The sexy, sun-bronzed actress who plays a crime lab DNA expert on CSI: Miami grew up in Riverside County, Calif. But Eva La Rue finds Miami an awesome place to party and chill out after her satisfying fi rst full season playing Natalia Boa Vista on the hit TV show. On-screen, her character has learned to toughen up, process DNA and become a genuine crime scene investigator. But during her off time, La Rue loves to visit different South Beach hot spots and watch the eclectic mix of people. “Miami and L.A. are similar in many ways, but South Beach has lots of New York’s night life and is way more exciting than L.A., maybe because of the Latin presence,” says La Rue as we ride through town in a Hummer on a mild, picture-perfect afternoon. “People dress up more here, and we feel that it’s okay to strut our stuff. I love watching one amazing costume after another—outfi ts you would only wear here!”

SHOP, SIP AND STIR Toned and looking terrifi c in a short print beach dress by Lotta Stensson, one of her favorite L.A.-based designers, La Rue enjoys peeking in trendy store windows on Washington Avenue and Ocean Drive. When we arrive at Shore Club, she heads straight for Scoop, the hot, celeb-favorite boutique inside the tony hotel. La Rue looks at tees and belts while chatting up the salesclerks. “People are so friendly here, I can’t believe it,” she says. “It’s like a constant vacation, everyone is in a laid-back mode. And so open.” We walk outside to Sky Bar with its secret passageways and sensual, whitedraped outdoor rooms. After we take seats around the large swimming pool, which faces the sea, La Rue raves about the beauty and lush subtropical landscaping while sipping on a mojito, a Cuban cooler of mint, sugar, lime juice, club soda and light rum. Soon the bartender sees how much she likes the frosty drink and decides to teach her how to make one, using a ton of sugar. “This is a beauty,” La Rue says with a laugh. “Mojito is my friend!” Next, she moves behind the main bar and learns how to make the worldfamous Sky Bar martini, a creamy concoction of Grey Goose vodka, vanilla, strawberries and coconut puree. “I have made key lime martinis before, but never anything like this,” she admits, while mixing, matching and pouring. “It sounds delicious! Like a shake. So it must be good for you, right?” At the Townhouse Hotel next door, we ride the elevator to Rooftop, a cool respite with a two-hour rock ‘n’ roll–style happy hour beginning at 7 p.m. La Rue perches on one of the intimate waterbeds near a wood-based lounge and marvels at the views of Miami Beach. “This place is a real treasure,” she says of the low-key destination. “What a spectacular view.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Since La Rue’s 5-year-old daughter, Kaya, has just fl own in from California to meet her, we head over to the cabana area of the Delano Hotel and watch the little girl jump into her mommy’s arms. Over chicken wings, french fries and hummus on pita, La Rue tells Kaya that they will visit Miami’s Parrot Jungle Island and the Children’s Museum during the next few days before fl ying off to relax together in Barbados. La Rue has only a couple of weeks of downtime before heading to Africa, where she is hosting Uganda: Peril to Pearl, a feature-length humanitarian documentary about the struggling third-world nation. There, she will interview politicians, historians, university researchers and world leaders as part of an international effort to help fi nance the growing needs of Uganda’s people. “I love acting, because of the excitement and ups and downs of the business,” says La Rue, who returns to Miami in July to begin shooting this season’s CSI: Miami. “But hosting something like this Uganda project is gratifying, because you never have a bad day and you are doing something good for someone else.”