Out and About in South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Art or artifice, form or function? The chair above is actual lawn furniture in "SOFI," the area south of fifth street where we stayed during this visit. The chair appears to be made of some type of plastic or resin but, I couldn't get close enough to touch. Looks pretty cool to me though - I'd be happy to have two of them to sit in (one for Amy) and watch the world go by if I lived here.



A scene along the stretch of Collins Avenue where some of the grand old style art deco hotels live on.



A photograph of Amy the photographer in the grand curtained lobby of the Delano. Wrong era but, those gently billowing floor to ceiling curtains made me expect to see Scarlett O'Hara waltz by.



A lunchtime pause in the garden of palm trunks.



Walking along the pedestrian-only Lincoln Road Mall shows off a few more of the art deco style buildings........with modern tenants......



.....and many people of all sizes, shapes, genders, and cultures, seeing and being seen and enjoying the picture-perfect, chamber-of-commerce weather.



Great light and lines and shadows in this view of a section of pedestrian walkway turned askew.



And of course, the ubiquitous palm trees, waving and rustling in the breeze. But no day can last forever....the light begins to fade.....



.... people make plans for the evening........

.....the first customers sit down for their dinners al fresco and........



......... in South Pointe Park, the jazzy lilt of a smoothly played trumpet arpeggio complements the setting sun over the downtown Miami skyline. Life is good in Miami Beach today - and probably nearly every day if I had to guess.