Bienvenidos a Miami (Welcome to Miami)

View from the condo

Miami in all her glory has been the focus this week. First time back for me since we pulled the trigger on the condo. And what a place it is. For me, quite the intense experience of non stop noise, people, boats, planes. Coming back to Naples feels like a tiny backwater sort of place.

lobby

counting cruise ships

Trying hard to get used to elevators out your front door, security key fobs needed everywhere, and underground garage mazes.

Gorgeous pool which I didn't use. Maybe next visit, although I'm not so much the pool sort of person, clearly since I don't use our community pool in Naples either. This one is pretty inviting though...

This is a city that never sleeps, much like New York, and in that regard, we don't match very well. Beddy bye by 9:30 is norm for me. We jumped back up on Tuesday night as a fireworks show started in full force below us. Don't know what the occasion was, but it was fun watching from the balcony.

We are on Brickell Key, a manmade island off downtown Miami. I could see the beautiful bay walk from the condo that goes around the entirety, but not how to get there. Remember this is grand central security land and had to get directions and a reminder I would need that security fob from the concierge. Oh boy, for me directions are challenging and everything here is a bit of a maze. Found it though and well worth the effort.

small little boat Mark estimated 220'

Gorgeous manicured walk and the sea breeze that cools even when its blistering hot. Lots of people out walking or running, or walking their dogs, the only approved activities on said walk. There are dog stations every 100 feet or so with the ubiquitous bags for zee poop, along with you'll be fined sign if you don't use them. Okay fine, but every day a staff member rides around in a cart with little flags to mark where the poop is in the grass, and yet another staff person comes along later to pick up the poop. A statement on how many don't follow the rules and how many you employ to fix it...

Gotcha -working again

While Mark worked, I did more shopping for the condo. It's hard to remember everything you need to function in one shot. So finally able to relax a little, have a glass of wine on the balcony, along with some cooking, Mark's Osso Buco for one. Yum.We had a couple of fun dinners out too, one at Cibo in Coral Gables, and Seaspice downtown Miami River. The beautiful people show up at Seaspice we hear, just not that night. What a crazy food town!

This international major business mecca of mixed everything and people from Mexico, Cuba, and all over Latin America: Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, to name a few. 5.5 million people and majority Spanish speaking. Why, why didn't I take Spanish? Bonjour gets you nowhere here...