Tour guides
Alex and I just spent four days escorting youngest daughter Jessica and her husband Neil around the beach when they journeyed here from the south Oregon coast. We were thrilled to be able to show them the sights and to see things we would never have sought out on our own.
The first day we walked around South Beach, window-shopping and people-watching on Lincoln Road, Ocean Drive, and the promenade. We had lunch at Wolfie's (now Jerry's Deli) on Collins and then hit the beach for a lazy afternoon. The beach was a little too cold, but we consoled ourselves in the heated swimming pool. After dinner we saw Gran Torino at Lincoln Road.
We drove out to the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, about an hour west of the beach, where Heather had been a teacher in the tribal school. One of her former students now runs the airboat ride business there. We admired the gorgeously pieced colorful skirts in the gift shop, stitched by the talented Miccosukee women. A short ride through the Everglades on an airboat showed us half a dozen alligators and huge elegant birds, among them herons and egrets. We took the long way east on 8th Street which becomes Calle Ocho in the Cuban barrio. Lunch at Versailles was a festive immersion into the Cuban community. We located a picturesque fabrica de cigarros where Alex and Neil purchased some cigars made from tobacco originating in Cuba. We found the Mexican restaurant where my Spanish teacher Liliana had taken me for lunch, Taquieras El Mexicano on 5th Ave. and Calle Ocho, near the Brickell financial district. We wandered through the glamourous downtown area with dozens of new and architecturally interesting skyscrapers, including the ballet center and the Arsht Center for the performing arts.
We broke our fast on Saturday morning at a restaurant on Ocean Drive, watching the parade of beautiful people and a dog show devoted to dachsunds (!) The afternoon was a perfect beach day with warm sun and cloudless sky. Bird and Neil amassed an impressive collection of shells that Bird will incorporate into her art. Saturday night, they went out on their own to South Beach.
On Sunday, we drove out to Key Biscayne, a short drive, no more than 1/2 hour, but an amazing show of natural beauty. When a recent hurricane ripped up the non-native pines populating the island, the locals took the opportunity to replant with all native species. The result is an amazing display of arborial profusion. We spent time walking on the beach and hiking through the forest, also climbing to the top of the lighthouse for a spectacular view of the ocean, bay, and city. Lunch was at the Jaguar ceviche spoon bar in Coconut Grove, where we had Ecuadorian and Peruvian ceviche (they're different!) and finished it off with frozen yoghurt from Coco Walk. Bird and Neil spent the last night exploring on their own.
They were both charmed by the city, its diverse population and culture, the animated street life, the lush vegetation, and of course the ocean.
The first day we walked around South Beach, window-shopping and people-watching on Lincoln Road, Ocean Drive, and the promenade. We had lunch at Wolfie's (now Jerry's Deli) on Collins and then hit the beach for a lazy afternoon. The beach was a little too cold, but we consoled ourselves in the heated swimming pool. After dinner we saw Gran Torino at Lincoln Road.
We drove out to the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, about an hour west of the beach, where Heather had been a teacher in the tribal school. One of her former students now runs the airboat ride business there. We admired the gorgeously pieced colorful skirts in the gift shop, stitched by the talented Miccosukee women. A short ride through the Everglades on an airboat showed us half a dozen alligators and huge elegant birds, among them herons and egrets. We took the long way east on 8th Street which becomes Calle Ocho in the Cuban barrio. Lunch at Versailles was a festive immersion into the Cuban community. We located a picturesque fabrica de cigarros where Alex and Neil purchased some cigars made from tobacco originating in Cuba. We found the Mexican restaurant where my Spanish teacher Liliana had taken me for lunch, Taquieras El Mexicano on 5th Ave. and Calle Ocho, near the Brickell financial district. We wandered through the glamourous downtown area with dozens of new and architecturally interesting skyscrapers, including the ballet center and the Arsht Center for the performing arts.
We broke our fast on Saturday morning at a restaurant on Ocean Drive, watching the parade of beautiful people and a dog show devoted to dachsunds (!) The afternoon was a perfect beach day with warm sun and cloudless sky. Bird and Neil amassed an impressive collection of shells that Bird will incorporate into her art. Saturday night, they went out on their own to South Beach.
On Sunday, we drove out to Key Biscayne, a short drive, no more than 1/2 hour, but an amazing show of natural beauty. When a recent hurricane ripped up the non-native pines populating the island, the locals took the opportunity to replant with all native species. The result is an amazing display of arborial profusion. We spent time walking on the beach and hiking through the forest, also climbing to the top of the lighthouse for a spectacular view of the ocean, bay, and city. Lunch was at the Jaguar ceviche spoon bar in Coconut Grove, where we had Ecuadorian and Peruvian ceviche (they're different!) and finished it off with frozen yoghurt from Coco Walk. Bird and Neil spent the last night exploring on their own.
They were both charmed by the city, its diverse population and culture, the animated street life, the lush vegetation, and of course the ocean.
posted by Jane Rosen | 5:23 AM
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