Ultra Bingo: Photographer!

SLRs are the new iPods. And whether you have press credentials or not, a detachable lens is the hottest accessory at Ultra Music Festival. Want to meet girls? Buy a camera. Want to sneak past security and into the photo pit? Buy a camera. Want to sweat your ass off…

Ultra Bingo: Water!

We all know the human body consists of 60- to 70-percent water. And that’s why your friendly family doctor suggests that every human being should suck back several liters of liquid per day. Neglecting your body’s need for pure, precious H2O will result in constipation, chapped lips, cold hands, lack…

Tweetcasting a Trip to the Port-a-Potty at Ultra Music Festival 2011

One of the quintessential Ultra Music Festival experiences that rarely gets any press is the average attendee’s trip to the port-a-potty. Well, I was waiting in line last night at 10:14 p.m. trying not to piss my pants and thought, “Somebody’s gotta document it. Why not me?” But whipping out…

Ten Signs You Might Have Woken Up at Ultra Music Festival

Sure, Ultra Music Festival’s a good time. But if you aren’t careful, it can get the better of you. Greater men (and ladies) than you have fallen waste to the onslaught of this three day electro extravaganza. So there’s a decent chance that you might have, in the midst of…

Ultra Bingo: Glowsticks

OMFG, the Ultra Music Festival grounds are littered with glowsticks. There are red ones, blue ones, green ones, bright ones, dull ones, dead ones, smashed ones, fat ones, skinny ones, short ones, long ones, and some you don’t even want to touch for fear of dibutyl phthalate contamination and STDs…

Ultra Bingo: Non-Relevant ’80s Band

Holy crap, how could we forget? The non-relevant ’80s band! Of course, this particular Ultra Bingo square was explicitly concocted in honor of Duran Duran. Just look closely and you’ll see that the illustration is actually the cover of 1983’s multi-platinum Rio. But when we were at Ultra Music Festival…

Ultra Bingo: Deadmau5 Head

Late last night, just as midnight hit and the Ultra Music Festival’s Main Stage MC was breaking up the party, we saw an enormous creature pop out of a hole in the ground. We were like, “WTF?” And then we took a closer look … It was actually a human…

Ultra Bingo: Sunglasses… At Night

Yo, beat freaks! It’s time again to break out your Ultra/Miami Music Week 2011 bingo cards. Only 12 hours ago, we here at Crossfade filled our very first square by spotting a guy with the Ultra logo shaved into the back of his head at Juicy Beach. And already we’re…

Ultra 2011 Bingo: Ultra Logo Shaved Head

Got your Ultra/Miami Music Week 2011 bingo cards ready? Because we’ve already found our first visual item. It didn’t take long to find a guy with the Ultra logo shaved into his head, and where else would he be hanging out but Nikki Beach.Check out the photographic evidence after the…

Paris vs. Miami: Can You Tell The Difference?

I passed by one of the new South Beach rental bicycle racks just after the bikes were installed last week. A few years back my wife and I took advantage of the same system in Paris, and I have a photo of the bicycles lined up on a street in…

A Bill Of Rights For Vegetables

“This story begins earlier this year, just as the very first crocuses peeped from the frosted ground. One cold bright morning, George Ball, the proprietor of W. Atlee Burpee, the gardening company, discovered a curious looking green envelope in his mailbox. He noticed the pages gave off a distinct bouquet:…

Miami Seaquarium Food Truck Rally Serves Fish Tacos

Flipper is dead. Actually, the six dolphins who played him are. But that hasn’t stopped Miami Seaquarium from planning the Flipper’s Truck Stop food truck rally for this Sunday, March 27. A dozen trucks are scheduled to be there, including seafood-centric Fish Box and Jefe’s Original Fish Taco and Burger.You…

A Quick Guide to Betting on the 2011 Beatport Music Awards

Go ahead and call us degenerate gamblers. But we here at Crossfade are hardly alone in the belief that life is infinitely less boring when you’re betting on it. Whether the action is competitive vodka-guzzling, the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, or the arrival patterns of Miami-Dade County public transportation,…

Why I Pay $14 for Rosa Mexicano’s Guacamole

When I was a student at New York University, my boyfriend and I used to eat cheap Mexican food practically every day. At Panchito’s on MacDougal Street, you could get a giant platter of nachos and guacamole for about $6. Plus the place served alcohol to minors without batting an…

Five Crap Pop Hits Worse Than Rebecca Black’s “Friday”

Six million of you have already endured it. Gawker asked if it was “the worst music video ever.” Meanwhile, foreign press like The Sydney Morning Herald wonders why it has overtaken the Japanese earthquake and tsunami devastation on Twitter.Of course, we’re talking about the gone-viral-for-all-the-wrong-reasons video of unknown Rebecca Black’s…

Ecstasy! Mace! And More! Crossfade’s Ultra Music Festival Survival Kit

There’s this shared fantasy among neo-hippies, blissed-out druggies, and naïve first-time festival-goers that three-day music extravaganzas like Ultra Music Festival are all about fun and friendship. But here’s the real deal: The music festival experience is an arduous and often dangerous 72-hour trip into a deep, dance-y heart of darkness…

Farm Stores: Only Online Grocery Shopping Now Available

On a recent late-night run to a local Farm Stores (the drive-thru convenience store with the cow on the sign), a nifty flyer with a $20 coupon was dropped in the bag. That discount is good for online grocery shopping. Curiosity was piqued.So what are the advantages of Internet shopping…

Your Anti-Guido Party Guide to Ultra Week in South Beach

If you’re a discerning local EDM lover, then you probably have a love-hate relationship with the month of March. On one hand, it’s the best month out of the year in Miami for the sheer awesomeness of parties and bookings. On the other, it also summons massive hordes of the…