May 21, 2005
Miami, Part I
So when Katherine's Godmother offered us her condo on Fisher Island for the weekend, we bit. We landed in Miami @ 9:15 on Thursday May 19th and waited in the limo for our friends Will & Mary.
Friday we woke up @ 9:30 and ate a leisurely breakfast of coffee & bagels from the Fisher Island marina store. Katherine ordered Cuban Toast, which turned out to be nothing more than french bread with butter.
After breakfast we took our golf cart (every condo here has its own golf cart) to the beach. We read, drank a round of Bloody Marys and Will and I played 2 man bocce, notable only for our creation of 2 new bocce moves — the "Scythe" (a side arm throw) and the "Hips of Joseph" (a defensive strategy). After our "bocce" game, we swam in the ocean, ate a late lunch and then played backgamon for an hour on the beach. Tough life, I know. At 5pm we headed back to the condo to get ready for dinner.
After taking the ferry to the mainland, we caught a cab to the China Grill arriving there almost an hour before our 8pm reservation. We went for a stroll up Ocean Avenue, Miami's claustrophobic version of Bourbon Street. Not really digging the vibe, we took a left on 10th Street and grabbed a drink at the Essex Hotel where the windows are octagonals and the lobby is quiet. The bartender told us to try Jazzit if we were looking for another laid back bar.
After drinks we caught a cab back to the China Grill. Traffic was at a standstill so our cabbie tried to go the wrong way down an alley for a short cut. Unfortunately about half way down this narrow alley some guy was unloading his car. We honked but the guy won't "move it" for us (I don't blame him) so our cabbie called him a jackass and then sped in reverse back down the alleyway. Once in traffic again our impatient cabbie asked us where we lived. Will and Mary said Nashville. He said he'd never heard of it. "Where is it? North, West, Left, Right?" he asked. Funny guy.
Dinner at the Chine Grill was expensive. We shared 3 appetizers (sushi, vegetable dumplings, and crab cakes) and 2 entrees (grilled shrimp w/ black linguine and seared tuna with seaweed). Obviously the place specialized in asian fusion cuisine. The food was good but not spectacular given the exorbitant prices.
After espressos, we hit the street. We walked 16 blocks up Collins Ave to the much hyped Delano Hotel. Outside, white curtains drape the facade. Inside, the lobby is enormous. Giant columns and more diaphanous white curtains cut up the space. It sounded like live jazz was coming from somwhere in this mantled labyrinth. We walked directly to the back, down and out a pathway that led past a shallow swimming pool lined with king sized beds. We grabbed drinks at the poolside bar and found an open bed where we spent the next 2 hours drinking vodka tonics and talking.
From midnight on there was a steady stream of people walking back and forth from the hotel to the pool side bar. We hung out on our bed until we spilled a cocktail on the sheets.
Next stop, David's for a late night snack. This entailed another colorful cabbie who asked us which David's we wanted. When we said we didn't know he said, "Well if you guys wanna be gentlemen, you will take these ladies to the David's where you can sit down." So that's where we went. David's is famous for its Cubanos sandwiches (ham and pork with mustard and pickles on french bread) which we all ordered. What could be better at 1am? After eating, we caught another taxi back to the ferry and were home by 2am, thus ending our Friday night on South Beach.
Posted by Red Chuck at May 21, 2005 11:28 AM