Recently on our blog Riptide, we called Ocean Drive “an eternal parking lot” and a place for “flabby, hairy foreigners with predilections for Speedos.” The famous main drag was just named one of 2007’s 10 Greatest Streets in America by the American Planning Association, which means the APA has determined that Ocean Drive is “enjoyable, safe, and desirable ... where people want to be -- not only to visit, but to live and work there every day.” Hmmm. We figure the voting committee must have been spending its SoBe Wednesday evening at La Marea for supersexy cocktail hour La Notte.

Located in the newly renovated The Tides South Beach, this weekly soiree will have you seated, standing, or swaying on Ocean Drive’s most secluded terrace, giving you a way to be a part of the action without South Beach’s finest getting too close for comfort. Order the signature drink, the Tides Royale, spiced rum with guanabana and cranberry juices, topped with a kiwi slice -- yummy. Or try the $14 pink martini; for the month of October, 20 percent of the drink’s proceeds go to breast cancer research. But bear in mind this isn’t your everyday happy hour; this spot is chic. So come dressed to impress.
Wednesdays, 2007