I moved to Miami after a Thanksgiving visit in 2001. I moved right into the belly of the beast, South Beach. It was an experience I’ll never forget, and it definitely shaved about 15 years off of my life, if not more. The stories I could tell, and the stories that will go to the grave with me, are well – something for a move screen. Maybe one day.
When I moved to Miami Beach, one of my friends called me “the biggest beer drinker on the beach.” I grew up in the Midwest, and that means beer is the drink of choice. While I’ve cut down on my beer consumption over time, (getting old sucks man) I’ve been known to slug back quite a few of them in a sitting. I’m still waiting to try some of that home brew with Martin’s Pico Machine kit, so we’ll save that for a special occasion.
In Miami Beach, however, the diet was champagne, vodka, and cocaine.
“Beer makes you fat and slows you down,” one friend ended up telling me.
“Champagne gets you fucked up quicker,” another one said.
I was always more of a trendy bar type of guy, but in South Beach, the club scene dominated. In the 2000’s, it was the place to be, and the place to be seen. So, I had to adapt. No more Coors Light, Molson Ice, or Leinenkugels Honey Weiss. (Wait, that was only in my condo, since it wasn’t for sale in Florida back then and I had to drive it down from up North.)
It was vodka, champagne, and the white stuff, which I stayed away from. I saw too many people do crazy things on that drug, and I do enough dumb stuff as it is when I drink heavily, so this was a very smart, calculated decision.
Somewhere along the way of partying through the 305, I heard this term “Socialite.” I thought to myself, “Social Light?”
So, since I was confused, and it’s pretty much a term you’ll only hear of in cosmopolitan areas, I figured I’d clear the air on what exactly a socialite is and does.
What Does Socialite Mean?
Boiled down to a way men like us can understand, I refined the definition to:
A socialite is someone who has a reputation for spending time at fashionable, bouji, upper class social gatherings.
In Miami, that’s being at the Miami Heat Charity events, the best Fashion Shows, the opening of any new club or restaurant, or just being around wealthy people and their events.
There are many forms of socialites. My favorite socialite in Miami was named Scotty Dooley. He since moved away, but he was a very flamboyant person who was the absolute LIFE of the party. You could just ask Scotty what was going on that night and he would ensure you would know. He’d be there, but you would only be there if you begged, bribed, or banged the right person.
That’s just the way Miami works. Many other cities operate the same way. Las Vegas, New York, LA, etc.
My advice? If you aren’t good enough to become a socialite, make friends with one or more. You can thank me later.