DAY 10 - DAY 2 MIAMI

WE LOVE MIAMI

We slept very well and enjoyed breakfast in our room.

Keith went out on a couple of errands while Anne Marie got ready.  He went to the CVS which is a few blocks from the hotel and picked up a couple of items including Valentine's goodies for some members of the Crystal Serenity crew.

After returning to the hotel he went out on a run and then over to Publix Grocery to pick up additional items.

He was wearing his Four Seasons Hat which we got back in 2007 before our first World Cruise.

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The hotel has some unique art and one block away features similar art.

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As was the case in Beverly Hills scooters are very prevalent in the city.  Unfortunately some people speed on the sidewalk  so one false step by a pedestrian and you can easily get hit.  

As we said we do love Miami.  We like what they have done with the rebuilding of the city  and its diversity with people  visiting  from   all over  the world.

We thought we would share tidbits about Miami.

Miami was incorporated as a city in 1896.

The first hotel opened in 1934 in what became the Art Deco   District in South Beach.

The port of  Miami was established in 1960.  

The first professional sports  team,  the Miami Dolphins, came to the city in 1965.

The city went through major changes starting in  2006 and this continues with  major  development downtown.

We have been  very fortunate with the weather starting with Orlando.  A few  days before we arrived to Disney World   it was  rainy with five consecutive days  of rain.  The day we leave there are storms and it has turned much cooler starting on Sunday.

Miami weather is very nice.  Warmer the day we arrived and the forecast is for a low of high 50's (F) and highs in the low 70's (F)

We had at a terrific time today.  We walked from  the hotel  over  to the Intercontinental Hotel.  We could see the Oceania Cruise Ship at Terminal J.  From there we took Uber over to South Beach.  As we passed by the Port Of Miami we saw five other ships in port including ones for Carnival, MSC, NCL and Royal Caribbean.  

​We began our walk at the furthest point and walked towards the Art Deco  area with the famous Art Deco Hotels.  Many people were dining at the outdoor areas serving breakfast.  After several blocks we stopped for a photo at  the wall marking the date and temperature which is a tradition for us and proceeded towards the beach area.  Lots of people out on the beach.  

From there we continued along the path with the ocean and beach on the right and lots of hotels and condominiums on the left.  Lots of people out walking, running, biking and on scooters.  Very upbeat.

Further along the pathway we are to Les Lalanne at The Raleigh Gardens.  This art exhibit began running on November 24 last year thru February 29 of this year.  The art work is amazing and they brought in all of the plants and trees and planted sod.  

Claude Lalanne 1924 -  2019 & Francois-Savier Lalanne 1927 to 2008 are known individually and  collectively since the mid 1960's for their unique style of innovative poetic and surrealist sculpture.  They used the renaissance are of casting forms from life while using contemporary electro-plating techniques.  Their art has been featured around the world including at Musee Des Arts in Paris.  

We continued our walk over to Lincoln Road which has lots of hotels, restaurants,  stores, and cafes.  Dining options include inside and outside venues.

After our walk we took Uber over to Whole Food in the downtown area where we picked up some items for the cruise and lunch.

We walked back to the hotel.

The weather was perfect.  We wore light jackets because of the breeze.  In the shade it felt a little cool while in the open area it felt warmer.  It felt like a spring or fall day where we live.  

Keith ran one errand and "ran" is literal.  As he was leaving the hotel he took the elevator down with two members of the Portland Trailblazers NBA team.  They are playing the Miami Heat this evening.  We know from past stays where we saw players from the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors this hotel is where the visiting team stays.  On the way back Keith spoke with two other players for the Trailblazers.  If only Keith was eight inches taller when he played basketball.  Who knows.  LOL.

We went back out in the afternoon.  

We walked along Biscayne Bay and over to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel located on the man-made island of Brickell-Key which is a 44 acre Island.  In addition to the hotel the Island is home to several condominiums.  We enjoy the views and the art work.

We also walked other areas downtown and we got in plenty of steps and miles. 10+ miles for Anne Marie and 15+ miles for Keith.  Six months ago we wouldn't have predicted Anne Marie would do what she did today.  

Tomorrow we plan another long walk.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith