South Beach Sizzle!

It is so good to be back into the swing of things, albeit a much more scaled down and precarious one. However, I did get a chance to get out, stretch my wings, and enjoy and amazing Birthday/Anniversary week! We left Sacramento in the early morning on Monday, September 6th. After a few cocktails, a couple of movies, we arrived in Miami. We flew American Airlines, and actually had a great experience. Paying a little extra to fly first class was definitely worth it, as you were more spread out, and actually could eat and drink up there. We were well taken care of, and ready to start this party!

We chose to stay at the Loew's in South Beach Miami. We actually stayed there before, when we left in March of 2020 for our cruise. We were quickly checked in, and they even upgraded us when they found out it was my birthday and our anniversary! So we had a great room with views of the beach and a balcony. As with many disruptions COVID has caused, our room was only going to be cleaned once while we were there, although they did reiterate that if we needed anything we could call or text and they would be happy to accommodate. Since we got in somewhat late in the day, we pretty much grabbed a late dinner, and planted ourselves at a karaoke bar, that was conveniently located right across the street.

So the name of the place across the street was 9BEACH Latin Restaurant. It is a restaurant, but we went for some cocktails and karaoke fun! They actually do karaoke there every night at 9pm! It was a cool vibe, chill environment, and the bartenders were on point! This literally would turn into our late night go-to almost everyday. Our buddy that came with us is super into karaoke, and even DJ's for a local place back home. So the three of us were totally in our element. Note to all, the bars in Miami don't close until 5am! It is amazing how fast the time goes when you're having fun.

The next day, we took a long Uber ride over to Gator Park which is out in the Everglades. Highly, highly recommend! This is actually our second time to this very same park. Our tour guide, Roger (who we actually requested the second time), was AMAZING! We paid extra to have our own private airboat, but they also offer group tours that are very reasonably priced. Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Miami, please go see them. It does not disappoint. The scenery, the gators, the people, everything was just awesome! It is a long way from South Beach however, with our Uber ride being almost an hour. But, they do tours every 30 minutes or so, and it's not something you have to have planned and booked in advance. They are most accommodating for people like us, who just wanted to pop in and head out.

So if you scroll through the pictures above, you can see what amazing scenery there is! The first picture is actually a picture of a gator nest. She will scrape up those reeds in the water and keep moving in a circle to build up this mound. She lays her eggs here, and will stay with the nest until they hatch. Unfortunately we stumbled upon one that was already vacated, but our guide told us, if her eggs were still there, or the babies were still super small, she would definitely let her presence known! If you see one of these while you're out walking (if you're crazy enough to be out walking in the everglades), watch out! Mom is probably not far away. The gator in the 4th picture is about a 6 foot gator. Roger had guessed he had just eaten, because he seemed unbothered by the company, not trying to get away, or avoid the camera. These are alligators, not crocodiles, since alligators live primarily in fresh water. While they can tolerate salt water for short periods, they are not built to withstand the harsher environment. Plus, as we learned on our tour, crocs are always smiling as they have larger teeth that tend to stick out of their mouths. While alligators can get pretty big, our guide told us the biggest one he has seen was about 12 feet long! Fun fact, Florida is the only place on earth that you can see alligators and crocodiles.

The next day we decided it was a good time to relax, and hang out by the pool. I will say, getting down there early is crucial if you are looking to get decent chairs near the pool, especially if there are a lot of you. The great thing about our hotel was the accommodations at the pool were free, and all of the chairs came with a towel, as well as a cover. You simply walk up, and all the people they have working there take care of the rest. The pool bar opens at 11am, and you have a waiter who will come around to check on you for food and drinks. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised about how good the food was at the pool bar. We tried various appetizers on the menu, and were happy with all of them. I definitely recommend the Frose, which is frozen Rose wine. Typically it is simply Rose, strawberries, a sweetener, and ice, but a lot of restaurants add a little vodka. While I am not one for the sweeter, fruity drinks of the tropics, this is one I always have to try! The pool is about a 10 second walk to the beach, which was awesome! Loews also offers chaise lounges and cabanas at the beach if you want; we just bounced back and forth between the two which was awesome! While I thought we wouldn't make it the whole day, we actually just relaxed, floated in the pool, jumped in the ocean, and lounged around ALL DAY! It was amazing!

Later that night we headed out for my Birthday Dinner. We made reservations at a place called Red Steakhouse. Oh My Goodness! Seriously was the BEST meal I have ever had. We started with the shrimp cocktail, with huge pawns and the perfect compliment of tangy cocktail sauce. Dave & I split the ribeye, and seriously, if you like steak, you have to check this place out! The meat was perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection! They will even cut and split the steak for you, so you don't have to worry about it. We complimented it with the au gratin potatoes and mac and cheese. A definite diet ruiner, but it was TOTALLY worth it! While I was completely full and satisfied, they did bring us a dessert menu. While I am not a big one for sweets, I saw doughnut holes on the menu and I could not say no. They were more like beignets then doughnuts, and came out served with three different dipping sauces; chocolate ganache, salted caramel and raspberry jam. We literally ate all of them! So amazing!

The week flew by, but we definitely made the best of it. We spent another day at the pool, did the cruise through Biscayne Bay to see where all the celebrities and super rich live, checked out a few more restaurants, sang more karaoke, and just had an absolute blast! Another really fun bar to check out is Finnegan's Way on Ocean Drive. That bar is super fun, with a great and lively environment. Also, since it was September, and I am a die hard Cowboys fan, we popped over to Grails. Seriously, this sports bar is amazing! TV's everywhere, good bar food, and a super cool environment. Also, if you're fortunate enough to have a cool Uber or Lyft driver that knows the area, make sure to have them take you to the speakeasy. You literally walk through a porta-potty door, and are transported in a dark bar, with super loud music. It is a definite must see! So as you can tell, Miami, especially South Beach, is a really fun place to check out. Whether you are going to relax, see the sights, or want to party into the wee hours, South Beach has it all.