As I’ve said before, writing for Dime has its perks. Yesterday I flew down to Miami Beach for the weekend to cover the 4th Annual BK B-BALL BATTLE, a national 3-on-3 tournament representing each city’s finest.

Hitting 13 cities along the way (New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Detroit, Chicago, New York, Washington, Baltimore and Miami), the competition is top-notch. Today at Virrick Park (3255 Plaza Street), teams will battle it out to see who gets to compete in the tomorrow’s championship, reppin’ MIA for $20,000 and bragging rights.

But last night, with my Celtics on ice until Sunday, I decided to take in the sights. Whenever I go to a city, it’s all about finding the people who know what’s good and the spots to hit. So I stopped by Air Traffic Control, a ridiculous consignment sneaker boutique run by DJ Daai Lo. Ironically, the spot was literally right around the corner from my hotel. Let me tell you, this place is amazing. From the build out to the selection itself, it puts your favorite hometime spot to shame. (Come back later when I post pics of the kicks that I copped.)

From there, I took to the streets. For anyone that knowns Miami Beach, walking along Washington Ave/Collins Ave and Lincoln Road latenight, you get a feel for the city right away. Check out some of the pics of the crazy buildings I saw along the way. Classic Miami.

I’ll be blogging about the trip and the tourney all weekend, so be sure to check back in.