There was no way we could spend time in Miami and NOT visit South Beach.

South Miami Beach is best known as Miami’s premier party hotspot and celebrity playground (particularly in the winter). It has tons of trendy clubs and restaurants, lots of swanky resorts, and beautiful people sunbathing on the European-esque (i.e. clothing-optional) beaches. It’s a world unto its own, South Beach is. In many ways it’s not really our style, but at the very least we figured we could get in some people watching and a good mojito.

Our first impression when we arrived was “HOLY SHIT that’s the third Ferrari I’ve seen in the last mile.”

Seriously, in South Beach expensive sports cars are like cockroaches — they’re everywhere, and seem to multiply whenever you look away. These are just a few examples we happened to snap while walking down Ocean Drive.

We also saw lots of in-line skaters, young hawt men in speedos playing volleyball, and many MANY jumbo sized frozen margaritas.

Airbrush-painted go-go dancers. They seemed to be a big hit with the clientele. Hmmm, I wonder why?

Salsa dancers up on the bar at Mango’s Cafe.

Dude with a lemur. “I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, MOVE IT”

Art deco buildings on the famous Ocean Drive.

Late afternoon sun on a beachfront resort.

Behemoth cruise ship slowing leaving port. When we drove onto the island in the afternoon there were about a dozen cruise ships all docked in a row, and by the time we headed off that night they’d all left port (this was the last one to go).

Swanky yachts docked in front of swanky mini-mansions on private islands in the bay. Uhm, YES PLEASE.

View of downtown Miami from South Beach.