Miami, Part II

Post date: Aug 20, 2016 4:56:53 PM

I burned rubber back to Miami and headed straight for the action on South Beach! I booked a hotel room at Marriott Vacation Club Pulse across Ocean Drive from the beach. The accommodations were nice and were accompanied with a view that overlooked the palm trees and eventually the beach. Perfect!

My cousin met me at my hotel, and we headed out to see what the South Beach nightlife had to offer, and it didn't disappoint. Exotic cars, hoppin' clubs, music, ladies, liquor, food. It's a tourist trap, if I ever saw one. We were just getting warmed up, so we stepped off the main drag and ate some really good Meditarraean food.

Afterwards, we hit the major stops like the Clevelander and Wet Willie's to have some cocktails, converse, and people watch.

To that end, I had a fun-filled day doing to the photo opp at the southernmost point, snorkeling at Rock Reef, and riding the four hours back to South Beach. I stuck in fork in me, because I was done. My cousin and I chilled on the beach for a minute, and then I threw in the towel.

The next morning, I awoke to a beautiful sunrise that painted the view I mentioned earlier. Splendid!

I was out of clean clothes so laundry was in order for the day. Too bad my hotel didn't have a washer or dryer onsite. Bleh! That'll teach me to look at the amenities before booking a room next time. Instead, I trekked about a mile and a half south to the nearest laundromat, and once inside, I quickly exited. They charged $5.00 USD to wash a load of laundry. This did not include the $2.00 USD for the dryer. Bleh!

Instead, two blocks west, another laundromat was cleaner, had more equipment, and charged $3.50 USD for everything. Done! After which, I trekked back to the hotel, showered, and dawned some freshly laundered attire for the days excursion.

I had decided to venture up to Bal Harbor via Collins Avenue where I had heard it was less touristy, and it was. It's also laced with high-end hotels, condos, and shopping. And some of the houses in the harbor?! Uhmm... Money is all I need to say. Haulover Park has a nice beach that wasn't crowded in the least.

By this time, it was early evening, so I took off walking towards Lincoln Road Mall. There's a ceviche place there called CVI.CHE 105 that beckoned. I had the Pulpito a la Herradura, and it was fabulous! Not to mention, they had house made chicha and pisco sours. It was like being in Lima.

I strolled back towards my hotel and popped in to the last hot spot on the list, Mango's Tropical Cafe. The place was hoppin'. Ladies were dancin' on tables and everything. Good times!

South Beach was a blast!