South Beach Photos: Ocean Drive Images Show International Destination Quiet Due to Virus
F&FI Insider: Textile expert Rolando Henao captures a moment in his city during the pandemic
September 15, 2020
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following text and photos come from Rolando Henao, principal, Fibers & Colors International, a leading importer/exporter to South America. He usually travels for business, but then the pandemic hit.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- We were lucky to be in Miami Beach for this difficult time, the pandemic.
Things never shut down here completely, so we were able to go for walks throughout. That was a gift, specially the first couple of months, when the level of uncertainty was much higher, and we all knew much less about it than we know today.
One night, we went out for a walk around South Beach and were fascinated with how quiet and beautiful it looked. I decided that I had to return soon and bring my camera to document this very unusual moment.
So, we returned a few nights later. That was part of what we were thinking about when we went for a long walk on April 30. A very pleasant surprise was to find the streets of this beautiful part of town, Ocean Drive, almost empty.
We were able to see details on the buildings we had never seen before because they were always semi-covered with people, cars, big umbrellas, etc. But here they were, as they were, nothing to cover them.
Ocean Drive is part of the Art Deco District, the best-known part of it, that includes over 800 buildings. The structures, as well as the neon signs, are protected by law.
Some of the buildings, mostly hotels, in the photos include: Crescent, Cardozo, Victor, Clevelander, the Versace house, Breakers, Colony, Starlite, and Shelborne.
The photos were taken on April 30 from 8:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. We will probably never see it again this empty. There were hardly any people around. A photographer's dream.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- We were lucky to be in Miami Beach for this difficult time, the pandemic.
Things never shut down here completely, so we were able to go for walks throughout. That was a gift, specially the first couple of months, when the level of uncertainty was much higher, and we all knew much less about it than we know today.
One night, we went out for a walk around South Beach and were fascinated with how quiet and beautiful it looked. I decided that I had to return soon and bring my camera to document this very unusual moment.
So, we returned a few nights later. That was part of what we were thinking about when we went for a long walk on April 30. A very pleasant surprise was to find the streets of this beautiful part of town, Ocean Drive, almost empty.
We were able to see details on the buildings we had never seen before because they were always semi-covered with people, cars, big umbrellas, etc. But here they were, as they were, nothing to cover them.
Ocean Drive is part of the Art Deco District, the best-known part of it, that includes over 800 buildings. The structures, as well as the neon signs, are protected by law.
Some of the buildings, mostly hotels, in the photos include: Crescent, Cardozo, Victor, Clevelander, the Versace house, Breakers, Colony, Starlite, and Shelborne.
The photos were taken on April 30 from 8:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. We will probably never see it again this empty. There were hardly any people around. A photographer's dream.
