Was excited abt the Miami trip. Heard so much about the weather, beaches, fun and frolicky life - 'Miami calls u Baby'. o wow!! with the cold cold heartless weather here, it was a respite to be in miami.. so set out with another family. the drive was long from Nashville. Abt 15 hrs. we took breaks on our way and a truck stop close to Florida border. Horrible motel it was - Rodeway Inn.. dont go in there with a family cause they arent cheap either.. dint have a choice.. we did drive about 8 hrs after work that as far as we could drive.. paid a load yet facility was not that well maintained .. if u r alone.. who cares.. anyways.. woke up early next day so we could reach Miami as early as we possibly could.. wow the route to Miami was welcoming.. palm trees lining the roads and all.. summery weather.. the jackets stacked to the rear end of the car.. woohoo!!! summer blast in winter.. who wudnt like it.. it was a pleasant day too.. we reached the condo that we had booked beforehand.. the road our condo was in - collins avenue..lined with stretches of hotels and condos.. and bayside area lined with yachts and a luxurious lifstyle.. that was obvious everywhere I looked.. ppl seeped that luxury in every moment of their stay there.. everyone in shorts and Ts and need I say more? come on guys that city is famous for its beaches!!! u guessed it right !!
dumped all our belongings in the condo to checkout the view.. wo!!! awesome.. the sound of the ocean.. the serene beach and the strong wind.. it was all that mattered.. being there.. quickly took some shots .. ones in this post.. hung out @ the balcony for sometime listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the beach. Then cooked up a quick dinner while my other friends checked out the neighborhood..
woke up next morning - it was christmas day.. we all quickly got ready cause we had to drive all the way to Key West another 3 and half hrs drive. the drive they said was awesome with US 1 highway being the road thru the bay. it was alrite.. nothing compared to the CA US-1 drive which is flanked by ocean on one side and mountains on the other.. but yes the most amazing thing for me was seeing pelicans from a close range.. they were everywhere all thru our drive keeping us company.. some largish birds these are!!! eating food out of people's hands.. during our trip to Key west we actually crossed several keys.. forget the names now.. but enjoy the picture of this Pelican anyways :
After checking in with information and tourist centers on reaching Key West, we finally figured out that the main beach was @ Fort Zachary Taylor park .. it weaved thru a french oldish Key West town with carriage rides and rickshaw pullers.. it was pretty much like any other US old downtown heritage areas. But the real deal about Key west is its Rocky beach and also watersports... which we cudnt avail cause had children .. sports like parasailing, jet skiing,scuba diving and u name it.. but the beach was beautiful.. One particular thing that marked Miami and its surrounding areas was the color of teh ocean - sea green or blue ...heres a picture :
spent some time @ the rocky beach and kids had loads of fun too getting wet in the water.... time to get back..
we went back to Miami and headed for South Beach.. The Place to Be...woohoo!!! some nite life.. its so vibrant and colorful.. dint find a metered parking so had to use a parking area which costed us 20 bucks.. phew!! outrageous..
anyways we walked along ocean drive and peeked @ the ocean too.. the beach was pretty dark @ that hour.. but Baby o Baby thats wat ppl come here for - beach and nite life ... it was obvious.. colorful ppl everywhere.. street was lined with innumerous restuarants and clubs with dainty ladies walking around.. rest I leave for your imagination..
next day - was a little chilly for Miami.. we set off to see the Everglades wetland famous for its Alligators.. we took the famous Air Boat ride and also saw some Herons.. white big majestic birds... the guide was talkative and the ride was exhilarating too.. the wetland was much like the sunderbans.. with grass growing on water... but the air boat just zipped thru and made stops for alligator and rare animals and bird sitings.. that done we headed to North Beach - spent some time @ the beach.. it was getting chilly but the kids had fun making sandcastles only to be swept away by the ocean.. o we did see a lady on the beach taking some glam shots.. probably creating a portfolio for modeling.. she did hold many men's gaze for a long time with her skimpy dresses and ....... that done we went back.. we needed a change after the beach rezendevous.. the evening called for a boatride @ bayside.. o wow!!! we finally got to see downtown Miami up close.. it was beautiful with tall skyscrappers and hi-fi life style.. the boat ride took us around Fisher Island, Star island and the likes.. beautiful buildings flanked both side of our ride.. the the miami skyline - gorgeous!! guide was a chirpy spaniard part of whose deleberations we struggled to decipher.. heres a peek - my camera dint do justice:
something that stood out stark - Miami dint look much like any other US city.. it is densely populated with Mexicans and Cubans.. bayside area is another center for entertainment with open air concerts and street shows of all kinds.. hung out there for a while and finally headed back.. it was altogther a good relaxing trip and we did cover whatever was there to see of Miami.
Next vac - probably Orlando - who knows!!
Wish I had a dollar tree growing in my backyard.. even the backyard isnt mine.. belongs to the homeowners association ... sigh!!!!!
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