Art Basel begins today in South Beach

Try your luck at a prize claw machine, experience the musical brutality of face slapping and witness our frail Earth at Art Basel, which opens today in South Beach.

Why it matters: The Beach is at the center of the art world this weekend, with its population doubling as another 80,000 people are expected to pour across the causeways.

• "Art Basel has been referred to as the Olympics of the art world," Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz told WSVN Channel 7 News. "Art Basel Miami Beach is quite simply the most important event of its kind, in the most important art market in the world."

What we're watching: There are nearly 300 international galleries to choose from.

• The cheapest exhibit at the fair — which runs through Sunday — is Anthony Akinbola's prize claw machine called "Fantasy World."
• For 50 cents (the coins are provided) you can try to snare a knock-off luxury watch, piece of candy or stuffed animal from the classic arcade game. (Martin tried to win a pair of fuzzy dice from the claw machine but whiffed.)
• The most expensive piece is the $45 million painting "Delta" by Frank Stella.
• There's a giant replica of "Washington Crossing the Delaware" made entirely out of Lego bricks. And an ASMR space shows dueling videos of two men slapping each other in the face to create a percussive rhythm ("Composition for Face and Hands").
• Everyone snapped selfies in front of "Earth Play," the oversized balloon replica of Earth that artist Seung-taek Lee created in 1989 and toured across the world. Its gradual deflation speaks to our limited natural resources.

Be smart: Don't forget all the other art fairs still going on this weekend! Some are probably closer to home.

• Check out our Art Week guide for more tips.

If you go: Tickets start at $58.

• The fair is open 11am-6pm each day.
• Traffic is going to be awful all weekend long, so leave an hour early at least.
• If you're driving, try parking at the garages at Miami Beach City Hall or nearby Lincoln Road. Here's a list of all the parking lots and garages in the city.
• If you want to avoid South Beach traffic, try parking further away and taking the free trolley or renting a bike (or e-bike) and heading along the beachwalk.
• Metrobus also offers rides to and from the mainland. And the closest ride-sharing location to Art Basel is on the north side of 18th Street between Convention Center Drive and Meridian Court.

Pro tip: It's pronounced baa-zl not bayz-zle. (Think Switzerland, not the spice.)

• But as Miami Herald editor Jeff Kleinman jokes, it's still pronounced traa-fic.