A Pleasant Visit

Somewhere, far, far away in a southeastern part of the United States, there is a place where Canadians go to retire when they get old. In a corner of the state of Florida, there is a seaport city called Miami where 5 and a half million people call home, many of them Cuban Americans, but of course many more are Canadians over 60 who like to golf.

This is where the story of 4 non retirees took place. A city which has been ranked number one for cruise passenger ports in the world, one of the richest cities in the U.S. and even ranked the world's cleanest city by Forbes in 2008.

The Jackie Gleason Theater. Non of the other 3 Canadians had any idea who Jackie was, but the look on their aunt/mother's face when we pulled up in a 1960 top down convertible to snap this picture was priceless.

Our tour was 2 and half hours long and included, as well as Miami Beach and City, Downtown and Overtown Miami, uptown, hightown, left and right town, but also a look around the newer, hipster neighborhood of Wynwood, an Art and Fashion District. Here we found the Wynwood Walls, where around 30 artists from around the world created a mecca of street art.

After photographing this uncanny resemblance to some people I know, (don't worry none of those I'm thinking of are Canadian!) much to the shock and surprise of the other 3, we stopped for a 30 minute ride in a helicopter. High above the magnificence of Miami, we saw the many skyscraper buildings, rooftop pools, beaches, sharks, JLo's pad, P. Diddy's pad, naked dudes, and all the way down to the southernmost tip, the city's oldest structure, a lighthouse. The only thing we didn't see were the Everglades. I guess Kirsti will be asking for her money back.

Another priceless moment was the look on Kirsti's face when a stretch limousine picked us up for dinner.

I don't think she uses this method of transportation to get to work everyday.

We were picked up and taken to an undisclosed location. Our tummies, however, gave us an inkling.

Crust is an Italian gem of a restaurant, located in the up-and-coming River district in Miami. It has been ranked number one on Trip Advisor for the last 2 years. Reasonably priced, casual, yet stylish, we all enjoyed stuffing ourselves to the brim. The food was so filling we had to take most of it home with us, and the restaurant even gave us a shot of free after dinner port.

All in all, except for the lack of Everglades tour, it was a pleasant visit. I guess next time Kirsti will just have to be in charge!

Here's to many more visits,

Bailey Sue