Durban Beachfront: Atlantic City or Santa Monica?

We had heard Durban described as the "Miami of South Africa." Being from Miami, Bill and I believed we were well-placed to opine on this characterization as a major modern city integrated with a beautiful beach. In reality, it was grittier and more industrial than we expected. Once you get off the beachfront, the Apartheid-era architecture and train tracks are not so nice.

The beachfront showed us both of its personalities during our stay. During the second night, a cold front blew in across all of South Africa, and Durban was not spared. The city's World Cup marketing slogan, "The Warmest Place to Be in 2010," became an ironic joke. Does this guy look warm?
As a result, beachfront seemed like a dark and dreary place. Here's the view southwest from our hotel room; note the dearth of pedestrians and the palm trees blowing in the wind:
Nobody was having any fun at Joe Cool's, the famous restaurant/bar/club where people supposedly come as a vacation destination. So we hiked back to the Internet cafe near the hotel, and then proceeded to take naps. Bill aptly grumbled, "This place is like Atlantic City," a dingy, dilapidated beach town if there ever was one.

The following day, the weather took a turn for the better...much better. Few clouds, bright sunshine. The promenade was packed with Spaniards and Swiss in town for that day's matchup at Moses Mabhida, and the locals were out in full force too.

Furia Roja...
Die Schweizermannshaft (sounds better than L'Equipe de la Suisse)...
A local rickshaw driver, with tons of flair. We observed that many Zulus do not like having their picture taken. Sorry, dude...
Joe Cool's was packed and serving burgers, sandwiches, and brats from the grill. Whoohoo! Party!
They were offering massages and Bill was buying...
From the top deck of Joe Cool's on a beautiful day, it felt a lot less like Atlantic City and a lot more like Santa Monica...
We met these fun Mancurian lads out on the promenade and compared vuvuzela skills...
Durban redeemed itself with an assist from Mother Nature. Good times!