South Pointe Park: South Beach's Under Appreciated (and Hotter) Younger Sister

I have asked just about everyone I've met here in Miami for tourist suggestions, creating a pile of two- or three- item lists that I curate as I scratch off each destination. Of course the first thing out of everyone's mouth is, "Well, have you been to South Beach?" and of course the answer is "Yes, but it's crowded and expensive and a pain to both reach and drive away from." But I am surprised that South Pointe Park, and especially it's awesome pier, hasn't received more mention. Perhaps that's because it was only renovated in 2009, or perhaps it's because its neighbor, South Beach, is a gaudy rhinestone stealing everyone's attention. Whatever the case, I want to show this stunning park a little love. It provides a perfect view of the coastline of Miami Beach, and the beaches down there are spotless—not a shell or clump of slimy seaweed to be seen. Take a look.

There were a few photo shoots, so you'll still feel bad about yourself, just like on South Beach!

Also check out the clear sand and water, and this guy using a selfie stick like a Korean pro.

                                                                   

The entrance to the pier, which runs alongside a stone breakwater. 

Guest Post-- Michael Eats Fruit for Thought

I made my own calendars where the year begins on the day I ate my first banana (17/3/2014 FYI, or 3/17/2014 if you’re wacky). Before I moved to Korea I never ate fruit and it was just one of the many firsts Korea would demand. As it is, I don’t really want to tell you about Korea’s firsts. I want to tell you about coming home and how my returning home compares to Korea through the medium of fruit.

Mangoes just scream sunshine and good times. So, when I saw mangoes in a Korean supermarket I was sure they would be delightful. Oh how wrong I was. I’m told I was low-balled on mango quality because these were terrible mangoes. They somehow managed to taste both fresh and putrid. The expectation of mango and the actualisation of mango were as far apart as the transport in Korea and the transport at home. In Korea, you pay for transport with a smart card and everything is cheap and clean and efficient. Journeys join up so you don’t have to pay full price for every transfer. If ever the Korean public transport system grinds to a halt, I’m sure they’ll have something less convenient to get people around. Maybe personal floating clouds or something.  In Glasgow, the transport is expensive and definitely not user friendly. Buses require exact change to pay their expensive fares (fares like £4.30 – who has 30p just lying around?) and the subway has not been extended since it opened in 1896 or upgraded in decades. You pay for each section of your journey anew and it all starts to add up. Similar journeys are 4 times more expensive in Glasgow and about 100 times less convenient. We’re paying for Korea and somehow getting Cambodia.

Kiwis are a bit like big testicles, but that’s not currently relevant. When I tried kiwi I found it a bit bland and then it had a tang and then it got enjoyable. I didn’t enjoy kiwi much at first, but it got better as I went. This fruit of contradictions maps well with the difference in my nights out in Korea and in Glasgow. In Korea I found it difficult to find one particular place I really enjoyed going, but as I went out more I got more used to the scene and enjoyed that things were open late. At home the journey is reversed. I know all the awesome places to go, but because of Glasgow’s alcohol problem and the stupid way we deal with it, all clubs and bars must be closed by 3am. This means nights out are curtailed and you’re left to try and get home when everyone else in the city centre is doing the exact same thing. Add the bad public transport and tens of thousands of people (who would really rather still be drinking) trying to get a handful of taxis and it makes getting home a dangerous proposition, even if it’s just because you’re waiting outside in the cold for ages. 

Dragon fruit was supposed to be exciting. Have you seen a dragon fruit? It looks like Ryu’s fireball from Street Fighter or, you know, a dragon’s fire! Wow! How amazing is dragon fruit going to be? I couldn’t wait to try dragon fruit. Seeing all my friends again was supposed to be exciting. Do you remember all those amazing times from before you left for Korea? How amazing is it going to be to make a whole new bunch of memories? On the surface, dragon fruit was all raz-ma-taz and full of exciting promises. Once you cut into it, it looks a bit like an Oreo McFlurry and you think you’re about to have a taste sensation. Ultimately, dragon fruit was disappointing. On the surface, seeing my friends again was all exciting and full of adventurous promises. Once you get into making plans, you think things are looking good, life will be sensational. Ultimately, seeing your old friends becomes disappointing. Dragon fruit is a little bit underwhelming. My friends all had their own lives which had settled while I was away. It’s hard to unsettle your friends and while they agree to adventures on principle, agreeing the specifics and matching up disparate schedules is almost impossible. The closed bubble of being an English teacher in Korea meant everyone was in the same boat - people were always looking for things to do and places to go. Coming home is kind of dragon fruit (it’s an adjective now).

When I tried persimmons I tried plural. I bought different shapes and colours and sizes. I thought they would all taste different. Unsurprisingly they all did taste different. This was another fruit of extremes. The first I tried was a small yellow persimmon that I thought would be the worst. I was wrong. It was sweet and much better than I expected, and didn’t even taste too fresh. The big red persimmon was another story. I cut it up and it looked a little juicy. I thought the brighter colour would mean it was sweeter. I was wrong. My first reaction “mmm,” and then all of a sudden my teeth felt weird and a bitter taste invaded my mouth. It felt like all the moisture in my mouth had been sucked into the persimmon I’d just chewed up. One of my friends suggested that is probably what it would be like if you ate one of those wee bags of silica gel that comes with new shoes. 

Living with my mum has had a similar effect on soaking up all the fun I wanted to have when I got home. In Korea I lived in a small, one-room apartment, but it had a sweet broadband connection. Plus it was only about 7 minutes from bed to work. Living in one room doesn’t sound awesome, but the nature of life in Korea is that you don’t have to spend too much time in it if you don’t want to, since getting everywhere was easy and people were up for activities. My wee room was much better than expected. Living with my mum is more like the big persimmon. At home there’s no sweet internet connection, but the bitterness of being without any internet connection except my phone. It is miles away from anything and, thanks to the extortionate transport prices, it costs a fortune to go anywhere for anything. Add to that the fact I happened to get stabbed not far from here so I don’t feel entirely safe getting off a bus late at night. Living with my mum has had it’s nice times, but it’s largely been big persimmon.

Banana was far and away my favourite food. In fact, now that I’m home I often share a banana with my nephew who loves 'nanas'.  I have nothing bad to say about bananas. They are delicious and I’ve been a fool to not have them in my life. In that respect, Korea’s bananas was my job. I loved my job, even if my workplace wasn’t awesome. Teaching kids is probably the best thing I’ve done with my life and going to Korea gave me the clear career goal I’ve wanted for years. No Korea would have meant no bananas and no plan to become a primary school teacher. Glasgow’s bananas is probably...Tinder? I’ve not really gotten to the end of Tinder in Glasgow yet and that can’t be a bad thing. Not really. The real bananas at home is my nephew. He is awesome and growing up and talking and doesn’t give me as many cuddles as I would like, but he makes me laugh all the same. He loves being chased. Sometimes he thinks (or pretends, who knows) tree branches are dinosaur bones. He’s bananas.

Bananas aside, my life must sound pretty gloomy, but it isn’t that bad. Sure I didn’t like lots of the fruit I tried and there’s plenty to complain about at home, but I came home for a reason. As much as I look forward to trying new fruits, I’m looking forward to getting back into teaching here at home and becoming a better teacher. Once I stop living like a 14 year old, I’m sure I’ll stop complaining like one. 






Michael O'Donnell would be a polar bear if he could be any animal, but he'd feel bad about eating exclusively meat. He has nothing personal against seals or walruses. He recently tried broccoli for the first time and didn't hate it.