Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-10


easily in Miami.
To Another World
Now, go down below Fifteenth
street. another world. another
Miami Beach. Here life has diff
ferent purpose: To save blankets.
not burn them. Here you find the
pensioners, the widows and stenog-
raphers living in hotels where the
rates are So day and less. Or in
small efficiency apartments rented
from natives who spend the sea-
son IN their garage.
Here. the swimming pools are
scarce, the Hobbies are smaller tall
though each has its TV set and
card room, the decor is less exotic.
They come by bus and train and
plane. almost always coach class.
They sit on open porches, not be-
hind walls of glittering glass. They
use the ocean more. They dance
and sing folk songs on the beach in
city-sponsored programs and they
generally seem less bored.
Here are the careful comparative
shoppers. They will spend their first
two or three days in Miami survey
ing rates until they settle on one.
Bargaining is not infrequent. And
the need to save money on food
leads to some rollicking contre-
temps.
The city, which has an ordinance
against cooking in hotel rooms, has
a man whose sole job is that of
hot plate inspector" He's kept
busy. Tourists smuggle hot plates,
portable refrigerators and food up
to their rooms.
Living this way has its excite
ment. AS soor as dinner is over. the
dishes are washed in the BATH
room. Then dishes. hot plate and
refrigerator havs to be hidden.
Sometimes the best cover-up fails
when the odor of cooking cabbage
drifts down the hotel corridor.
Some hotels have communal
kitchens in the basement sanctioned
by law. Guests share refrigerators
and stoves. This, too. sometimes
leads to difficulties: Territorial
disputes over refrigerator space or
the ownership of boiled chicken.
Dinner out is dinner in small
restaurant or cafeteria. Again
special world unto itself. Old
chums from Brooklyn or Chicago's
West Side are reunited. For the
widows, there are professional
matchmakers ready to arrange
wedding over the chopped liver.
To save money. strangers will
share a hotel room. This, too. has
led to fights1 real hair pulling con-
tests, between old ladies. between
snorers and anti-snorers. between
advocates of the open window
policy and those allergic to the
night air.
The Suns for Everyone
Miami Beach's two worlds overlap
somewhat. The two types of tour
lists worship the sun equally and
both urgently require deep tan
for the folks back home. Both like
to be reminded Of the bad weather
up North and. thus. Miami is one
of the few cities in the world where
a local paper will carry banner
headline on the temperature 1000
miles away.
And there are downtown tourists
who come uptown regularly. Pre-
cisely at 6:l0 pm. they show up
for a drink at Harry's New York
bar in the Eden Roc, for example.
They are not drinkers but they
order one drink AT 6:l5, the hot
hors d'oeuvres tray comes around
free. They load UP on that and then
retire to Wolfies for dessert and
coffee -.
Strange place Miami Beach--al-
ways building, rebuilding, moving
north. Some so hotels built since
the war. A 25-year-old hotel is pre-
historic. A five-year-old hotel is
merely old. A three-year-old hotel
renovates or adds wing, any
thing 10 suggest brand-new new
ness.
I'm staying at the Americana,
this years hotel, Of course. Where
you at?"
This years hotel! Hell. I'm stay
ing at one still under construc-
ton.
Joke, but symptomatic. This years
hotel must worry about next years
And there's one going up now. the
6l0-room Deauville. Will 1t be the
most lavish. will 1t charge the most?
II don't see how" says Larry
fish president Of the Americana
Listen, could have solid gold
bathtubs here and not be able To
charge more. There's a limit, like
the sound barrier. :"
A Psychologist Explains
But why the latterday potlatch
the urge to burn so many blankets
The question was put to DR.. Jack
Kapcham, social psychologist at the
University Of Miami. 1t was he who
was reminded Of the Kwakiutl In.
dams. He added:
ITS part OF our culture. Yol
can find II among Texans anC
others OF great new wealth. Som,
Of these can get sense OF self
esteem only by what they spent
and the symbols Of lavishness the!