I enjoy going out to South Beach and letting my out-of-town friends experience the exciting atmosphere found at many South Beach bars and clubs. This atmosphere should be carried over to the Washington Avenue area, where current underage clubs could be transformed into places that locals and tourists would be happy to frequent. Right now many people avoid Washington Avenue like the plague, and I for one do not want this trend to continue or spill over into surrounding areas of South Beach.

Ron Kaufmann
Miami Beach

Michele to Rob: Gay, Straight, Whatever -- I'll Bitch About Anybody
After I wrote a letter in reaction to Ted B. Kissell's cover article "Size Matters" (August 13), Rob Boyte responded with his own letter. Now I just want to set the record straight.

I certainly do not think for a second that gay men are the only ones obsessed with physical appearance. Many straight women and men are obsessed as well, as evidenced by the huge surge in plastic surgery (just flip through a copy of this New Times). I do not condone that either.

Conversely, I agree that there are many people who are not all about looks. My letter simply addressed the article, which focused on the gay community. When an article is written about straight men who use steroids to pump up their self-esteem, or about the down-to-earth crowd who could care less, I will write a letter about that as well.

And a P.S. to Rob: I do get it.
Michele Sinisgalli
Miami