Miami would pose a problem for me. The beach is there. And like the sun lover I am (always with SPF of at least 30 thank you) I’d always want to be at the beach if I lived there. It’s not that other places with beaches aren’t just as beautiful, because they certainly have their allure. But there’s always been something about Miami that makes me love the place. Ironically I saw so many similarities between this East Coast paradise and the Mission District–and just in time as all my traveling was beginning to make me miss home.
I ventured to Ft. Lauderdale beach (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area) before all was said and done. Like the Mission there were bars aplenty. There was a large Spanish speaking population (though majority Cuban), there were a lot of hot bodied men and women, and there was a love for art and culture. The beach was like Dolores Park: a gorgeous view, the sunniest spot in the city, and certainly trouble because you’d rather lay out there all day than actually go to work. You could sip a daiquiri or beer out there, and wear anything you want. When it’s particularly beautiful a swimsuit is in order.
And that’s when I wish I’d gone to Zoe Bikini before getting to Florida. I love my teeny H&M two piece that I paid about $6 for, but it doesn’t beat custom made. Checking out the ladies in their various styles of swimsuits I was both disgusted and delighted. While some were too small, saggy in the bottom, or just plain ugly (think Kelly Taylor 90210 but in 2009), others were creative and fun. The best swimsuits are the ones that not only compliment the shape but are also either fun or creative in some way. Unique without being over the top will always catch my eye.
Designer Mara Hoffman showed her new bikini line in for the first time in Miami earlier this year and it was full of funky colorful looks—and it was quite sexy. Socialite Caroline D’Amore has a line of suits at the Kardashian’s store Dash in South Beach (SoBe) Miami. They’re simple but cute. They are teeny, so definitely not your big girls bikini. But I guess that’s when Zoe Bikini would come in because looking good seems to be a must. The general style is trendy and very effortlessly sexy. But what do you expect from a place that has gorgeous weather all year round?
But as great as the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area is I couldn’t wait to get back to the bay to sport the floral leggings I got in London, with a chunky sweater that I bought at Thrift Town right here on Mission Street.