Where are the beautiful people?

Travel and Leisure magazine has published their ratings of America's top 25 cities, and surprise, surprise, Miami is included (Des Moines, however, is not). And where does Miami come out on top? For the most attractive (#1) and stylish (#2) people, of course! I have to admit, on a day-to-day basis, the people I see are not taking my breath away. It led me to ponder...where are all the beautiful people?

One of my friends claims they all live in South Beach, which is certainly full of attractive-looking people. The same could be said for most of the city's more affluent hot spots where people go to be seen by other people: Miracle Mile in the Gables, the Grove, Lincoln Mall. Everyone goes there to watch people and to be seen. So we put on our best duds, do our make-up and hair, and hit the town. That's what most tourists see. Maybe that's why we are considered so beautiful. But I can guarantee you that driving home on I-95 in rush hour traffic, beauty is decidedly absent.

And there is a lot of wealth in Miami. So, does wealth make you more attractive? If you have the money to maintain your appearance (go to the salon for a stylish cut and colot, buy the fashionable, well-made clothes that fit well and flatter the body), you definitely have a head start. Do you have to look a little harder and longer to see the attractiveness in less affluent people (which there are plenty of as well in Miami)? I don't know if this is true, but the money and time spent on our appearances suggest a relationship between wealth and so-called "beauty".

What about the culture of Miami? Does it promote an obsession with appearance, and so do Miamians in general do a better job of maintaining their appearance? Probably. In Miami, appearance seems to be everything, and I admit I have started paying more attention to what I wear out now.

I dont' think there is anything inherently wrong with dressing well, and taking pride in how you look. The real problem with Miami culture seems to show up in the areas where Miami citizens ranked low: friendly (#21) and intelligent (#24). If we had beautiful people who were also friendly and intelligent, then we would have a place we could be proud of. The fact that we are missing the most important personality factors suggests a deep hole in the soul of the city.

On the up-side, Miami is a young city, and so may still need to grow up a bit to become a cultural, intellectual place. Time will tell...


I'd like to hear your take on beautiful people...leave a comment!

Before I sign out, since this blog is about a Midwesterner in Miami, let's look at the only midwestern included in the poll, Minneapolis. It ranked high in friendly (#3) and intelligent (#2), as well as in most quality of life and culture categories. I was in Minneapolis in August, and couldn't believe how nice everyone was. I love the city, and recommend it to everyone.

To pick your favorite city, visit Travel and Leisure's pick the favorite.

An introduction to Miami

This is the story of a Midwesterner in Miami.

So how did a girl like me get to Miami? I never saw myself living in a big city, I never yearned for the glitz and glamour, the fastness of a place like Miami. What I did want to do was study tropical fruits, and so that's what brought me here, to do my doctorate research.

I have been here for almost two years now, and I am beginning to be able to see some of the good of the city, although the bad is always still there. Let's go through some of my impressions of Miami:

The weather. A lot of people come here specifically for the weather. The winters are beautiful, the summers are hot! (and I think the heat makes people even more crazy). I love waking up to the sunshine almost every day.

The people. Anytime you have this many people in a small area, everyone gets a little nuts. Of course the Latin influence is very strong here, and can be overwhelming if you can't learn to embrace it (I'm working on that right now). My friend Robert loves it here, because he says it is like living in another country. Being from the Midwest, where people are painfully polite, Miamians are too pushy and rude. I am seeing first hand the metropolitan epidemic of self absorption, and it ain't pretty. But on the flip side, there is a vibrant energy here, mostly due to people's zest for life.


The food. It's great. Sure, there are about a billion Cuban restaurants (many of them very good), but if you want other type of cuisine you can definitely find it. One of my favorite activities is enjoying a good meal, and Miami has plenty of those. There are great Argentinian grills, Italian pizzerias, and heavenly gelato.


The sights. Everyone thinks of the beach when they think of Miami. In my opinion, the beaches on the gulf and up near Jacksonville are prettier. But if you want to watch people, you'll have a feast for the eyes on Miami beach. You never know what you'll see when strolling along the Boardwalk or Lincoln Mall. The drawback to living in Miami instead of vacationing on the beach is that you have to drive a while to get there. So you end up going not so often. There are plenty of other great places to visit: Vizcaya, FairchildTropical Gardens, the Redlands, Bayside, the Everglades, the Keys, and plenty of others that I haven't gotten to visit yet.


The traffic. Horrific. I am lucky that I commute against the traffic every day. I can't imagine driving downtown everyday for work. Gridlocked traffic and hot tempers abound. Even without traffic jams, it is kind of like being in one of those Driver's Ed simulators all the time. Within a fifteen minute drive, you may have several people cut you off, several others will honk at you for no apparent reason, a few pedestrians or bicycles will run out in front of you, and you will almost get side-swipe by an SUV that is mysteriously drifting into your lane. If you can, walk!




The lifestyle. I have some problems with the general worldview in Miami. Of course, Miami is a big city, and there is the diversity of lifestyles and opinions. But my overall impression is that Miami lives up to its glitzy reputation to the detriment of the city as a whole. Image is everything, from the car you drive to the clothes you wear. It all seems pretty empty to me, and the "me" attitude here is unhealthy for the sustainability of the city. People live outside their means to maintain the appearance of wealth.




These are my general impressions of Miami. And while my heart still longs for the Midwest, I want to use this blog to investigate what else this strange place has to offer, to try and improve my experience here and see what I can take away from it.