- 1 day ago
Behind the wheel of his corvette Tony sees the best & seediest of Miami.
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00:00That's one of the things I love about South Beach.
00:08It really feels like you're living inside Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
00:14I have no idea what the f*** is going on.
00:18One other major metropolis is without the acceptable.
00:22Wrapping your lips around this is a challenge.
00:25I hear that a lot.
00:26I'm so excited about a boat ride, a boat ride.
00:32Oh man, I hope this light turns quick.
00:43The captain has signaled our final approach into Miami.
00:51It's time we request all passengers once can be seated with your seatbelt securely.
00:56Flying into Miami to South Florida, it's like flying to no place else that I know here in the United States.
01:08I remember when I first came to Miami, they opened the door of the plane.
01:12Oh gosh, first of all, the sun, you don't have to worry about the sun, and then the visual.
01:17The trees, all these wacky palm trees, you know, going up and then this little thing up there.
01:24If you think about it, you are in the center of the world.
01:28Miami, I seem to find an excuse to come to this place at least twice a year.
01:40It's the main stop off between North and South America, and trust me, it's worth leaving the airport to make the most of any layover you may have here.
01:49You've got two options when flying in, Miami International or Fort Lauderdale.
01:54For Miami International, you can take the super shuttle into the city for 19 bucks.
01:58Or you take a taxi for $32 and be at the beach in less than 30 minutes.
02:04Sonny Crockett, pedal to the floor in a brightly colored Ferrari, a cigarette boat tears across Biscayne Bay, past all colors, deco buildings, pallet loads of coke, Al Pacino in Ricky Ricardo mode, introducing you to his little friend.
02:23That's the Miami of the imagination.
02:26My imagination anyway.
02:29Reality has come to resemble the fiction.
02:31The abandoned hotels Michael Mann had painted for Miami Vice actually look like that now, and are filled with people dropping dollars they made on more conventional ventures.
02:42Today, Miami is made up of many distinct districts, including South Beach, the waterways of the Miami Islands, historical Coral Gables, and the recently reviving neighborhoods of Wynwood, the Design District, and downtown Miami.
02:55And, of course, not to be overlooked on a visit are the neighborhoods of Little Havana and Little Haiti.
03:02Since under it all, or more accurately, right there to see, is the fact that Miami is the most Latin American of cities.
03:11Home to untold numbers of Cubans, South Americans, and also Caribbean immigrants with all the good stuff that comes with that.
03:20Just as Los Angeles is not Hollywood, Miami is not South Beach.
03:25But that's where I stay anyway.
03:27Why?
03:28Because I like it.
03:30South Beach takes up the southernmost blocks of Miami Beach Island.
03:33There are, of course, many hotel options here, most right on the beach, just like you wanted there to be, and for every budget.
03:42But if you want huge, and strange, and wonderful, and if they just don't and couldn't make them like this anymore, maybe the enormous Grand Hotel Biltmore in Coral Gables is for you.
03:53Spanish-style estate, old Floridian glamour, and a 23,000-square-foot swimming pool where Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams frolicked between cocktails.
04:05But me, I stay at the Raleigh.
04:07And I come here not just for the bar, for the old-school interior, or even the gorgeous pool, but because it's one of the few off-meat, grown-up, slightly dysfunctional refuges I truly and deeply love.
04:20It's a place that feels like home, largely because of this woman, concierge, and authority on everything important in Miami, Crispy.
04:30How can I help you?
04:32Well, I gather you got me a car, something.
04:35It's kind of sassy and kind of sporty, and I think it'll be perfect for you in Miami.
04:39I wanted something that, like, if I was playing Grand Theft Auto, it's a car that I would steal and drive for a while, and then...
04:45With Miami, I think, you know, you have so many, like, high-sporty kind of cars, and if you want to blend in, you can,
04:50and if you want to sass it out, you can kind of punch it out and be noticeable.
04:54Awesome.
04:55Sometimes you need to just embrace your inner douche.
04:59And driving around South Beach, you may as well drive the car you never would in any other situation.
05:06Come on, you know you want to.
05:08This is the one town you won't stick out in a car 20 years too young for you, and way too bright, and way too fast.
05:15That's what I'm here for.
05:17Me and my red car.
05:18I'm putting the douche back in Miami.
05:22It is my right as an American to come to South Beach and behave like a douche.
05:27Actually, no, I'm over the age limit to do that.
05:30It's really unacceptable.
05:33Euro douche.
05:34I could come and act like a euro douche.
05:35That would be okay.
05:36You know, that's one of the things I love about South Beach.
05:41It really feels like you're living inside Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
05:48I always feel this sort of not-so-secret compulsion to, you know, sideswipe people and beat prostitutes to death.
05:56Then who doesn't?
05:57Of course, you could walk or bike around like the locals do.
06:05I've heard there's a public transportation system that gets you just about anywhere you want to go with a $2 easy pass.
06:11But for f***ing sake, you're in Miami.
06:14It's vacation.
06:18Anthony, I see you every day, man.
06:21You're the same, bro.
06:23Thank you, brother.
06:24You can't believe me.
06:24Welcome to Miami, man.
06:26You gotta love that.
06:30Walking down the main drag of the city, your ass cheeks flapping for everybody to see.
06:36I don't know.
06:37What other major metropolises?
06:39Would that be acceptable?
06:41Lunch options in South Beach?
06:44Meh, not so much.
06:45I usually head over to get a Colombian mutant hot dog.
06:49Colombians like to do strange and wonderful things to their dogs, and there's a lot of places around Miami like this.
06:55But I come here.
06:57La Parada de Edgar, located in North Miami Beach.
07:02So much to choose from.
07:04Chef Edgar Gomez moved to Miami about five years ago, and he's been serving up these tube-shaped beasts since.
07:11Today, he offers 21 different takes on the noble wiener, some intergalactically strange.
07:19Can I have a Colombian?
07:22Ah, also?
07:24Otro.
07:25A super Edgar, but that sounds like a plan.
07:30First up, the Colombian.
07:32Topped with mozzarella cheeses, onion and a pink sauce, basically a mixture of mayo and ketchup, his secret house sauce, mustard, and finally topped with potato sticks.
07:42Oh, look at that.
07:48Holy crap, that thing is huge.
07:54Mmm.
07:56That is delicious.
07:58Ah, gracias.
08:00Oh, this is awesome.
08:04Wrapping your lips around this is a challenge.
08:07I hear that a lot.
08:08You could, on the other hand, go more traditional Cuban for lunch, like Las Olas in South Beach.
08:18Cash only, popular with the locals, and line right up for ropa vieja or rice and beans that will make you very, very happy.
08:27The staff speaks mostly Spanish, but you learned that in high school, right?
08:31If not, just point and smile.
08:33Over in West Miami, there's El Palacio de los Jugos, which I believe means Palace of Juices.
08:41Not just juices, it's a jumble of different stands, all under one roof.
08:45You can get fried plantains, that's platanos, more Cuban rice and beans, that's arroz con gris, and chicharrones, which you don't need to know what they are.
08:56Just eat them.
08:58You kind of have to have a Cuban grilled or roast pork sandwich or pan con lechon.
09:03It's cheap and delicious and a far cry from any food that you're going to find at your hotel.
09:10Me, Edgar Special, please.
09:12What?
09:13Hot dog with cheese, pineapple jelly and whipped cream garnished with dried fruits and a little strawberry sauce.
09:20It's like gay franken dog.
09:23Oh, awesome.
09:25What?
09:25Wow.
09:26Wow.
09:26Wow.
09:26Wow.
09:26Wow.
09:26Wow.
09:26Wow.
09:26Wow.
09:27Wow.
09:28Wow.
09:28Wow.
09:29Wow.
09:30Wow.
09:33That shouldn't be good, but that's what it is.
09:45Everyone's got some twist on the hot dog.
09:47In Miami, because there's so many people from all over Latin America and the Caribbean, there's, of course, a magnet also for a plethora, one might say, of two mutations.
09:59And delicious ones, like this one.
10:01And that one, and really wacky like this.
10:07It's all, I feel all sneaky and ashamed.
10:15Driving down Collins Avenue on South Beach, you quickly realize that douchiness doesn't just happen.
10:22You've got to work for it.
10:23I should have been doing steroids for, like, six months before getting into this car, you know, to increase my douchiness.
10:32And then, there's this.
10:38Oh, man.
10:40Hope this light turns quick.
10:41A few years back, I was a guest on a show maybe you heard of called Miami Ink.
10:56And I developed a relationship with the place, and more importantly, with this guy, master tattoo artist Chris Garver.
11:03He's inked me two times so far, and it's become kind of a regular thing for me.
11:09When in Miami, Garver.
11:11Tattoo.
11:13How big do you want to do it?
11:14Like, about this big?
11:15Yeah.
11:16How are you doing?
11:17Oh, sorry.
11:33I didn't even give you a warning.
11:35No, that's all right.
11:36I've been here before.
11:38I tell you the whole story behind this design.
11:41The inspiration being the works and credo of the French essayist Michel de Montaigne, and the Greek skeptics, and that it means, basically, I suspend judgment.
11:49Ah, it looks cool, right?
11:57How many times have you been to Miami now?
11:59I must have.
12:01I'm here at least twice a year.
12:02Yeah?
12:03I find some excuse to come down here.
12:05Yeah.
12:06You know, a couple of days in Miami, you know?
12:08Perfect.
12:08I always keep it, like, ridiculously simple.
12:12I never really go out to fine dining.
12:14I haven't really found the perfect Cuban place yet.
12:16For me, I can't really have fine dining too much, you know?
12:21But, like, I don't know how people can do it every day.
12:24I'm in, like, vacation mode when I come down here.
12:26I don't want to sit at a white tablecloth for four hours, you know?
12:29It's all too stuffy.
12:30Yeah.
12:31I'm going to relax.
12:33For some people, relaxing in Miami may be a day at the beach.
12:36For others, it's having a needle full of ink drilled under your skin.
12:42All right, I think that ought to do it, Tony.
12:43Man, that looks good.
12:45That looks really, really great.
12:46Cool.
12:47Love the relief work on it and stuff.
12:49It's beautiful.
12:51Look at America.
12:54I'm really happy.
12:56Awesome.
12:56So you'll take it?
12:57It's great.
12:57You want me to wrap it up and you can take it home?
12:59I guess I'll take this one.
13:01I have a second part to my tattoo ritual when in Miami.
13:07Afterwards, it's over to Max Club Deuce, conveniently located right across the street.
13:13So I haven't been to the Deuce this early in a while.
13:18So I've got to honor tradition.
13:21Tradition absolutely requires tattoo, drink a Deuce.
13:26Kind of does go together, huh?
13:29And hey, it's happy hour.
13:35You know, this place has been around since, like, 1926.
13:39I don't doubt it.
13:40Nice.
13:41And it just, I hope it stays always exactly as it is now.
13:45Dave, give Anthony a beer.
13:46One of the last True Dive bars in South Beach.
13:51This place never seems to change.
13:54And it's a glorious refuge for distinguished guests from all walks of life.
13:58Perfect for late afternoons or late nights.
14:02Remember what I told you about Miami Vice and Michael Mann?
14:05The sign there is a leftover from a shoot.
14:08But if you are offended by cigarette smoke and need to see oily, barely concealed chesticles
14:13while you drink, you can go elsewhere.
14:15Also in South Beach, you could go to The Room, a civilized alternative serving handcrafted
14:22beers and an eclectic selection of wines.
14:26A generally laid-back and pretty mellow crowd hidden on a back street right around the corner
14:31from the rest of South Beach and still far away from the madness.
14:36But for me, it's always about the Deuce.
14:40It's funny, I realize, now I remember, this was the first place, the first time I ever came
14:45to Miami, had a couple of friends down here, and this was the first place they brought
14:49me.
14:49I don't know what that says about me.
14:50They were smart friends.
14:51They were right away, said, this was the first place they brought me.
14:55They said, don't even waste your time anyplace else.
14:57We know you well enough to know that this is where you should be spending your time.
15:01We came here in the afternoon, it got completely and horrendously and that was pretty much
15:07it for the night.
15:08Yeah.
15:08That was it.
15:09Come on, man.
15:12Miami's become too big for me, although it's fabulous.
15:25So, living here, I can get a combination of the sense of the Caribbean and still be in
15:30the city.
15:31Miami's right on the border between North and South America, and some maps of the Caribbean,
15:37Miami actually fits into the Caribbean.
15:39There's many things you can do in Miami, people that are used to the palm trees and the beach
15:44and the sun, but, you know, you can't think outside the box.
15:47There's a lot of things you can do out of the routine, a lot of things.
15:53Ask yourself, when you're in a new town for a limited period of time, what do they do here
15:58that they don't do elsewhere?
16:00What's unique?
16:02You don't see a lot of this where I come from.
16:04Highline.
16:06Originating in Basque Spain, Miami's the only place it's played professionally.
16:12We're headed to see a game in Alapata.
16:14It's a neighborhood northwest of downtown Miami and about a 30-minute drive from South Beach.
16:20Now, I've never been to a Highline game and neither has Chris, so this is a new experience
16:25for both of us.
16:26Oh, this is old school.
16:29At the OTB.
16:31Oh, there's a bar.
16:31That's good.
16:34The only thing I do know about this game is that you can win or lose money betting on it.
16:39Not knowing who or what to bet on, we quickly form a strategy.
16:44We're looking to bet on somebody in the 11th game.
16:46We're looking to bet on the older guy.
16:48You want the experience.
16:49That's all we care about.
16:49We want number 13.
16:5620.
16:5721.
16:58What do you want to do?
16:59Play?
17:00What do you think?
17:01To win.
17:02To win.
17:02Let's go to win.
17:04One to win, one to play.
17:09Just to play it safe.
17:13I'm on a winning streak, too, so I'm feeling good about this.
17:16You want to win.
17:17Yeah.
17:18Yeah.
17:22All right.
17:22Want to grab a couple of beers for this?
17:24I think I'm going to have to.
17:25Yeah.
17:29Though it comes from Spain, High Lie was brought to Miami from Cuba in the 1920s and is still
17:36pretty popular with the Cuban community down here.
17:39You're pretty interested in this stuff, though, huh?
17:42I am, Connor.
17:43I mean, I have no idea what the f*** is going on.
17:47Yeah, it's kind of hard to figure out, huh?
17:48I have no idea what the f*** is going on.
17:50I have no idea what the f*** is going on.
17:51I have no idea what the f*** is going on in the 1930s.
17:52Now, if guys with wicker scoops attached to their arms throwing balls at each other
17:56doesn't float your boat, you might want to investigate some of the architectural oddities
18:00of South Florida.
18:01A picture book of Coral Gables then and a slow car ride around Coral Gables now would actually
18:08be kind of cool.
18:10You'll see homes and plazas built mostly during the 1920s when developers had this romantic,
18:16semi-deranged idea of creating Miami's own version of Venice.
18:20Or you could take a hard look at South Beach's Deco Madness on Ocean Avenue, straight out
18:26of Grand Theft Auto.
18:28Or regenerating Wynwood District with lots of galleries and street art, if you're into
18:33that sort of thing.
18:34But I'm too busy raking in the dough in the mostly empty Hi-Li Palace.
18:39Yeah, that's good for us.
18:40Is it?
18:41He dropped it.
18:42That's what I'm talking about.
18:43I guess I'd say this is the fastest sport in the world because they're hurling that ball
18:48like twice the speed of like a baseball pitcher.
18:52That ball could probably, you know, drive right into your brain, you know?
18:55I guess they're wearing helmets for a reason.
18:56All kinds of maxillofacial and genital injury.
18:59Sure.
19:06Oh, it's pretty good.
19:10I think if you're at the top of the thing there, then...
19:13I think the game's over.
19:16I think we f***ing won.
19:18I should have bid on the win, too.
19:20Smoke it.
19:21Let's go collect our winners.
19:24Is the game over?
19:25I believe it is.
19:25You think so?
19:26Yeah.
19:28Maybe it is.
19:29We'll find out.
19:33Sweet.
19:35Thank you, sir.
19:36Almost doubled my money there.
19:39You know, remember, kids, forget about school.
19:41Gamble.
19:42Set it for for you.
19:43Gamble.
19:45Uncle Tony did.
19:50I think it's time to spend some of my earnings on food.
19:55So we're heading to downtown Miami, a once neglected part of the city.
19:59But recently, the city's regeneration scheme has been transforming the area, and the artists
20:06are moving in.
20:07And the rents, of course, moving up.
20:11Dinner.
20:12We pick Garcia's seafood restaurant.
20:14No flash, no pretense, just simple wooden tables by the Miami River and good, fresh, local fish.
20:23It can't be understated the importance or depth to the tortured relationship between
20:29Miami Cubans and their homeland.
20:31The generally accepted belief is that the Miami Cubans were all rich guys, landowners, despots,
20:37exploiters, and pro-Batista millionaires who had to get out when the corrupt government fell.
20:43Not so.
20:45Restaurateur Luis Garcia, who with his mom and brother took over the business when his dad
20:50passed, his dad ran a small shop selling fish back in Cuba.
20:54When he fled with his family to Miami in the 60s after they took it away, he started a small
21:00market selling seafood, hiring friends as fishermen.
21:04Today, those same fishermen are still bringing in the catch for Garcia's seafood restaurant,
21:10market, and fish wholesale business.
21:13They still maintain their own fishing boats and dock right up to the restaurant to drop off
21:19their catch.
21:19Today, we've got hog snapper and yellowtail, grilled shrimp with Old Bay, lemon, and herb,
21:33and garlic.
21:35Want a slightly more tricked out ambiance?
21:37You can try the excellent River Oyster Bar downtown, where chef David Bracha offers largely
21:43local and organic cuisine.
21:45At the Horseshoe Shade Bar, you can enjoy their take on classics like cioppino, or seafood
21:51stew, or roasted lobster.
21:55But I'm happy tonight at Garcia's.
21:58Nice.
21:59Ooh, that's good looking.
22:01Beautiful.
22:02Thanks.
22:05How different is Cuban food here than in Cuba?
22:10I mean, this would be unthinkable.
22:11They don't have this.
22:12They don't get this much protein.
22:15You wouldn't get this anywhere.
22:17People got to hustle all day long, cut every corner, do every innovative, probably illegal
22:24thing that you can do, you know, just to feed your family.
22:27Yeah.
22:28Like rice, beans, and a little bit of protein.
22:30This would be unthinkable.
22:31I mean, there are a few restaurants that have this, stay-at-home restaurants, for tourists.
22:38So you really think it's going to be, things are going to change when Castro dies?
22:46That's beautiful.
22:47Good food, man.
22:48How you doing?
22:49Yeah, it's excellent.
22:49Really good.
22:50Really happy.
22:51Enjoy the rest of your meal.
22:52Thanks.
22:52All I can say is, so they don't have this in Cuba, but they will, you know, and they will
23:00soon, and certainly in his lifetime, certainly even in my lifetime, in all of our lifetimes.
23:04It's going to change.
23:06Basically, when people think about Miami, they think about the Cuban tradition.
23:22So you're that close.
23:24So basically, when you come to Miami, there's no way you can get out of Miami with a mojito.
23:28Oh, I love mojito.
23:29I love caipirinias.
23:31And since I'm from Trinidad and Tobago, I have to say rum and cookies at the top of the
23:34list.
23:34Everyone enjoys their beach drinks here.
23:37And after three, it's on.
23:46Another day in paradise.
23:48I am a creature of habit.
23:50Same place at the pool for years.
23:53Perhaps a beverage.
23:56Another option on a perfect day like this is just a few steps away at the Raleigh beachfront.
24:01There's skin cancer.
24:05Or you can rent a jet ski and see if you can further erode our remaining coral reefs, if
24:10there are any left living.
24:11With any luck, you'll hit a manatee or like Flipper.
24:14He's from around here, right?
24:16Pool or beach?
24:17You decide.
24:19Me, I'm old.
24:20I'm lazy.
24:21I ain't moving.
24:22Sitting by the pool, by the way, is the only acceptable place to have a frothy blender drink
24:30garnished with a strawberry.
24:32It's perfectly okay there.
24:34Unless you're wearing like a banana hammock in the same color as your drink.
24:40That's a little dubious.
24:41You want to go the other way, meaning wake up, there's the Correrito, available anywhere
24:50in Little Havana, or a cafe con leche, or cafecito, or Cuban espresso jet fuel.
24:57The cafecito is the one-shot version.
24:59I'm not supposed to swim because of my tattoo, so it's time to find me some lunch.
25:06Downtown Miami again.
25:08A place called the S&S Diner.
25:10This gloriously unchanged-by-time greasy spoon dates back to the 1930s.
25:16Inside, old-school communal seating around a horseshoe bar with stools.
25:21Manning the floor is longtime employee, Melody.
25:24Every day, they're the same people, like for breakfast.
25:27Some people come back for lunch.
25:29Everyone comes here since they were, you know, a little child.
25:33You know, we have customers that say, you know, my daddy brought me here, my grandmother
25:37brought me here, you know?
25:38It has a good history.
25:42This place is a step back in time.
25:46The meatloaf looks good.
25:49Yeah, I can have that.
25:50Meatloaf?
25:51Yeah.
25:52Can I also get some grits and gravy?
25:55Some peas will be great.
25:56Peas?
25:56Something to drink?
25:57Ice cream, please.
25:58All right, I think I'm going to say it the other way.
26:00Great.
26:05Meatloaf?
26:06Yes.
26:08Or you could go Haitian over at Chez Les Bebés for their version of griot, fried pork shoulder,
26:14served with sweet plantains and salad.
26:17Or perhaps the Bahamian pot, also in Little Haiti appeals.
26:21Trudy Ellis and three generations of her family run this place.
26:28I opened this in 89.
26:30There was no Bahamian restaurant around when I opened this.
26:35None at all.
26:35So I said, let me give it a try.
26:38And it was a small, little, one-sided building.
26:41And then the customers kept coming and coming and coming and I opened the other side.
26:47And from then until now, I've been doing the same thing right here.
26:53One of the best meals here is their breakfast of boiled fish and grits, served with Johnny
27:00cakes made of sweet buttery cornmeal and milk batter.
27:04All great.
27:06If you're craving island cuisine, this is a place you don't want to pass by.
27:11I need meatloaf and grits.
27:14And yes, those are canned peas.
27:17Thanks so much.
27:18It's all right.
27:19Yeah.
27:23I should have known that famously, sort of the signature dish of Miami was meatloaf.
27:29Create a whale.
27:32A weakness for commercial gravy.
27:35Actually, don't tell anyone.
27:41I feel like I'm in an alternate universe.
27:44I'm in a twilight zone.
27:48I'm going to leave here and find out that the world outside these doors have disappeared.
27:55No one's left alive.
27:57It's just us.
28:01Gravy Master.
28:05Yeah.
28:06Cultivating that hard body for the beach.
28:11Well, there were many influences, many things that brought attention to Miami Beach.
28:26One was Miami Vice and that style of clothing caught on.
28:31Michael Mann came in with Miami Vice and he decided to paint the buildings the beautiful
28:35colors and make them the sets for the TV show.
28:38Back in the late 80s, I was a realtor and I just watched bodegas on the beach transform
28:45into nightclubs.
28:46Within, I would say, 15 years, it's changed about 4,000%.
28:51It's gone from the wild, wild west to, um, San Tropez.
28:57Yo, it's Don Johnson.
29:00Time to get out on the water.
29:02See Miami from out there.
29:04Private boat tours or charters are relatively affordable.
29:07Whether you want to kill fish, dump a body, or just look around.
29:13I'm so excited about a boat ride.
29:16Boat ride, I love boats.
29:17I'm heading out of the water with Michael Schwartz, chef, owner of Miami's preeminent restaurant,
29:23Michael's Genuine.
29:25We're meeting at the Cragdon Marina in Key Biscayne, a small residential island located
29:30just south of Miami Beach.
29:34Manning the wheelie thing, what do you call that?
29:36The helm?
29:37Captain Frank.
29:38Our destination's up there on the horizon.
29:42Stiltsville.
29:42Stiltsville, right?
29:44Stiltsville.
29:45Those shacks, those homes.
29:48Now, what's the origin of this, of this place?
29:51It has a very colorful history.
29:54The documentation currently says 1930s.
29:57We had back in those days, drum runners that had the equivalent of big cigarette boats today.
30:03And the story goes, they would sell the booze right off the porches.
30:06Oh, these are essentially homes or home-like structures built out of the water on stilts
30:14or by squatters.
30:17It's been a hangout since the 30s.
30:20Yeah, that's a serious party space.
30:22Yeah, and that one looks like it's in pretty good shape.
30:25This one looks like it needs a little work.
30:28What I understand is some of the hurricanes over the years kind of took one out, two out,
30:34but then Andrew really devastated it.
30:37Right.
30:37What year was that?
30:381992.
30:40August of 19th.
30:40So people were still living there.
30:41There was still a community of people out there.
30:43Oh, yeah.
30:43How many people?
30:44I don't know that anyone really lived there all the time, but weekends, parties.
30:49Basically, they were unpoliced for much of that time?
30:52They were, but after Andrew, the parks department took them over, and they have rangers, and
30:59they patrol it.
31:01Right.
31:01Yeah.
31:02But you see, I remember going on the house.
31:04Yeah, and it wasn't that maybe 10 years ago.
31:07It must be awesome, you know, to put up a hang a hammock or, you know, put a cotton there
31:11and just kick back.
31:12And just go and bring a cooler and, yeah, eat stone crabs and...
31:15A little hibachi.
31:15Yeah.
31:16Every time I come out on a boat, I wonder why I don't spend more time out on a boat.
31:26Yeah, there's no better place to be.
31:34I feel all Steely Dan and s*** looking at this.
31:37Good lyrics hated their arrangements.
31:42This spectacular light is just amazing here.
31:45I mean, there's those little things about living here that are magical.
31:49Yeah.
31:49It's exactly this that makes me, every time I come down here, I think.
31:53No.
31:53I should move here.
31:54Yeah.
31:55What s*** am I doing?
31:59I can't leave Miami without checking out their vibrant and growing food truck scene.
32:05They circle the wagon, so to speak, at places like this.
32:08Tropical Park in South Miami.
32:10Every kind of mobile edible deliciousness and madness, from Cubano burgers to Asian-inspired
32:17wings to tater tots and beyond.
32:21Where did they all come from?
32:22Were they just wandering around until they found a home?
32:25You know what I mean?
32:25This is like a relatively new phenomenon.
32:29Right.
32:30And I think within the last year, it really, this really happened.
32:37And it happened so fast in this kind of unregulated way, I think they're just trying to figure
32:44it out now.
32:45And the city's just trying to figure out how they could deal with it, but mostly screw it
32:50up.
32:50But maybe you start there and work in a...
32:54Yeah.
32:55Well, there's a good one.
32:57What?
32:57That's called Sakaya Kitchen.
33:00The Jim Sam dudes?
33:01Yes, that's right.
33:03You want to eat?
33:04A little something small and delicious?
33:06Sure.
33:07The Sakaya truck serves up boxed meals like short rib chunk cheesy spicy tater tots and
33:13ginger Brussels sprouts.
33:14But I'm going for the irresistible sounding crackling duck herb sandwich, served on a potato
33:21roll with mustard and ketchup and garnished with black plum cilantro.
33:26That is a fine looking sandwich.
33:32That's a duck, beautiful thing.
33:35Looks like a Martin's potato bun to me.
33:38My favorite.
33:41That's kind of an East meets West thing going on.
33:44It's delicious.
33:52Welcome.
33:53Hell yeah.
34:00There are countless food options at this food truck fiesta.
34:05At Grillmaster, we can't lay off the Frida Cuban, a mix of ground beef and ground sausage served
34:11with julienne fries and ketchup.
34:14Nice.
34:17That's good.
34:19Flavorful.
34:21For me, I'm more into the island foods here.
34:29Let's see, like Caribbean food, of course, you got to go to little, little high tea, for example.
34:49There's a lot of Jamaicans, Asians, and they're super cool.
34:52You know, they'll just paint a hot dog and a pack of cigarettes and a lamb roast and a chicken roast right on the building.
35:00Any appetite, any flavor you have for the day, you can find it here in Miami.
35:06Michael's Genuine in the Design District, just north of downtown, is probably the best restaurant in Miami right now.
35:20Locals flock to Michael's because of the seriously amazing food, a welcoming neighborhood place that showcases the type of cuisine that Schwartz does best.
35:29Homemade and straightforward, with an emphasis placed on fresh, local ingredients.
35:35It's late and the kitchen's closed, but I happen to know somebody.
35:40So they're going to whip us up something.
35:42Pig's ears cooked in a Dutch oven for hours until soft and tender, then cut into strips and deep fried until golden brown.
35:52Tossed with a little salt and spice and served with a wedge of lime, they are a bar snack unimprovable by man or God.
36:01Is the world ready for this?
36:03If they didn't know what it is, they would.
36:07If you call it, uh, special pork, pork cracklins, people would be all over this.
36:14This is the most exciting pork dish I've had.
36:18Crispy pig ears.
36:20I think people are ready.
36:22Deviled eggs?
36:27I am a big whore for non-ironic deviled eggs.
36:31Do I have to tell you how to make a deviled egg?
36:33I seriously hope not.
36:36You know, if you're American, when you come into the United States from a foreign country, they shouldn't forgive you a full pat down.
36:45They should offer you one of these.
36:47Because if you love America, you will love this.
36:52There's nothing like a good pat down, though. Come on.
36:57If for some reason you've already eaten at Michael's, you can then go to Pub Belly in the western part of Miami Beach.
37:06Kind of a gastropub kind of a place.
37:07They do short rib steak tartare with yuzu di janez, chives, and wait for it, soft quail egg.
37:16Served with goat butter and toast.
37:18What is not to love about that?
37:20And of course, their signature pork belly.
37:23Communal tables at a local crowd, so you might actually meet somebody who knows something.
37:29Meanwhile, back at the bar, local Floridian chanterelles, lightly sauteed in butter and thyme, served over a scrambled guinea hen egg with some shaved piave vecchio cheese.
37:41Brown turkey figs from California are sliced and topped with hazelnuts and arugula, local honey, which is amazing by the way, and sea salt.
37:50You came here 17 years ago. What was your first, what brought you down here in the first place?
37:57The early 90s. Remember, like, that was the height of, you know, the transformation of South Beach.
38:03Oh, so, man, it was early. Like, John Johnson had yet to take off his white jacket, or he had recently...
38:08I think he was doing it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
38:09He was still...
38:10Yeah, he was still doing it.
38:12What, why Florida? What was the first time it, what was the...
38:16Well, I came here.
38:18Right.
38:19For a visit.
38:21And there was lots of women.
38:24Mm-hmm.
38:25But I just felt like there was not enough good food, and lots of demand for it.
38:31Well, I gotta tell you, good last meal in Miami, man. Thank you.
38:35Glad you enjoyed it.
38:37So, Club Deuce later? What do you say?
38:39Michael needs to go home to his kids, so I decide to head to a place even closer to home than Max Club Deuce.
38:48I gotta stop the presses going down like this.
38:52Collins Avenue can get mad late at night.
38:55But I usually keep my head down, retreat back to the safety of the discreet little bar in my beloved Raleigh Hotel.
39:03The Negroni being the perfect nightcap, an aid to digestion after the rigors of my last day in Miami.
39:12Thanks.
39:13Thanks.
39:14It's been a long day, huh?
39:15Yeah.
39:16Hopefully tomorrow you'll have a good day, huh?
39:17Oh, yeah.
39:18I'm optimistic.
39:19It's all in the game, yo.
39:20It's all in the game.
39:21People come over here, they experience Miami, one of them to stay, they move on.
39:26From here, you can go all over.
39:27I love the weather, the beaches, I love the diversity of people that are here.
39:33No matter where you walk, you're looking at interesting buildings, interesting flowers, and interesting
39:40people.
39:41We've been to many cities, but this is certainly one of the best cities on earth.
40:11Oh, yeah.
40:12Wake away.
40:13My, my, my, comes on the rain.
40:15Every day, yeah.
40:16Oh, yeah.
40:17Oh, yeah.
40:22Rise.
40:35Shower outside.
40:37A breakfast beverage, perhaps.
40:40I feel looking out over Miami like master of the universe the world is mine
40:46Tony Montana actually no I feel more like some large mammal left an upper
40:52decker in my head but this is helping yes yes it is
41:00I could pretty much have happily spent the whole time hanging out up here and
41:06at the pool I mean come on not too shabby my friend
41:15obviously when you travel for a living you get to see some extraordinary places
41:19that's the upside the downside you spend lots of time in airports but there are a
41:26few things I recommend you do to make these layovers at least a little bit
41:30easier hi how you doing personally if I look over and I see like the curb check
41:35guys empty nobody there I'm going for that it's so much faster so much less
41:41hassle you completely avoid the line and for some reason out here they spend
41:45minimal time clacking away on the keyboard in there it's a clack clack clack clack
41:48clack clack clack forever like they're writing a book or something so a few
41:51extra dollars and major reduction in pain in the ass clothes thank you very much
41:59look at that major airport in a major city Miami total check-in time two minutes cost five
42:06dollars
42:08to do otherwise it would be madness
42:11that was so cool
42:14do it thank you
42:18you
42:20oh
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