Miami, Two Years Later

 The last time we were in Miami was exactly two years ago, in November, 2021, to take our, as it turned out, final cruise on the 'old' Crystal. This time, at least, we managed to avoid the heavy rain that we had in 2021. A large storm had just gone through South Florida the day before we arrived.

Cloud cover over the lake as we took off

We arrived in Miami in the evening and had no trouble getting a taxi from the airport to our hotel, the downtown Hyatt Regency. We had had a meal on the plane, so we didn't need anything for dinner. We'd already found a potential restaurant for breakfast the next day, and were looking forward to trying it out.

Saturday morning was more cloudy than sunny and a little cool, but that was no issue. Our plan after breakfast was to walk around the area a bit and then do a little shopping at the local CVS drug store for a few items we can't get at home.

Fiore Caffe, also known online as Chicken and the Egg, is an all-day brunch restaurant which is, unfortunately for those who like to eat outside, right next to the entry/exit for a parking garage.  That doesn't seem to matter much, though, as it was quite full when we arrived at around 9:30

Silk flowers are the name of the game decor-wise here, as you can see from the photo. The ceiling over the tables is covered with them, and there are even garlands hanging on the outside of the windows. They do have real palm bushes along the roadside to screen off the tables there. As much of the crockery as they could find also has floral themes. This is one of those places that you can't miss if you walk by.

On to breakfast. We opted for some more traditional items ourselves, but I couldn't help myself from taking photos of some of the less-healthy menu options at a nearby table:

Oreo Cookie Pancakes with a side of 'Tater Tots

Chicken and Waffles

The Oreo Cookie Pancakes were so huge, and, I'm sure, filling, that the rather large gentleman who ordered them only managed to eat half!

Larry had a Bacon, Egg, Lettuce and Tomato (B.E.L.T.) Sandwich and I opted for Avocado Toast. Both were quite delicious and not overly filling.

Our first destination after breakfast was Bayside Park, where we went to buy, of all things, hats! We had been so busy in the past week that we had forgotten to pack them. That being done, we wandered through the area and found a couple of small corners that weren't there before.

A small pond, complete with a pair of birds, and 
a bridge at the far end

After a brief reconnaissance stop at the Intercontinental Hotel, where we will be staying for a night in February, we took one of the paths along the edge of the Miami River which serve as jogging and dog-walking areas for the condo residents. We've never seen so many dogs in a couple of hours' walk than we did today.

As we kept walking, we found a very low (no boat traffic) bridge that led us to Brickell Key. This island may have been there before, but now it is one condo building after another. The bridge, more like a causeway, is the only way on and off the island.


This area actually has some archaeological significance. Signs on the path indicate that there had been a settlement of natives known as the Tequesta, the remains of which were found when an old apartment building was being demolished to build luxury condos in the late 1990s. It is a perfect circle with holes in the bedrock that indicate a permanent structure had been built there. Since it was dated at 1,700 to 2,000 years old, it is apparently the oldest evidence of such structure in the Eastern U.S. The actual Miami Circle, as it is called, is now a park area.

There is quite a bit of artwork along these
pathways. This is the Centinielo del Rio,
or the Sentinel of the River.

By the time we finished our walk and shopping and got back to the hotel to prepare for our dinner at Truluck's, our Fitbits told us we had walked over 15,000 steps!

Dinner was, as usual, a delicious meal. I started off with a Burrata and Tomato Salad, and Larry had some East Coast Oysters. One of the sauces for the oysters was a Mignonette, which is usually red wine and shallots. Their spin on it tasted really nice and was made from sparkling wine, shallots, fresh ginger, and lime juice.

Of course, we had to have Stone Crab Claws, since we can't get them anywhere else. The menu has some really appetizing options, but with our limited chance on the stone crab, we couldn't pass it up. We each had a platter of 6 medium sized claws, that came with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus on the side.

And, of course, Key Lime Pie for dessert! They serve the large slice along with a knife, a cake server and 2 plates so you can cut it up however you want. It's delicious, but probably replaced all the calories we walked off during the day!

On the way back to the hotel, we passed the courtyard in front of a local office building that already had the Christmas lights on the palm trees and a huge wreath above the entrance. I think we took a photo of this in 2021 as well.

After an enjoyable day, we went back to the hotel, looking forward to our transfer to Oceania Vista.