Moon Over Miami

Campbell just about recovered from the emotional impact of Walt Disney World - not any of the usual roller coaster rides mind you, but Frozen, the Little Mermaid and the Three Caballeros. At Epcot’s American Adventure (named after my blog!) I fell asleep and woke up to Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin atop the Statue of Liberty imploring America to ‘spread her golden wings’, while Campbell sobbed uncontrollably beside me!

Used Campbell’s new toy - his Uber app - to get back to the airport where I hired a car for the next part of the American Adventure - a drive around Florida. The car was a nice Nissan Subaru which sped us down to Miami Beach. Spent two nights at the 1940s San Juan Hotel in fashionable South Beach. We felt just like Betty Grable and Don Ameche in ‘Moon Over Miami’ (not sure who was who).

We did a bus tour of Miami over the causeway, admiring the gleaming skyscrapers, visiting Little Havana with its cigar shops and old men playing dominoes. What a lovely city it is - much nicer than I expected - seen too much Miami Vice!

By this time I wanted to ‘feel some sun on my face’ like Sugar Kane (happy memories of ‘Sugar’). The hotel provided a beach bag and towels and we headed to the beautiful white sands of Miami Beach where we were provided with complimentary beds and umbrella. I enjoyed a swim in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, undeterred by the suspected shark attack we witnessed the night before, but 5 minutes later an almighty thunderstorm and torrential rain cleared the beach - I mean we can get this at home!

We took the complimentary trolley to the famous Art Deco District of South Beach, stopping for a photo opportunity outside Gianni Versace’s villa on Ocean Drive where he was assassinated on the front steps. The pastel colours of the Art Deco hotels did not look quite as glamorous in the pouring rain.

After dinner we took the free trolley back, during which an over-excited African-American woman went round asking where everyone was from: ‘We got Scatland in da house!’ she shrieked. ‘Am gonna do a little twerking jus fo yo’. And twerking she did - see photo!

At night we took a drive to the huge Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale to see the professional tour of the musical A Bronx Tale. Thoroughly enjoyed the show which neither of us had seen before. Another full day...Read more