Miami Beach…

What does one actually do in Miami Beach? I’m not entirely certain. Aside from clubbing, spring break and food, what is there? Sunshine. That’s what’s happening. And in March, when things are muddy with a smattering of rain or snow back home, Miami sounds pretty appealing. Leaving home in 50 degree highs, straight to the high 80’s seemed pretty fabulous. And so we did.

The Beach

The East Coast Greenway runs the 9 mile length of Miami Beach. Technically, it goes clear up to Maine. But we were only interested in sticking to Miami. The trail is mostly paved and, during daylight hours, always busy. It seems as if everyone’s enjoying the trail. Walking, running, biking or roller blading. Motors are strictly prohibited. E-bikes included. It’s one rule they very much seem to enforce.

Our first day, we headed North from Mid Beach, where we stayed. Wound up being 14+ miles round trip to the end of Bal Harbor Jetty. I did it in flip flops. Perhaps not the wisest. That’s a lotta miles in flips. Might have made the pads of my feet ache. They were perfectly fine by the next day so well worth not getting sand in my shoes. I hate sand. Really I do. It gets everywhere. And I simply have zero tolerance for sand in my sneakers. So flips it was. I regret nothing.

Like novices, we left the house sans sunscreen. I could feel myself burning. And I definitely saw Doug burning. He doesn’t usually burn. Being a horrible human being, I got a kick out how crispy he got. Not full on lobster but certainly worse than me. That never happens. First burn of the year.

Day two we chose to rent bikes. There are bike stations all over the city. Ridiculously easy to use. And it’s flat, so it’s effortless riding.

Lunch

When our stomachs announced it was lunch time, we headed inland for taco’s. Found a popular little shop called Taquiza. Yum. I relished a grilled shrimp and an Al Pastor taco. The shrimp was by far the best, I swear it melted in your mouth. The latter did not seem to be real Al Pastor, more like pork with pineapple. But it was still tasty. Doug loved the Barbacoa, though I thought his fish taco was superior. This was probably my favorite meal in Miami.

Having always heard the dining in Miami is superb, we were surprised to find it hit or miss. And Doug researched the living daylights out of it. One place had 12K+ glowing reviews. It was solidly not good. Oh well. Win some and loose some. Though I didn’t know one could mess up a fish taco quite that bad. That place was in South Beach.

Lifeguard Stations

Amid all that sand lay the lifeguard stations. Lining the length of the beach, they lend vibrant pops of color at regular intervals. While so many of the high rises are a monotone white (why so boring?), these have been painted to grab your attention. I adored their fluorescent hues and funky shapes. Spiky reptilian-esque rooflines? Why not? Rainbow sherbert colors? Absa-freaking-lutely! What’s not to love?

Whenever you tire of the beach, head inland for a drink, a snack or shade!