Quiet night on South Beach as a new wave of tourists arrives ahead of weekend
A new wave of spring break tourists arrived in Miami Beach on Wednesday night looking for excitement ahead of another likely weekend of partying as residents grow impatient with the city’s restrictions and images of the large crowds circulate in news outlets across the world.
On Ocean Drive, groups of people walked around, some drinking and smoking. The only unwelcome excitement came from the occasional teenagers popping wheelies on their bikes, getting close to pedestrians.
The current curfew — which affects only the area between 5th and 16th streets, from Ocean Drive west to Pennsylvania Avenue — starts at 8 p.m. every night from Thursday to Sunday. On all other weekdays, it starts at midnight. Sidewalk cafes and restaurants with expanded outdoor seating will also be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. from Thursday to Sunday.
One Miami Beach police officer, who did not want to be named, said the scene was a lot calmer than what it had been last week. But as of 8:30 p.m., he said it was too early to predict if it would stay that way.
“We’ll see what happens in an hour or so,” he said, standing with other officers on the grass on the east side of Ocean Drive.
Manny Sanz, 28, is a parking attendant at Z Ocean Hotel on Collins Avenue. He welcomed the quiet of early Wednesday evening after working almost nonstop since last week.
“It got to a point where everything got out of control. Everything got out of hand,” he said. “It wasn’t fun anymore.”
Tom Inq, 23, who goes by the nickname “Toasty,” said he booked a flight from his hometown of Jamaica, Queens, New York, with about 15 friends a few days ago, and has not been disappointed.
“I see that Miami was such a crazy vibe. And, we see it online, and we see it every night, so we said, ‘Let’s book flights,’ ” Inq said. “It’s pretty lit. I’ve been having an exciting time. The energy is so different. It’s a whole different energy.”