(SEE PART 1: PARADISE IN THE BRONX)

Last
October when we went to see "Dreamgirls" in Miami we decided to have a
bite to eat before hand on Lincoln Road on Miami Beach. This past
Friday, before seeing "Jersey Boys" we decided to do the same thing only
go down a little earlier and make a day of it by going to the movies.
It's been many years since I have lived on Miami Beach and I know the
movie theatres I use to go to weren't there anymore so I googled 'South
Miami Beach movies' and it came up with only one--the Regal Cinema on
Lincoln Road. The reason I bring up the October trip is because I find
it hard to believe that I stood on the corner of Alton and Lincoln Roads
without seeing the theatre back then!

Now
I ask you, does this building look like a theatre? Well it is, it is
the Lincoln Road Regal Cinemas!!! Aside from being a huge building it
also has a lot of 'empty' space which is really surprising in this day
and age when space is at a premium. I thought maybe there would be
retail stores in side but no, it is all a movie theatre.

(By the way across the street you can see the garage where we parked that also had a lot of 'open' space.)

While
the ticket booth is on the main floor you take an escalator to get to
the second floor and the auditoriums. I don't recall any auditoriums on
the first floor but I did see a huge concession stand. You are greeted
not only by the person selling the tickets but by the ticket taker, both
with a smile. Surprisingly, I thought the tickets would be a lot higher
but they, were only $7.50 each, for senior, so I paid $15
treating Allen since he did the driving and used the gas. Remember that
price--it will come up again!

The
whole north wall overlooks Lincoln Road while the auditoriums, rest
rooms and additional concession stands or on the south side of the
building. The panels of glass have various colors of film which are very
effective.

There
is a 'walking on air' quality about the whole lobby, if that is what it
can be called. Going into the auditorium I was a little surprised that
they didn't have stadium back seating though the rows were elevated and
seeing the screen wasn't any problem.

On
the east side of the building, on the second floor, attached to the
upstairs lobby is an outdoor patio that gives you an overview of Lincoln
Road all the way to Collins Avenue. In the 'old days' from this height
you would have been able to see the ocean a block beyond Collins but
there has been too much 'progress' made. There was a beautiful breeze
and I could see people sitting there after seeing a movie or waiting to
go into one.

I think this was the first
movie theatre I have been impressed with since the 50s. By the way I was
also 'impressed' with the fact that parking, which is a very big
problem on Miami Beach, was $5 an hour--looks like Allen and I evened
out expenses as it cost him $15 since we had spent some time walking on
Lincoln Road looking for the 'pretty people' but not finding any!

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From Maria's book:

"The love of life is necessary

to the vigorous prosecution

of any undertaking."

Dr. Samuel Jackson, 1709-1784 English Lexicographer, Critic and Essayist