we came upon a cute little street called Epanola Way (off Washington Ave.), filled with restaurants and shops. We decided to eat at a place called Oh! Mexico, which turned out to be an excellent choice. I had the Campesina salad (grilled chicken and veggies) and a mojito margarita, and both were delicious.

After dinner we set back out to do some more walking, heading out one last time to the beach before jumping back on the H bus back to North Beach and our hotel. After one last walk to the beach (closest to our hotel), we exhaustedly walked the last couple of blocks to the room where I am now letting my feet recuperate before we head to the Keys tomorrow!

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