Miami Nice....Miami Beach...Nicer

Part I - The Blog Portion

It's 6 a.m, and still very dark outside, on this our last day in Miami Beach. Looking out over the North Bay from our 8^th floor apartment, the weather is providing quite a show. 

Bolts of lightning bring the city into day only to have it disappear instantly ...a simply awesome display. Sipping my first morning coffee, I realize how much I'll certainly miss this island....and this life. Tomorrow, it's back to snowy Canada.

View from our apartment

For the past 8 days, we've been living a new situation. Not as racy as it might sound at first, we have, simply put, been sharing a big, beautiful accommodation with the condo owner, Fabrice and his girlfriend, Anastasia. In effect, it's like a B and B...in the sky. It really has been marvelous.




Thanks to 22 islands, both natural and man-made, there is a barrier reef which protects the city from the Atlantic. The biggest of these islands, the only natural one, and a preeminent beach resort is Miami Beach, population 87,779.

I feel far more at home in Miami Beach than in Miami proper and it's not just the beaches, as beautiful as they are. Culturally, like its big sister across the bay, the city is starkly influenced by it's Spanish heritage (let's not forget that the U.S. purchased Florida from Spain). 

In fact, first-language speakers of Spanish account for 55% of its residents, while at-home English speakers make up just 33% of the city's 90 thousand residents. And economically, you see everything on the island... from the very, very rich to the very poor (22% live below the poverty line). And yet, somehow it all works.

Reading, just waiting for a small storm to pass.

Although our apartment is on a point overlooking North Bay, we've only to step into the street to feel like part of the community...no ZIP Code Envy here. However, it always feels safe and already neighbours greet us each morning as we head out for the day.




Now I've got the itch. It's time to stretch. My “Speedy Gonzales” Spanish from my Bugs Bunny days just isn't enough. You know: “Ondalay, Ondalay! and Arriba! Arriba!”. It's cute once but it doesn't cut it with the locals. So what to do? I've been told by some great Hispanics that Miami is the perfect place to learn Spanish.

From our apartment we also have a wonderful view of of that other Miami, a city we've also come to know quite well. With its population of over 5.5 million, metropolitan Miami may well be the largest city in the South-East, the richest in the U.S., the “Cruise-Capital of the World”, "America's Cleanest City" (air quality, green spaces, clean drinking water and streets), 

and even home to the Miami Heat,...

BUT... all that fails in comparison to the fact that Miami is the ONLY CITY in the continental U.S. never to have reported snow in its weather history. NEVER!!!! Enough said!!!!

Month	J	F	M	A
Average high °F (°C)	74 (23)	75 (24)	77 (25)	79 (26)
Average low °F (°C)	62 (17)	64 (18)	66 (19)	70 (21)
Precipitation in. (mm)	2.1 (53)	2.2 (56)	2.8 (71)	3 (80)

O.K.! In a word, it ain't paradise but mmmm, close. Why? 

Well, the down side, of course, is the hurricane question and hurricanes can happen. The upside is that they rarely do. To be honest, that doesn't mean that Hurricane Andrew (1992) didn't hit the area, just not directly.

In 24 hours, we'll be on a plane for Ottawa, where the last reported snowfall occurred 6 days ago. Needless to say South Florida, this is most definitely just an “aurevoir”.

Part II - Some Pics we loved:

 Kids and their imagination.

 Flowers are everywhere here.

 Pure Zen at Miami Beach. 

 I loved her eyes and the light coming through the edges of  her wings.

Read the little sign at the bottom left!

This ain't Zen.  It just is...on the beaches of Miami       Beach.

 On Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.

  One of the entry points to the beach.





The Freedom Tower in Miami.  One of Linda's favorites.  Originally completed in 1925, the Freedom Tower is an example of a Mediterranean Revival styled structure. As refugees from Cuba fleeing Fidel Castro's communist regime arrived in Miami during the 1960s, the federal government used the facility to process, document and provide medical and dental services for the newcomers.

Shakira's house in Miami.  This Colombian-born international pop star has a net worth of $220 million dollars so we were told she could definitely afford this house.

Dredging the port is very important work.

The Port of Miami, Cruise Ship Capital of the World, and major port for the South-East.

Miami Beach City View from out apartment.



Linda's favourite building in South Beach on the other end of the island from us.  It sits right next to a port entry where an incredible renewal is occurring.  

In fact, renewal is occurring all over the island especially in the area of hotels and condominium projects.  It is really quite breath taking.  To watch this happen, one must think that the economy is rebounding.

Everywhere, there are bicycles for hire.

                                     







This couple forgot that the sun doesn't necessarily set over the ocean.  They were quite disappointed.

This is no gas station but rather a City Bank drive-up ATM. 

The Miami Beach Boardwalk, which runs parallel to the beach, makes for a full afternoon's walk if you do the return trip. It is highly interesting and provides for lots of interesting views.

This is the building we lived in.  A fantastic place.   Thanks for the hospitality, Fabrice and Anastasia.

And finally, one last memory from the beach.