Joe Tro's Miami trip report
 

Hi, all.

Thanks for the Miami trip planning advice. Here goes:

Landed MIA around 12:30 yesterday. Had lunch at Shula's the airport. Food was just so-so - was really expecting more.

Took MetroRail to Govt. Center then walked to Courtyard Miami Downtown. Was a long walk from my airport terminal to MetroRail, but the cost savings were worth it. I made some snafus trying to put my credit card in the right way - awkward.

Walked a little around the hotel and pool. All pretty standard fare. What I thought was really nice, was that they gave me a coupon for a free drink at the bar later that night - definitely a cut above. Was a bit of a line to check in. Decor was a bit dated in places, but I liked the red color accents.

Took cab to Miami Beach. Ugh what traffic. Did a nice self-guided art deco walk from National Geographic, with some stops on the Beach and at Palace. Miami is so much like LA, where I just moved from. Had a nice dinner at Rosalina's on Lincoln mall, then for a drink at Score, and then spent a while at a Starbucks. My battery was running low, so I bought a charger/plug at a nearby shop for $30. Big mistake - kind of messed my phone up for most of the rest of the night. That will surely teach me. Walked into Twist but did not really go inside. Cabbed back to hotel, and a had nice drink in the bar with a local.

Today:

Walked from Courtyard to JW Marriott Miami. No rooms ready yet. Read the paper at the pool - was so windy. I loved the walk over - so many great buildings. Then, been putzing around Brickell. Had a good lunch at Dolores, although one waitress only spoke Spanish. Definitely a strong Latin influence here. Did a bit more walking around, including down by the water. Relaxing again at hotel for a few minutes.

I like the idea of a self-guided art-deco walk. Thanks for sharing your trip with the Forum!

Thanks for getting back to us. Looking forward to the next installment.

As to the waitress only speaking Spanish, it is not uncommon. My wife loves Miami because it is just like going abroad only most things work the way they do at home!

The rest of the report:

Sunday:

Continued to wander around Brickell, with a shower break back in the apartment. I was pretty gross and sweaty nearly the entire trip. Must be the humidity. Then, I took a cab to Biltmore for the 2:30 pm tour. Wow, what a place! I loved the decor, and the tour, although we did not get to visit the Al Capone Suite. Fortunately, a gaggle of boozy bachelorettes also dropped off the tour half-way in. They were super distracting ...

From there, I walked to the Venetian Pool, and then up to and down Miracle Mile. Then, it was time for a cab back to the JW (the cabbie took me to the wrong one at first). From there, a super fast walk to the Conrad for a lovely drink on the 25th floor. Definitely worth it, although it was so windy outside my drink toppled over at one point. I cancelled dinner at River and instead ate at Gordon Birsch (just didn't want to walk any further). The food was okay, although I did get the happy hour price. Sadly, the local was dealing with some personal issues/was in a funk, so we weren't able to meet up again. Par for the course with me and men.

Today:

Woke up a bit late and stayed in JW fully until check-out time. Then, the metro to Vizcaya, where I spent about two hours. I was a little underwhelmed by the house (too dark and cold), yet I loved the gardens and especially the babbling Biscayne Bay. Of course, I sweat like a pig most of the day. Then, I took MetroRail back to the hotel and to the airport, where I am now chilling out before my flight.

Overall - I loved Miami, and it reminded me so much of LA, from where I moved 6 months ago (South Beach = WeHo; Brickell = Wilshire Corridor; Lincoln Mall = 3rd Street Promenade). On the other hand, I'm not sure that I could truly live here (had a preliminary interview last week for a job in Boca).

Thanks for everyone's help!

If you perspire now, you simply would not believe what it would be like in August.

It was worth the trip to learn this.

I like your comparisons with LA, a city I get to a lot less than I would like.

True ... a good life lesson.