7/4- Direct flight out of Birmingham. I had to get up super early but that was a price that I was willing to pay for more time at the beach. The flight landed at 9:15 and I eventually found my way out of the terminal and to the bus stop. No rental car was needed. It was just a 30 minute bus ride to South Beach and back for just $4.50. The bus stop was just a block away from my hotel, just 2 blocks from the beach for $150 per night. That's a smokin' deal!
As I posted earlier, the weather was a concern. You can expect about a 60+ percent chance of rain every day but it's rarely a total wash out. The air temperature remained below 90 for the entire trip. When it's overcast, it's actually pleasant to walk around but when the sun comes out after it rains, the humidity is extremely oppressive. The weather is also extremely unpredictable. Even the hourly forecast is totally unreliable. It can rain when it's expected to be dry and a predicted storm may never hit. Fortunately, I was never caught in a storm.
Today was overcast but mostly dry. I arrived at my hotel just before noon and surprisingly, my room was ready. I went straight out for pizza then spent about 4 hours on the beach and in the water. The water was a crystal clear emerald green with minimal surf. It wasn't dead flat but very few waves were big enough to ride. I knew that coming in and didn't even take my board. Winter or early Spring is your best bet for surf here. Dinner was a good steak and I had a Spanish conversation with a nice girl from Argentina. I headed to South Pointe Park for a decent sunset then went to bed early. I had been up since 4 AM.
7/5- More sun today but also more rain. Unless there is lightning in the area, most people, myself included, won't even bother getting out of the water. It rained 3 times today but none of them lasted more than 30 minutes. Sometimes it was still partly to mostly sunny but pouring rain at the same time. Crazy. I spent the morning at South Pointe. The only real difference between this area and near my hotel is that it is more shallow and doesn't get deep suddenly. Ideal for small children. Most of the day was spent at the beach but I did check out Lincoln Road shopping center after lunch. Dinner was another steak at a South American themed restaurant. My server was flat out beautiful and again, I did make small talk in Spanish. A friend of mine once said that if a guy needs Viagra, just send him to Miami and that will do the job. LOL.
7/6- Got up for a nice sunrise then stole another 2 hours on the beach before checking out. I took the bus back to the airport, dropped off my luggage then hit the subway train to downtown Miami. I was there for the Marlins game just as much as the beach.
The subway dropped me off about a Mile from the stadium. Though the neighborhood was a bit sketchy and the fans lacked passion, LoanDepot Park itself was surprisingly decent and better than expected. An indoor stadium really is necessary in Miami. My seats were on the 1st base side with a view of the city behind the glass. My losing streak continues as the Marlins went down 3-1.
After the game, I went back southbound on the subway to a nice park called Brickell Key. I probably had time to check out the area around Government Center as well but I was getting tired and hungry so it was back to the airport.
My hotel for this night was connected to the airport itself. Good call even if it was pricey. No need to worry about transportation the next morning and didn't have to get up super early to catch my flight.
7/7- Flight went off without a hitch but when I got off the plane, I noticed that my passport wasn't in my pocket. I checked inside my luggage and it wasn't there either. Most probably, I lost it after I went through Security. After I put my wallet and cell phone in my pockets, I got distracted and walked off without the passport. I'm afraid that I will have to replace it but it could have been worse. Imagine if that happened on an international layover! I will get the Star ID for domestic flights. There are no international trips on my radar until next January.
Not an all time great trip but still worth it.
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