Welcome to Miami

Yes, we did have a 40-minute delay taking off from DEN. But who’s complaining? Not us. It was for safety reasons … the aircraft had to be de-iced twice before it could wing its way to Miami with us onboard.

Yes, the flight had some turbulent moments. But who’s complaining? Not us. We were in the air and not stuck on the ground at DEN due to weather considerations. Besides, for most of the flight, we glimpsed blue skies and sunshine through the porthole.

At 2:47p, we landed at MIA … 81F and sunny … with a light breeze fanning the palm trees and keeping us comfortable. Our bags came onto the luggage carousel shortly after we arrived to collect them. And then, off to the MIA Mover to get ourselves over to the Intermodal Center where the rental car companies are located. A shiny red Kia Soul was the perfect fit for us — and our luggage. Soon, with the GPS giving us directions, we were on our way to the accommodations we had booked through VRBO … at the W Residences at Icon Brickell.

A rep from the management company welcomed us in the lobby and escorted us to the condo on the 32nd floor. A quiet building — unlike our last experience with a residence in Miami. Clean; modern decor; a kitchen with all the amenities … including a bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge; and a bedroom separate from the living room so Mui can go to bed early as he is wont to do while I stay up late to write my footprints 😉

Once we were settled in, we set off to provision ourselves … the plan being to self-cater breakfast and dinner; dine out for lunch while we are running errands or sightseeing over the next couple of days. Our destination was the Whole Foods just across the Miami River from where we are located … walking distance.

Somewhere along the way, however, we detoured to the Miami Riverwalk and found ourselves enjoying the holiday cheer evident around downtown. Soon, we were at the Bayside Marketplace. Might as well grab a bite to eat! And some dessert too … in the form of delicious gelato from Mammamia!

Our only complaint? The deafening music blaring from all the different venues … clashing into a din that was unpleasant at best. Time to head back to the condo … making sure to stop off at Whole Foods first. Better late than never.

Tomorrow has been set aside as a day for errands. What we get to do during our remaining days in Miami after that will depend entirely on how much we accomplish tomorrow.Read more