When most people see this photo, they can’t help but become overjoyed with nostalgic feelings of calmer times. Why wouldn’t you? The beach has become one of the most relaxing locations in the world, with the beautiful views, bountiful rays of sunlight, and the therapeutic crashing of waves. How it all came to be is what makes this picture so interesting. We see numerous tourists lying out, possibly even sleeping, and some frolicking in the ocean. Endless rows of beach condos also line the sandy shores. These were all made possible by individuals that are not pictured in this photo: citizens of the city of Miami.

            The locals of this city are usually allotted the short straw when it comes to how they spend their time. While the city is known for its beaches, nightlife, and its reputation as a vacation destination, the locals are not the ones experiencing this. They are the ones that must tend to your beaches, build your fifty storied condos, and cater to your every need, all while living off of nothing more than a minimum wage salary. Most locals are living in poverty, scrounging together ever penny they have just to be able to eat that day.  They cannot afford to take a day off to relax on the beach. They are not the ones enjoying the very same luxuries they were contracted to build, work, or tend to.

            The day I took this photo, I had a lot of work to do. A couple of tests and papers were coming up the following week, but my parents were in town and they wanted to experience what they believed to be the “real” Miami. This of course included a visit to Sunny Isles Beach. Even my parents had fallen to the illusion of the beach being the true identity of Miami. After we left the beach, I wanted to show my parents the Miami that is frequently ignored, the Miami that city officials don’t want you to think about, the real Miami. I took them to Coconut Grove, as I figured this would be the perfect example of the economic and social disparity between what tourists think of Miami and what it actually is. On one end, you have the nightlife that the Grove has been synonymous with.. Expensive shopping locations and restaurants as far as the eye can see all line the Grove’s main streets. On the other end, some of the poorest people of Miami can barely afford to keep a roof over the heads. The houses in this area are in desperate need of repairs and the people living in here are even worse off. This picture shows off the Miami you’d like to see, while reality creates a completely different image.