Well, it’s the New Year which means it’s time for resolutions. I’ve only got one this year — to be better at following through with things. I’ve got dozens of ideas, projects, dinner plans, etc., that I never make a reality. I’d like to change that this year.
I will make an effort to post about my various adventures, however small, at least twice a month in this space. I’ll keep it primarily tied to travel here, but may link you over to some other projects I’m working on later.
The past 6 weeks have been a whirlwind. I went back to Miami, headed to Houston right after Christmas, and spent the past weekend in Atlanta visiting some of the bf’s family. I’ve got one more trip planned for January (back to Atlanta), and then I’ll be home for a few weeks before making what’s become my annual trip to Canada for work.
But, back to Miami. Three things stick out from my visit.
Food
I ate a little TOO well while in Miami. So much variety of food and when I travel with work I’m more apt to eat things that aren’t quite healthy. Nevertheless, they were delicious. Three places really stick out from this visit.
Red Koi – This was in Coral Gables and featured a mixture of Japanese and Thai. We decided to go there after scoping out the other options along the Miracle Mile and we were not disappointed. I stuck to sushi (vegetable) and it was all delicious.
Tradewinds – This restaurant is in the Bayside area of downtown (close to the American Airlines arena) and SCREAMS tourist trap. However, after 20 minutes of indecisiveness amongst my lunch group, we ended up grabbing a table here. The only reason I’m mentioning it is because their veggie burger was really, really good. I was completely shocked. I can’t speak to anything else on the menu, but this place beats Hillstone/Houston’s veggie burger any day.
Lulu in the Grove – This was a lunch suggestion from a coworker and a group of 5 went one night. They were having a drink special on the caipirinha the night we went and it was delicious. I also ended up getting a veggie burger there and was very impressed. Most of the other folks got beef of some variety and all liked it.
Key West
After being told by about a dozen people that Key West was a must-see, I relented and drove down with a coworker on a Saturday morning. The drive is about 3 hours from downtown Miami, but it doesn’t feel that long and it’s quite scenic. We even saw a Key deer on the way back. The city reminded me of a mixture between New Orleans and the Caribbean and I can definitely see myself returning with some friends for a long weekend. Once we arrived we parked the car, grabbed lunch, and rented some bikes to go exploring. We rode to the Southernmost point in the U.S., the cemetery, through some neighborhoods, to a marine museum, and then to the beach. It was an exhausting, but awesome day. I was not quite prepared for how warm it would be, but I survived in my jeans and polo.
Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses
It just so happened that 2 blocks from my hotel at the Adrienne Arsht center, Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses was coming! As I had been dying to go since I first heard about it months ago I decided immediately to buy a ticket. All I can say is that it was epic. I loved every moment of it. I’m not even the biggest Zelda fan, but I LOVE the scores and the way they arranged them and paired them with clips and stories from the video games was fantastic. If this happens to come to your city it’s a must see. The current tour is wrapping up in February, but I have a hunch they will set out again.
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Overall I enjoyed Miami, but this trip helped me conclude it’s not a place I could ever live. It’s too hot and too crowded and just a little too fast-paced for me. I’m beginning to get attached to a slower paced, two-star town kind of life.