Miami: Fun in The Sun

After a cruising through a polar vortex with my sister-in-law, Jen, we arrived to sunshine in Miami.  Chris flew down from Boston and met us at our hotel in Doral - Hyatt at the Blue - and we spent Friday by the pool.  That night we checked out Ocean Drive in South Beach which proved to be a massive tourist trap. While I enjoyed seeing the neon lights and art deco buildings, the strip was teaming with tourists drinking Beeritas (also known as Mexican Bulldogs).  Needless to say, it was a bit sloppy, not to mention way overpriced for food that looked barely edible. 

So we moved on, and found this nice little Peruvian restaurant two blocks in from the beach called Chalan on the Beach. The staff was super friendly, the food was tasty (especially the ceviche) and the portions were huge. 

Strolling South Beach past the classic bar - The Clevelander.

The next day was a fantastic sunny day! We arrived at South Beach early and  spent the day people watching and swimming in the waves.  After a week of stormy weather this was just what we needed.

Team B at South Beach!

Later that night we went out in the Brickell neighborhood, which I much preferred to South Beach. We had a few drinks & apps at a restaurant/bar called Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita.  Everyone was out that night - decked-out college kids, ladies night groups, NY snowbirds and older Cuban couples.  We had delicious apps and particularly enjoyed the Cuban quesadillas on the bar menu!

Chris and Jen at Lolita's

We love sitting outdoors in January!

The next morning we dropped Jen off at the airport and then Chris and I set out to explore Little Havana. That day, the community was preparing for a parade down the main drag, Calle Ocho, so we walked around and stopped at a little restaurant for Cuban sandwiches and cafe con leche. It was interesting to see Little Havana one month after being in Havana, Cuba.  While there are some similarities - the weather, music playing in the streets, artwork everywhere - much of Little Havana is the antithesis of Havana, Cuba, at least from a political standpoint.  Little Havana's heroes are Havana, Cuba's enemies and vice versa. In Miami, you see paintings of Celia Cruz and memorials to those men who fought against the revolution.  In Cuba, the revolutionaries are celebrated national heroes and we never heard Celia's voice in the streets because she left Cuba and spoke publicly against the revolution. Little Havana was fun to see, because it was a festival day and we were interested in drawing comparisons to our experience in Cuba. However, you don't need to go to Little Havana to get a flavor of the Cuban culture in Miami.  It's prevalent all over the city! 

Welcome to Little Havana!

Little Havana

There was lots of artwork on display along Calle Ocho. Here is Celia Cruz doing what she does best. You won't find this painting in present day Havana.

Calle Ocho preparing for the parade.

Cafe con leche. They used chicory just like they do in Havana.

Cuban sandwich makes a great lunch.

Later we drove through Coconut Grove and Coral Gables before heading to Key Biscayne to enjoy the beach.  While the water was very calm at Key Biscayne, both of us much preferred South Beach/ Miami Beach, simply because there is more to do there and the beach is much bigger.

The Biltmore in Coral Gables

Small church by The Biltmore

Key Biscayne

All in all we both loved Miami and look forward to returning soon.  It makes a great little weekend getaway from Boston!