Bridging the NASCAR Gap

While the Republicans hash out who they want as their nominee for the Senate race in Florida (Charlie "I Swear I'm Heterosexual" Crist, or Marco "I'm the Cuban Reagan" Rubio) one hopeful Democrat challenger is a South Florida Congressman named Kendrick Meek, and Kendrick's team has a brilliant idea. They're going to bring a little color to NASCAR. Meek is sponsoring a car in the Daytona Nationwide Series Race and wants you to join him and his family on Pit Road.

Why do I like this? Let's be honest, NASCAR has avoided blacks forever, and I'd bet for the most part blacks have avoided NASCAR. It's a redneck sport, truthfully. (Oh, come on. You know it is, even if it has been reaching out to include bikers and football fans, or the younger, full-sleeve tattoo set. Do a Google image search for NASCAR fans and let me know what page you get to when you finally find a black person who isn't the President.)

Meek's district includes Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood. It will be fun to watch him mingle with the crowd, many of whom will be overheard murmuring, "He's very articulate."

Super Saturated Street Scenes - Volume I, Number 2

A new (and if I know me, fleeting) hobby courtesy of Google Street Views. (Here's the first one.) Half the fun is in finding a nice scene with the right light. This one is South Beach, Miami. Major Mike Adams was brought in just for fun.

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Super Saturated Street Scenes

My latest endeavor is photographing the American cityscape. This one is titled "No Stopping or Standing." It was taken in Miami's downtown area, near the old arena. It was not easy to win the approval of these two gentlemen in the photograph, their skepticism obvious in their body language. But the defiance they represent, the contemptuous disregard for posted rules, speaks to the American spirit of independence and rebellion. If they had a flag, it would say "Don't Tread on Me."

Colour prints

20" x 16" £600
16" x 12" £430
12" x 10" £280

(You realize this is bullshit, right, and that I stole this from Google Street Views?)

The Foribidden Land

Here's a Cuban tourism ad that airs in Canada. You see, Americans aren't allowed to travel to Cuba because we are still punishing Fidel Castro for being a bad man in like, 1959 or something, when he and that one actor, Benicio Del Toro, rode around the countryside on motorcycles, terrorizing the folks. 50 years later and Fidel is still in power in the country that has become a living time capsule, free from modernization and, many will tell you, free from freedom. Can't we all just get along? "No!" the powerful Cuban lobby in Miami will tell you, "We cannot!" But I'm from that naïve school that says you can talk to your "enemies" and even visit their countries.

It's not all glittery like the other Caribbean countries where you're used to your cruise ship docking. And that's half the allure.

And for the time being, this blog will go with a green scheme in solidarity with our other enemy, the Iranian people.

A Nation of Immigrants

Hey, Hannity! They barely speak English, but they love their country.

Patriotism is alive in one of the most neglected yet colorful areas of Miami. This in-progress American mural graces a wall in Little Haiti.

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I'm hoping the artist eventually puts some lapels on that Mister Rogers sweater Obama's wearing, turning it into a proper jacket.

Clever Twist to a Tired Template

Old school luxury apartment-home advertising is done one of three ways: an impressive rendering of the building exterior, a picture of the floor-plan, or a rendering of the fine interior with an optional young family (two children maximum limit) posing around a meal. A combination of two of those three options is also acceptable. The new school, best exemplified by Fontainebleau in collaboration with Victoria's Secret, is in a class by itself and deserves another post.

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This is the right side of a two-page spread for a building at 535 West End Ave in the Riverside Park neighborhood of Manhattan's UWS. (Did I get that right, New Yorkers?) The left side employed the interior rendering style. This is nothing groundbreaking, but they included a nice addition. The illuminated windows indicate sold residences, so you only need to imagine yourself living behind the darkened windows. (From $8.5 to $25 million.)

I'll take the fifth floor from the top.

There is a decent companion website, designed by dbox.

And this is apparently the actual corner where this fine structure will eventually stand, as it appears on Google Street Views. I added the surreal blue sky for that "artist's rendering" touch.

The Invasion of the Giant Doctors

Minimally invasive? Hmmmm. Three monster doctors of Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami storm the city in this juvenile Photoshop disaster.

Stock Photography Fail

Staying at a Hampton Inn in Miami, this was my room key, carefully branded by Hilton Hotels Corporation to include the friendly and regional Florida welcome. Nice attention to detail. Notice, however, the image in the middle left, where a license plate on a vintage vehicle cheerfully suggests that I "Explore Kentucky." (Click image if you don't believe me or if you have poor eyes.)

Who knows, maybe it was intentional, in that "You're not just welcome in Florida, you should check out Hampton Inns in Kentucky as well" way.

The King's House

No, not Graceland (Elvis was overrated). It's BK headquarters in Miami from my hotel room. Somewhere in this building someone approved the CP+B idea to put a man in tights and a giant plastic king head, thus creeping out the world for the next three years. (And making them laugh, which could possibly equal success. Only the failure of The Whopper's arch-revial the Baconator will tell. )

No, I'm not working with BK; in Miami with my new job for another reputable (yet undisclosed) client. First day on the job. So far, so good.

Have been met with at least three incredulous, "You've never been to Miami?" comments today. Sadly, no. Not sure why I had put it off. Just no reason to be here before, I guess. Seems to be a great city. I thought Orlando was a melting pot. This place is extremely diverse/cosmopolitan, in a very cool way.

I'm sure that's just the newness. I could be in Cleveland or Lubbock or Lansing and probably say, "This is a cool place!"