I'm In Miami...

A postcard from Biscayne Park, a neighborhood in North Miami

I’m on my winter sun vacation and last week was a great one here in Miami then I was felled by a cold, which is of course the Murphy’s Law of vacations. Thus, here are a few photos from my photo roll because I’m too sickly to write anything cogent this week while I’m still here. Enjoy some snaps! Promise I’ll be back full force next week once I’m back in chilly Toronto.

We booked this Airbnb in a neighbourhood called Biscayne Park, which has been full of birds I’ve never seen before (I love birdwatching) and houses that look like Blanche’s in the Golden Girls. It was incredibly affordable (about $125 CAD a night, which is less than $100 USD a night, there was a discount for a longer stay), spacious, cute and has sparkly terrazzo floors that I love. It’s not walking distance to the beach though, it it were it would be double or triple the price I bet.

I’ve seen lots of bright birds I don’t recognize, plus blue jays and cardinals. Blue jays make a horrible screech, you hear them before you see them.

I love gawking at houses and architecture styles. I don’t know who lives here but this is a cute place.

It’s all bungalows here, classic South Florida style. I love them! This geometric parking pad really appeals to me, too.

Burke Recreation Center is our closest park. It’s one kilometer away and we’ve been walking there every morning for exercise (except the last couple days, I’ve been too sick). When the center staffers saw my son chilling at the picnic tables (he doesn’t partake in the laps I do around the park) one of the workers popped out and loaned him a basketball to play with, as there’s a basketball court there too. So nice!

I love this “plant swap” permanent table where residents drop off extra plants. That’s a coconut palm plant.

Beside it was a magnolia plant. Did you know you can use your iPhone to recognize plants? Take a photo then press the i button with a circle around it (you need to be connected to wifi or data) and it will scan the plant and tell you. Here’s an article with more details about this feature called Visual Look Up.

Last week we had absolutely perfect weather every day, I’m talking 24C and sunny, no wind. The last couple days have not been as nice, which is fine cause I’m stuck in bed! This is my kid at Surfside Beach. The other beaches we’ve been checking out are Hollywood, where Quebecois French is the main language you’ll hear and we had the best beach day at Haulover Park which is a public park with no apartments or hotels around it. My favorite beach though is Lummus Park, South Beach. I just think you can’t beat the huge width of the sand — it is so spacious — and the fact that the historic Art Deco hotels don’t block the sun. Don’t get me wrong, I like the other beaches but South Beach has a special vacation vibe.

My fellas were filming a comedy skit in public as they are wont to do. We were at Lincoln Road, a stretch of shops in Miami Beach. We ended that day at Shake Shack, where I ordered my usual: the Shack Stack burger topped with a cheese-stuffed fried mushroom AND a fried chicken burger. That’s right. I skip the fries so I have room for two burgers.

Alright, it’s back to bed with my box of tissues! Thanks so much for reading, I appreciate you.

Warmly,

Helen