When Cas and I travel, we like to see beautiful sunsets wherever we go. Often, we view them from a boat. The sunset in Miami was particularly pretty, and we were out on the water viewing it.
When we wrapped up our lunch and our walk on the beach, it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for the evening’s activity. We went to the Bayside shopping center and had dinner. Well, kind of. We had eaten a very large, very late lunch, so we went to a restaurant that promised empanadas and a view of the water. Sounds good, but the drinks came way after the food and the service was robotic to the point of unpleasant. Also, happy hour was only in the bar area, not the patio. Finally, we must have been the only two people in the place who didn’t own a Miami Heat jersey. Oh, Bayside Marketplace is right next door to where the local NBA team plays. That game started at 7:30, while our boat boarded at 7, so there was a lot of crossover in the crowds. The drinks were good, if full priced, and the food was decent, but the service was so bad, and they had oriented the table where we were sitting so that only one of us at a time could look out at the water. The other had to face the restaurant.
After one round of drinks and a little bit of food, we opted for a seat at a Chilis. I know, I know. Chilis is hardly authentic Caribbean food or anything that screams out Miami, but the Margaritas were on special, the table let us both see the water, and the service was personable, not robotic. Also, I had a Chilis gift card in my purse. All I do is win, right?
After we paid up at Chilis and headed down to the pier, we had a little bit of time to kill before hopping on our boat, so we walked the length of the pier. Cas had lived in Miami about 30 years ago, and he had a bit of nostalgia looking at some of the places we passed. I was glad we had opted for the somewhat quieter spot for our pre-boat drinks. I don’t think it’s my age, either. I have never liked places that played music so loud that I couldn’t have a conversation. I guess if I hung out with less interesting people, I would love places like that, but as luck would have it, I travel with Cas.
So we walked back toward the boarding area and before too long, we were on our boat. There was a top deck area with some permanently fixed benches and a few folding chairs. I opted for a folding chair on the top deck while Cas was down at the bottom, picking up a few glasses of wine. I sat in a chair, then put my arm on the back of the one next to it as if I was saving it for someone. I was, in fact. Tell me why a total stranger sat there without even looking at my face, then became just as surprised as I was to find my arm was around her shoulders.
She quickly got up and apologized, and luckily, found another spot to sit- apparently, it was her birthday. Hey, lady, I already have a date on this boat, but thanks for the offer, and happy birthday! The sunset cruise was underway. We moved from the top to the bottom to the front of the boat. The views were spectacular and the narration was interesting without being aggravating.
It was just about the perfect way to wrap up a very full day in Miami.
From there, we headed back to the hotel and went to sleep. We had the window of our third floor room cracked open, and from that small crack, we heard a loud argument between what I can only imagine were drunken spring break revelers. I was glad to be above it all. Three floors above it all, if you want to be specific.
This morning, we woke to our last alarm of the trip so we could pack up and head out. We wanted proper breakfast complete with Cuban coffee before heading to the airport, and apparently, the world’s most famous Cuban Restaurant is a place on Calle Ocho called Versailles.
I got eggs and a ham empanada. It was amazing. Cas had croquettes with his eggs. Also amazing- we shared a bit. And I got my Cuban coffee. Fun fact, Cuban coffee tastes just like Turkish coffee, which is a dead ringer for Greek coffee. Makes American coffee taste like a kids’ drink. I made quick work of that tiny cup of very dark, very thick stuff and set about eating my amazing breakfast.
I would totally recommend Versailles. Apparently, there is a place in Cuba named after the place in France, and the restaurant is named after the place that’s named after the other place. I haven’t checked to see if the French one borrowed its name from someone else.
After that lovely breakfast, we took a quick drive through the Coral Gables neighborhood, the place Cas used to live when he worked in Miami. It was a pretty neighborhood, and a nice, little drive before we began the battle of Miami International Airport.
Man, that was a rotten time. Getting through security took 48 minutes, and there were plenty of people around us who were legitimately worried they were about to miss their flight. We actually walked up to the gate as boarding was beginning, and we managed to get on the plane. We did not sit, rest, put down our bags or pause. We just walked from the security checkpoint to the boarding area to the seats where we are sitting right now. Whew. And to think Southwest offered us the opportunity to board early for only $60. Glad we didn’t spend it, because we wouldn’t have physically been able to do that. Regardless, we made it. We have a connection to hit in Austin, and that looks promising. Maybe the fact that UT is halfway through its spring break will mean we have less company on our first stop in Texas.
Either way, it was a great trip to Miami. I would have liked a little more time to explore Key West and a little more time to do awesome beach things, but the gator show was too impressive to pass up, and the sunset cruise was great. I think we left at the right time, as well. As Thursday was getting rolling, we saw police barricades go up, traffic get worse and the line of cars heading the opposite direction as us backing up pretty sincerely. Yeah, time to head back home. See you when we’re on the ground.
No comments:
Post a Comment