We launched The New Tropic three years ago today. We started with a love letter to Miami and our fellow locals: to “the stalwart natives and the new kids in town; the emerging urbanites and the expressway warriors; the tireless fans and the skeptical cynics; the banana hammock bicyclists (lo, sweet siren) and the beach body fanatics.”
That banana hammock guy is still out there riding around, and so are we. So that’s something.
Our third birthday has been an occasion for a bit of reflection around here: on what we’ve done, what’s changed and what hasn’t, what we guessed right about (y’all really like Knaus Berry cinnamon rolls) and what we got wrong. It’s also been an occasion for warm champagne in the office at 2 p.m., because we are cool and know how to party.
As many of you know, we’ve done some growing since we were three people working out of an apartment: WhereBy.Us is 22 people now, The New Tropic’s director, Ariel Zirulnick, has led the brand since we launched a sister publication in Seattle last year, and we’re headed to new cities this year (more on that soon).
We wanted to write a note to say thank you. To each of our fellow Miamians who’s read a story, subscribed to our newsletter, come to an event, or taken part in a project. You’ve enabled us to keep making The New Tropic, and manatee puns, which is our true calling.
When we get together for founder time, we often talk about how we haven’t really built anything new—and we’re okay with that. We’ve just tried to connect and elevate the incredible work being done by our neighbors, from reinventing the arts to food entrepreneurship to civic engagement to tamale-making. Miami has immense challenges in the coming years, and it will solve them only with the diverse and unrelenting dedication of passionate locals. It’s those same passionate locals that keep us excited about what’s ahead, every single morning.
We’re looking forward to year four with you. We hope you’ll keep letting us know what you want us to work on next, on Facebook, Instagram or at [email protected].
See you in your inbox,
Chris, Bruce, and Rebekah