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Bob Andelman Articles Archive

Miami (Not So) Nice

"Men" column By Bob Andelman

(Originally published in The Big Guava, 1992)


Remember a few years ago when the TV series "Miami Vice" had the world convinced that Miami was not safe?


The show mixed the glamour and unsavoriness of the gateway to South America for high ratings but gave the local chamber of commerce the willies. To counteract "Vice," a campaign was organized to teach those in the service sector to treat visitors with care and appreciation. "Miami Nice," they called it.


It's a great program. Still in operation today, many years after "Vice" has been off the year.


The program is so effective, in fact, that my wife and I were almost convinced to get right back on our plane and return to Tampa only minutes after arriving in Miami.


We were lucky enough to get tickets to see U2's Miami concert in early March. The Lakeland show sold out in six minutes, but I stayed on line and bought two tickets to the Miami show. (It sold out in 11 minutes.) My wife is a fan and while flying to South Florida for a concert is a bit of a splurge, she's worth it.


At the car rental counter, I asked for directions to the Miami Arena where the concert would be held. (The Miami Heat and University of Miami Hurricanes basketball teams play there as well.)


"You don't want to go there," the agent said. "It's in a very bad neighborhood."


"We're not sightseeing," I said. "We've got concert tickets."


"Oh, well, then you should go during the day and leave before it gets dark."


"But the concert doesn't start until 7:30 p.m."


"Maybe you should sell your tickets."


Cautiously and with reservations she gave us directions and wished us luck.


At the hotel, my wife asked the bellman for directions and advice.
"You don't want to go there," he said.


"But we have tickets to see U2 tonight," my wife protested.


"If you have to go, take a cab."


"We just rented a car."


"A rental car is a big mistake in that neighborhood. They can spot them a block away. They may attack you at a red light or when you're stopped in traffic. Or you may come back to your car after the show and find the windows smashed. Take a cab."


Finally, he provided directions, different from the rental car agent's. Curiously, there was nothing in the Miami Herald even remotely mentioning the concert, let alone petty details such as directions, parking or safety. So I called the Miami Arena.


The operator confirmed the bellman's directions. I told her about the repeated warnings and asked about parking.


"You'll want to park in one of the lots close to the arena," she advised. "Look for the ones with high fences and barbed wire."
Barbed wire?


We arrived at 6 p.m. plenty of daylight and found a lot that really was surrounded by barbed wire, directly across from the arena's rear entrance. The price was steep, but $10 was cheap for piece of mind.


Walking across the street, we joined hundreds of people waiting for the doors to open for the 7:30 p.m. show. Security guards prevented concertgoers from sitting on the mountainous stairs to the arena, so we were forced to stand. And stand. And stand.


More people arrived. It grew dark. Pretty soon there were thousands of us, milling around, elbow-to-elbow, on the sidewalk. A variety of characters pressed their way through the masses, buying, selling, begging, pick-pocketing. Time dragged on but the doors didn't open. 7 p.m. 7:15. 7:30. 7:45. Finally, minutes to 8, ticket-takers appeared at the top of the steps and a mad rush ensued to the top of the steps.


Thousands of people were now crowded together along the top of the stairs, against a long row of glass doors. Only three doors were opened to admit us. Visions of the fatal riots at a recent New York City concert flash through my mind. Fortunately, all went smoothly.


Except that the opening act, The Pixies, didn't take the stage until 9 p.m. We didn't see U2 until almost 10 p.m. and then they played an abbreviated set, probably owing to the lateness of the hour.


I'm no rock critic well, okay, I used to be but U2 was great. Worth the trip, worth the money. Maybe even worth almost being frightened out of going by well-meaning service employees.


What I'm wondering is if someone flying to Tampa from Miami or Jacksonville, Atlanta, wherever is ever warned away from attending concerts at the Lakeland Civic Center (where, the night before the Miami show, U2 opened their first tour in five years), the University of South Florida Sun Dome in Tampa or the Florida Suncoast Dome in St. Petersburg?


It seems unlikely that the concierge at the Don Ce Sar Beach Resort or the Hyatt Regency tells would-be concertgoers to avoid the Dome because it's in a bad neighborhood. (It is.) And we haven't seen anybody wall-in the parking lot with barbed wire yet.
Next time, we'll pass on the South Florida concert excursion and wait for the video.

©2000, All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.

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