After years of lay-overs and connections at MIA, I finally escaped the airport and got to explore the city of Miami.
Here are the highlights from my quick trip at the end of October. I’ll be going again for two weeks and should get to see a lot more.
I have heard people talk about this all the time, but really didn’t know what to expect or where it was geographically. We made three trips to Miami Beach and took a different path each time thanks to different GPS apps. The first trip was to the most touristy area and I got to see all the hotels and art deco buildings one usually associates with Miami Beach. I really wanted to know more about the history of the buildings, but had to be content with just briskly walking past. The other visits were for food and are outlined below.
This place was recommended to my by my allergist and apparently is quite famous. We lucked up because they had just recently reopened for the season and we were able to get there pretty early (before 7) which means we didn’t have to wait. All I can say is…go here! If you like seafood (especially crab) then it’s a must visit destination. I’m a vegetarian and still had a great meal. I highly recommend the Grilled Tomatoes and Key Lime pie.
YUCA stands for Young Urban Cuban American and if you’re confused it’s okay, because the food is still delicious. This came recommended from a friend and I don’t know if it’s well known or not, but I do know that everyone at the table enjoyed their meal. I had the Guacamole Habenero and Garden Greens to start, followed by the Saquitos de Hongo and a side of black beans. I was not disappointed in a single thing and left uncomfortably full. I definitely want to go back next time I’m in town.
We ended up going down to Lincoln Road on Halloween as we had been told it’s the place to go on Halloween to see everyone in costume. We got there quite early (6:30) so we could get a table on the street (see YUCA, above). It did not disappoint as adults, kids, and dogs, all came out to show off their costumes. Things really start getting crazy after 9, but we were on our way out by then. The streets were a sea of people and the traffic on the bridge into Miami Beach extended for what looked like miles as we were on our way back to the hotel by the airport. If you ever find yourself in Miami and Halloween, I highly recommend heading down to Lincoln Road.