Checking Out Miami

(Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Hi 79 Lo 71 – It rained off and on all night and continued during the morning hours. It never rained hard. In fact a few of the showers were those kind it seems you only see in Florida, where it’s raining and sunny at the same time. I never could figure that out.

Chris, from Geeks on Tour, came over for a few minutes to help me figure some things out with Google maps, like how to embellish the routes I save for the trips we take every year. I have our 2010 and 2011 routes on the right side of the blog. My goal for next year is to have the parks listed and rated right on the map itself. It's just part of some changes I have in mind for the blog next year.

Around noon it turned nice and sunny so we left for a driving tour of parts of Miami. Our first stop was the Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana. We had lunch in a small Cuban cafe in Mayport when we were there, and Jim asked the manager what is the best Cuban restaurant in Miami. He said the Versailles, and he gave us the address. It's on SW 8th St. ("Calle Ocho"), which runs right through Little Havana. We each had a "Cuban" sandwich. It was very good, but I think the one I had in Mayport was a little better. I also had a slice of key lime pie, which was excellent! I've never had key lime pie as good as you get here in Florida.  (Click on the pictures to make them larger)




After lunch we took a leisurely drive east on 8th Street through the colorful neighborhoods of the Little Havana Cuban district. It's like you're in another country. It looked like it would be beautiful at night.

Jim and I are big fans of "Burn Notice," a spy show on the USA Network. The series is filmed in Miami, and the main character, Michael Weston, lives in a dilapidated loft on the Miami River. They often show an aerial view of the building during the show. You can find out anything on the internet, including where a TV show's character's home is. Jim looked up the address and we drove over to see it. Driving by it doesn't give much of a view because the building faces the river and you drive behind it. So we crossed the river and walked to a little park that has a direct view of it. If you're not a fan of "Burn Notice" this won't mean much to you, but if you do watch the show, it should look very familiar.

Michael Weston's loft.

In the same area is the construction site of the New Marlins Ballpark, the new home of the Florida Marlins major league baseball team. It's really not that attractive, and it's right in the middle of a neighborhood, with only a couple of parking garages around it that we could see. Should be fun trying to park for a game!

The ballpark will be finished in time for opening day next April, when the Marlins host Jim's St. Louis Cardinals.

We made our way to Biscayne Blvd., the main drag through downtown Miami. We always love seeing the beauty and architecture of the downtown areas of major cities. Miami is one of the most beautiful cities we've seen. The combination of large buildings, and the tropical setting with all the palm trees, makes for some spectacular sights.

Some buildings have the beautiful colors you only see in south Florida.

The building just left of center had some very interesting looking reflections in the windows.

Here it is in close up. Cool, huh?

I like the different geometric shapes.

This is the arena where the Miami Heat NBA team plays.

As we got south of downtown, we came to the Rickenbacker Causeway, which goes over Biscayne Bay to Key Biscayne. It was a beautiful trip that offered some spectacular views of the Miami skyline.

Key Biscayne is very upscale, with nice homes, fancy shopping centers, and high dollar cars all over the place. Sometimes it's nice to see how the "other half" lives.

This Aston Martin went speeding past us. Jim got all excited... he thought James Bond might be driving it. :)

The drive back to the mainland on the causeway made for a nice skyline view.

While driving on I-95 this van passed us...

A closer look revealed it to be "CSI Miami." I wonder if Horatio is inside, with his red hair and sunglasses?

On the way home we had to drive by Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.

We got home a little before dark. It was a nice afternoon, and we saw some beautiful sights. We both love south Florida, and we'd be very happy settling in this area someday... when we decide to settle... someday... a long time from now... a long, long time from now. :)