More Exiles from the Banana Republic

Miamista is sad today. Why? Because Miami has managed to run out yet more good people. Miamista himself has been spending more and more time in New York and LA. Time away only reminds him of why. Miami is danger of becoming the bad seed- you have so much hope for it, love from familiarity and what it promises and it breaks your heart. A veritable tropical Sodom with daily flights and tour packages.

If this was an isolated event I wouldn't think twice, but it's not. It keeps telling the well educated, the bright and the talented to go elsewhere. It banishes people on the basis of language, ethnicity, race as well as national and regional origin. It remains insular, inbred and corrupt. The people who stay are too often people who would be, or imagine they would be losers elsewhere. When I read blogs by local folks that I find interesting and intelligent (all eight of them) you know what creeps through my mind? This person doesn't belong in Miami. They would be more successful, more appreciated and would experience more, well, everything in another city. Yet I hope they will stay and create something different.

I could read you a list of good friends and family who have graduated from the top schools in the nation, are really intelligent, young and ambitious and have lived in Miami. (I imagine that just these friends fueled Miami's real estate boom.) Despite settling for less money and less opportunity, Miami spits them out. Even folks from the Oakies, (yes you Cynthia, if you still read this) breifly dazzled by what for them is the big city, go running. So yeah Miami, thanks.

Anyway Kordor folks, loved your blog and hope you will keep Miamista/Miamistans updated. Whether it's news from Miami or elsewhere (points of comparison are good), Miamista will defintely put it up here. Who knows? We could eventually put together something great. Seriously! (It better appeal to tourists though.)

Now some issues with the Kordor farewell. Sure I know the Manny jive was political. We all know that dipshit isn't going to do anything good. Without his wife and a gaggle of developers he would be doing personal injury claims with a crooked Little Havana medical center. (As an aside, a New Orleans rehabiltation proposal outline shouldn't take people from their task. Miamista and company put together something for an aide to Marlon Gusman who apparently isn't running, so that's dead.)

But what I will not let Kordor get away with is the Curbed.com crack. Miamista cut his teeth on New York and LA real estate/urban issues; has the Stoler Report on dvd's; knows per foot land, construction and rental prices (commercial and residential) by heart; recites the NY RPA data like his phone number; and still knows the coolest spots to eat, shop and lime in both cities. Miamista will take Curbed on any day, provided the money and technical support, and kick their asses covering NY or LA, much less Miami. Hmmph! Curbed indeed!

(Note: I was going to put up a draft of a piece intended for an urban policy journal today. It compared the impact of The LA Times led Otis/Chandler Family and The Miami Herald led by Shutts & Stoneman/Knight-Ridder & Chapman on their respective cities. On closer inspection any comparison may be a preposterous insult to LA.)