RIP Tobacco Road

I am writing about a bar. Yes, strange that I would write about a bar, no I am not advocating drinking nor am I a patron of the establishment. I remember the place and I remember going there once. I was in college, I was a member of the Young Democrats and I remember being there briefly. I forget why we were there, I think we were gathering there because it was a central location. This is not just any bar, this is a place where politicians and celebrities frequented. This place is in Miami, Miami is not known for historical places. We are known in this rather "young" city for knocking things down and building bright and shiny buildings and houses that sometimes can not weather a storm but are new and shiny. It's not that I personally will miss the bar since I am not a patron but the reason that it's closing after 102 years in existence is what saddens me. It seems that it validates the modern day trend of throwing out old and buying and creating new. I can't help but think of the marriages that are broken in mid life because the wife is not " as sexy anymore" so the wife is left and a younger, firmer model is acquired. I am sad about Tobacco Road. It was bought for $12.5 million by real estate developers and it is going to be torn down. History and community don't matter anymore. It's old and needs to go. Almost like the wealthy relative that is more valuable dead than alive so when ill, the family gathers to see how they can get some money or valuables from the relative. It's very sad that we don't value tradition, history, or community. If all we focus on is money we are indeed and dead society. What do we show future generations? The shiny, bright building with the leaky glass ceiling where a historical place once sat. As it is, when I travel in my old neighborhood near my elementary school all I tell people is what existed 40 years ago when I was a kid. 40 years is truly not a long time. We go to other cities and can enjoy history. In Miami, we can look at all the billboards on the Palmetto for breast and butt work. If you need the work just drive north on the Palmetto Expressway and you can look at the competitive prices. Nothing is as good as it is. We all need surgery, we all need to color our hair, we need creams and potions and we need to tear down our history, our community in the name of "the best will come later" after we have ripped our ethnic features, we implant and change everything. How sad. What are we feeling ? What motivates us? What are we teaching future generations? RIP Tobacco Road, they are only destroying you because you have worth.