Every year for my birthday I take a trip, usually somewhere
warm. Due to the pandemic and the restrictions
on travel I decided to stay in the USA. So I settled on Miami.
This was my first trip to Miami, and boy it did not
disappoint! It’s an amazing, vibrant
city with lots to see and do.
It was a little overwhelming for this small-town girl to
drive from the airport to Miami Beach where I was staying for the week. Wowsers, the traffic! I arrived during rush hour, too. A nail
biter. Maybe more than one nail (I’m not
telling). I made it in one piece, more or less!
Haha.
I arrived in Miami Beach around 4:30 PM, so I had plenty of
light to get my things in the hotel and walk down to the beach, which was just
a couple of blocks away. I don’t know
about you, but when I see the ocean there is a calm that comes over me. The sun was out, so the water looked really
sparkly, as though someone had strewn diamonds across the surface. Out in the distance I could see freighters
waiting to go to the docks for unloading.
In between the street and the beach was a pedestrian walkway where I did
my walking each morning. Most of all, it
was warm - 77 degrees! What a treat that
was!
I walked around the area where my hotel was located to try
and get my bearings, and to see what was nearby. I ate at a restaurant called Manolo’s, and
had empanadas and a salad. Delish!
One thing that surprised me is that I felt like I was in a
foreign country. Spanish was the language
I heard the most, and hardly any English.
The next day I went to the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, which was
small but delightful. Plus, it was free! They had some really nice plantings and
fountains. One area had flowers for
butterflies, and I saw many of those, too.
From there I visited Wynwood Walls, a place where graffiti art is celebrated. It was an artsy area with a bohemian feel to it. The art was interesting and colorful. Often I wonder when I look at art what was in the artist’s mind at the time they created it. Some seems logical, and some does not, but interesting just the same.
I had a nice lunch at a local Italian restaurant called Joey’s Italian CafĂ©, where I had a nice view for people watching (one of my favorite pastimes when I travel).
Sorry the pictures don't quite align. I'm still trying to figure out how to manipulate pictures on this blog!
Stay tuned for part 2!
