Art Basel Miami: Brickell Edition

Miami played blank canvass for the premier jet setting show Art Basel.

Most people assume all of the action happens in South Beach. However, I went off the beaten path of vagina charging installations and velvet rope entrances and opted for a more down-to-earth approach to the world famous gallery hop. Brickell, along Miami's down town area, featured a festival of bedazzled curb-side cars, graffiti decorated buildings, and my personal favorite a life-size canvass of Obama tugging away at the country's first package; an action I'm sure he wants to take towards the Republicans.

If you haven't been to Brickell, think Pilsen as a psychedelic cityscape of art where literally every building served as a canvass for murals that were changed daily from an array of artists and where the sidewalk art installations outnumber the light poles. Brickell's ambience, like the art and the people doesn't try too hard to be cool. From the lack of chain coffee shops and stores, the area seems safe from yuppie gentrification. But we saw what happened to Lincoln, whoopsie, I mean Wicker Park. So be sure to hit up Brickell before the Starbucks and the Lululemons colonize the area; you owe it to yourself. Enough about that, there were dranks and partying to be had!

Toyota teamed up with RevoltTV to host an interactive party at Brisky Gallery where guests could for the first time ever join in making Twitter generated art. Encased in a glass case with paintball jets hooked up inside, Toyota's Corolla took center stage as guests at the event or even thousands of miles away from the comforts of their couch could text #MakeYourMake to shoot out a gust of paintball onto the white canvass hung behind the stylish compact. When guests weren't channeling their inner Picasso, the gallery premiered Dwayne Wade's basketball inspired paintings as well as other paintings from select artists to the backdrop of a live DJ set.

While South Beach is a definite go-to in your travel itinerary and trust fun times were had by yours truly on the famous Ocean Drive, Brickell offers you up a local "come as you are" approach to the world famous Art Basel. Indeed, a hood not to be overlooked.