After a long day of sketching at Art Deco Weekend in South Beach Miami, the Urban Sketchers then met for a drink and draw a block away from the beach at Abuella’s Cuban Kitchen. A group of us ate dinner downstairs and then the plan was to to hold the Drink and Draw upstairs. There was some confusion with the restaurant owners who seemed unaware of the plans that had been made weeks before. The dinner we had was sub par. An 18% tip was
already in the bill and I decided to fill out the digital form to give a
20% tip instead. After seeing someone else fill out the form I realized I had
given a $20 tip rather than 20%. The waitress gave me a $20 bill back.
One sketcher came downstairs and said the space upstairs was cold and weird. That made me want to go up and see for myself. Ultimately we did all go upstairs to an outdoor patio that overlooked the street. I liked the curve linear cornice in front of which many of our group sat. It was indeed spacious and weird, I liked it.
To my right the discussion turned to mixing music as a DJ. Several of the group were into mixing beats. James Richards spoke to an artist at length and Pam spoke to James’ wife. I focused my attention on finishing this sketch for the duration. One artist was told she would have to order something other than a water or she would have to leave. She had just paid for a very expensive tasteless diner downstairs. She stood her ground. This evening left the impression that South Beach Miami is cut throat and rude.