Instead of flying into MIA, we opted for the budget-friendlier FLL. I expected Fort Lauderdale to be a tiny city with nobody but old folks and perhaps a handful of sunbathers looking for a quieter scene. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong, it turns out that Fort Lauderdale would be able to stand on its own as a vacation spot. Yes, it doesn't have any of Miami's glitz and glam but what it has is a sense of familiarity. This city-by-the-sea is populated by vacationers instead of tourists, so the atmosphere is more laidback and people look like they're here to relax instead of to show off their freshly lipo-ed tummies.But don't get me wrong, the city is not dead by all means after dark. The local shops and restaurants that line up Las Olas Boulevard is a welcome respite from the regular fares that USA, Inc. offers. Well, okay, granted, there was the Cheesecake Factory there but that's it.
The next morning, when our vacation officially started, we made a pit stop at Urban Brew, this little cafe at the newly-revitalized downtown area called Himmarshee. We were actually looking for a cafe called Two Street Garage, but apparently a change of management/owner lead the name change. I loved the coffee and the Aztec-industrial décor was a nice touch albeit it did kinda remind me a bit - just a little bit - of Chipotles.
South Beach
After noon, we drove down to Miami, passing multiple malls and strip malls. From the upscale ones like Bal Harbor to Linens-n-Things. I guess there's no escaping American Capitalism. At around four we got to Ocean Drive. Oh my, South Beach was such a change after the idyllic Fort Lauderdale. The street was literally packed with people and we got stuck in a bonafide traffic jam there. A vacation indeed. I don't know what the big deal was about. I didn't see much hot girls or guys around and the beaches are not better than Fort Lauderdale's, if not worse because it was so packed.
We decided to wait until tomorrow for the beach since we didn't feel like going out in the heat at that moment. So, we went to Miami City to see what's it about and boy, now that was a dissapointment. The big let down. The city was practically a ghost town. Then we went to Calle Ocho which supposedly was the heart of Little Havana. No argument about that, the place was definitely Cuban but I expected more alley than asphalt. If Calle Ocho was the heart of Little Havana then Cubans-in-Exile have very cold hearts indeed. The place was desolate and I didn't feel any warmth that I had expected something Cuban. I felt like I'm in Chino instead of Miami. But luckily, the fabled restaurant Versailles was as good as everyone said it would be. Though if they could change the décor from Chinese Resto chic to something Latin, that would be great!
I guess it's a combination of things, but nothing seemed to go right in Miami. Another dissapointment was our hotel, the Parisian. Well, I guess we got what we paid for? A hundred bucks for a bathroom with a hole in the wall, carpeting that
looked like it has witnessed the last five presidents, pillows that was hardly were thick enough for a cihuahua to lay on, and the ultimate extra: blonde hair on the sheet.
Luckily Lincoln Street Mall saved the day from a total dissapointment. Later that night we decided to walk around. At first we planned to go to Ocean Drive but I don't know why but that place kinda put us off. So we ended up going to Lincoln Street, a 5-block open-space, pedestrian mall with Isamu Noguchi concrete & water artworks all over it. Me gusta mucho. And the crowd was nice too, what I expected from Miami. I guess this is where the real Miamians hang? I still need to verify that... hehehe, I need to amped up my Miami connections.
