Three media references that attest to Miami’s awesomeness

When you don’t know about something, what do you do? Research, of course. You find out what others have observed and seen fit to record. That is why you are reading this, right? Right. Well, I’ve seen a lot of Florida over the years and despite my experiences there, I have to hand it to Carl Hiaasen, Dexter and Will Smith: they’ve nailed the place. So here we go:

1. Carl Hiaasen. Read any one (or three) of his books and get a good idea what Florida used to be like and what it can be like now. Hiaasen has written for the Miami Herald for over 20 years. He knows the town, the Everglades, the politics and the glamor. From swamp dwelling ex governors, weedwacker equipped bouncers, bass fishermen and North Florida waitresses to hard core red necks and the criminally demented, Hiaasen’s novels will crack you up and teach you something at the same time.

2. Dexter. Ok, so Dexter is creepy. It’s a show about a serial killer and not about how fun, safe and sunny Miami really is. I got it. The thing that Dexter captures, though, is the mystery of the place. Miami has voodoo culture, big city glamor, beautiful weather, latin influences… It is one of the U.S.’s few exotic feeling cities. Compare it to New Orleans that way — it doesn’t always feel like part of the U.S. at all. The boating and wetlands scenes are on point as well, even if Dexter is a creeper.

3. Will Smith. The man reeks of “cool”. From Bad Boys to his hit single “Miami”, the man has love for the town. Reasons? Weather, beautiful women, exotic, party scene… In a word, glamor. It’s a town practically built for the rich and famous. I don’t mean to ignore the many average citizens of the city, I’m just saying: if you want to go big for a weekend, Miami is the place to do it.

So there we are. Three pop culture references to the awesomeness that is Miami. Even if you decide not to go, you should watch the first season of Dexter, Bad Boys and read Sick Puppy by Hiaasen. You then stand a fair chance of being convinced. At the least, you could go out for Cuban and turn the heat up some night.