Miami Beach, it's no NY

Last night I set out on foot to go to the NetJets party at the Standard hotel, thinking it was on Collins Avenue. But I couldn't find it, so I called the hotel. A concierge helpfully gave me directions that made it sound it was only a few blocks away. But he had assumed I was in a car. The end result: I walked two miles on pretty unpopulated streets and got a fast tour of Miami Beach. For example, I encountered what I thought at first was a condo building cheerfully decorated for the holidays with lights and wreaths. It turned out to be Miami Beach City Hall. I also passed a furniture store, Details, which had the old Yule Log playing on a television in a faux living room display. New Yorkers don't have the space for fireplaces, and Floridians don't have the cold weather for fireplaces. I passed the Venetian Causeway, the first bridge that connected Miami to Miami Beach at the turn of the century. This morning I passed the New World Symphony's theater on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. I loved the way the outdoor advertising for the symphony makes use of the attractive, young musicians in the orchestra. These are the scenes you'll find in the photo gallery I just posted here.