Sunday, November 27, 2011

Art Basel 2011

The Notorious B.I.G. put it so well: It was all a dream. I used to read Word Up magazine. Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine.


Everything we dream about happens this week -- especially if you like free-forming, roller-skating, graffiti-writing, canvas-painting, pop-up shopping, single-speed-riding, foodie-friendly, barista-admiring, DJ-spinning, pretense-loving, cafe-perching, Soho Beach House see and be seen-ing. All good in the hood so to speak.


It's an ART thang, and the airport gonna be busy up in here starting like yesterday. You gonna see people in hoodies, sipping hip soft drinks out of the bottle (and Red Bull), congregatin' in dat dere Wynwood district, strollin' down NW 29th Street across Miami Avenue, detourin' through a bit of Puerto-Rican Miami (I went through Roberto Clemente Park!), sashaying past tents housing Art Miami, Art Asia, and Scope, seeking respite at Sugarcane, Sustain, Gigi's, and Michael's Genuine if they walk under 195 properly. Some will wander into Sakaya Kitchen and stumble into a Clive's (Omigod is that Lenny Kravitz on the wall?) open at unusually ungodly hours just to capitalize a bit on the week.


Despite the cynicism, it is our finest hour, better than the Superbowl (IMHO, a strip club is better than the Superbowl) better dressed than ULTRA (IMHO, the Mummers Parade is better dressed than ULTRA) and much cooler than the proposed Genting Casino (IMHO, the end of the world is cooler than the proposed Genting Casino). Though the SAT got rid of the analogies, Art Basel is to Miami as cool is to the 1111 Lincoln Road parking sculpture -- something to proudly show off.


Enjoy this week everyone -- this is Miami's 21st Century event.