16 things all Miami natives have in their homes (probably)
There are so many things that set people from Miami apart. An addiction to cafecito. Their utter (and some would say inexplicable) delight during mango season. The ability to hurl expletives at other drivers in two – and often three – languages. Their unswerving and delusional belief that someday the Dolphins are going to be contenders again.
But that’s not all. Everybody who grew up here shares something else: they own these uniquely Miami treasures. In Kendall and Miami Shores, in Westchester and Hialeah and Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, these mementos exist.
They’re too precious to throw away – even if they are hidden away in a closet.
Admit it. You have many of them:
A old photo of yourself with parrots on your shoulders
Probably from the original Parrot Jungle, RIP.
A molded plastic figure from a local attraction
Or, if you’re older and your parents were cheap, from Florida Turnpike rest stops.
A full set of Flanigan’s cups
You have service for six.
An old mixtape you recorded off Power 96’s Power Hour
That music was the best, bro.
A Cuban mop
We don’t have to remind you of why it’s so wonderful, do we?
Dan Marino bric a brac
You still get really mad when people remind you he never won a Super Bowl.
A backup cafetera and a backup to the backup
Because emergencies happen.
Some memento of Key West’s Southernmost Point
An old Burdines credit card
A really embarrassing album full of your Quinceñera memorabilia
Because a teenager in a wine glass spells elegance.
Miami Herald front page from the day Hurricane Andrew hit
Because who doesn’t want to commemorate something we’d rather forget?
An unthrown rat from the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals
Because – sob! – the Florida Panthers never managed to score a goal in that final game.
A Rony Seikaly jersey
A toy Marlins cap from which you ate ice cream from during the World Series
And it’s not any of those fancy new colors, either.
A shirt airbrushed at the youth fair
We are almost positive Pitbull had this guayabera made at the youth fair.
A seat from the Orange Bowl
We know you tried to sell them on eBay.
This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 4:06 AM.