Magnificent Miami Beach

Since our adventure in Shark Valley took us as far south as Miami, we figured we might as well explore the international city while we were close by. 

The GPS wanted us to get on the freeway, but we chose the slower, but more interesting route – taking Route 41 all the way to A1A at Miami Beach.  As we neared the heart of the city, Route 41 is also known as Calle Ocho, and took us straight through Little Havana.

Soon the bright colors, lively music and delicious smells of Little Havana gave way to concrete, glass and steel – in the form of office buildings and hotels reaching toward the clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crossing the bridge to Miami Beach, we drove past the Port of Miami,  past multiple cruise ships,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and containers waiting to be loaded on cargo ships.

 

We crossed over Michigan Avenue – why is it that every major town has a Michigan Avenue – and caught our first glimpse of the hotels and yachts.

BEAUTIFUL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We reached A1A and turned north, following the beach and marveling at all the beautiful tall hotels, and the bustling scene of South Beach.

The city is everything you expect from an international destination – visitors from all over the world, a multitude of languages floating around you, and money . . . everywhere the presence of money – LOTS of it!

We found a parking lot for the Jeep, and walked down to the beach to check out the iconic scene.

The water was nearly as emerald green as the panhandle coast of Florida, but the sand was a bit more gravelly – not the powdered sugar sand of Siesta Key or Destin.

It was 5 o’clock by then, and most people were leaving the beach, but there was a large group of kite surfers enjoying the windy afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched them jump the waves for a few minutes, and then made our way back to the beachwalk, where we studied the hotels from the beachside, and contemplated menus to find an enticing location for dinner.

People-watching, too . . . there was plenty of people-watching going on.

The hotels were even more beautiful from the beach side!

Enjoying the sights and sounds of South Beach!

We were getting hungry, so we walked back out to the street side and found a restaurant for dinner.  Maxine’s Bistro had great reviews, and looked like a fun place.

We got a seat on the patio, and enjoyed the live music as we enjoyed our delicious dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following dinner, we walked back to the Jeep and headed back to the RV Resort – we had about a 2 hour drive to get back home.

It was a beautiful evening, with the full moon shining brightly over the water. We kept the top down on the Jeep, enjoying the warm winter (it’s really difficult to remember it’s winter!) evening!

A1A was still busy as we continued north.

We were amazed by the number of beautiful high-rise hotels – including at least half a dozen Trump Towers,

as well as other buildings,

 

 

and along the inter-coastal waterway, row after row of magnificent yachts!

It was amazing, and we were star-struck!

We followed A1A along the beach all the way to Hollywood, where we turned west and made our way back to I-75 and back to the RV Resort.  It was a LONG day . . . but definitely a memorable one!