Ocean Drive

A catwalk of the absurd
Talk of the town: Testifying to humanity's fascination with the macabre, the steps where designer Gianni Versace was shot in front of his Ocean Drive mansion in 1997 have become a tourist destination.

Tanned, toned and shirtless men nod their heads to blasting music in their open-top cars, bikini-clad girls with Barbie doll chests zip past on roller blades and plus-size American tourists in I Heart Miami t-shirts walk too slowly and eat too much. This 10-block beachfront boulevard is the heart of mainstream Miami. The fact it has its own MTV reality TV show, 8th and Ocean, about a group of models living in Miami, says it all.
The pastel-hued Art Deco buildings set a pretty backdrop for this sleazy street scene. Between the Spring Break style bars and tourist trap restaurants there are interesting pockets, like News Cafe or the Villa by Barton G, but beware the restaurant touts trying to bribe you in with drink offers. Take it for what it is: a fabulous freak-show pavement parade.