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Lifestyle
27 October 2014
October, when pumpkins, crabs and antiques meet.
October equals in Miami what May equals in Europe, the beginning of the good season. Although we are located in the same hemisphere as Europe and we still celebrate Christmas in winter, the vicinity of the Tropics makes the fall the bella stagione when we can enjoy the outdoors without being victim of ungodly humidity and hellish temperatures. 
A typical Italian May calls for removing the duvet from the bed, switching wardrobes, resuming the suntan rituals and the first spaghetti con vongole at the shack by the shores. October in Miami has three ‘symptoms’ that mark the rebirth from summer hibernation: pumpkin patches, Joe’s Stone Crabs re-opens and the Lincoln Road Antique Market sets up tents every other Sunday. 
A pumpkin patch is an avalanche of the classic rounded and orange squash camped in an empty lot by a traffic light. You go, search the perfect one to carve and make the allegoric Jack O Lantern and get ready for Halloween. The pumpkin is a symbol, a little like the equivalent of our porcini and wine harvest, that sets the mood for fall. 
Crab season in South Florida is related to the change of water temperatures: when they get colder, crabs are ripe. Joe’s Stone Crab is the oldest restaurant in Miami Beach and became worldwide known for its, no less, crabs. The same family owns it and because of the limited availability of the little critters, the activity runs from October through May. When ‘Joe’s opens’ it’s a big date in town and that certain spirit of comradery is re-enacted the moment it opens its doors. Few things as a local: go to the take-away, the real restaurant is for tourists, take your chic white bag picnic-style to South Pointe Park across the street and the lobster Reuben is not to be missed. Forget calculating calories because it’s a waste of time.
Lincoln Road has what’s officially called the Lincoln Road Outdoor Collectible & Antique Market, where if you know your vendors you can have the most interesting conversations and find unique pieces like a couture red Givenchy strapless gown at Nikki Blacker’s “Fashion Evolution” or a marabou jacket with Valerie Kay Sherman at “Life’s Little Necessities”. Then the unexpected happens and you find whatever all of a sudden becomes that which you need, a vintage Geoffrey Beene maxi pied-de-poule Peter Pan collared evening dress at Jackie’s and you must buy it. The market is a family event as you can walk children and pets in tow and runs through the year like Joe’s season from October to May at alternating Sundays. 

P.S. to tell the truth, if you are Italian, beginning October you start thinking about that ‘switching wardrobe’ event, remove summer and replace with winter clothing because you keep seeing the same things in the closet. There’s no such thing in an American household, but it has its own charm.

DD
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