4 posts tagged “miami”
The short version:
Miami freaking rules and I can't wait to go back. I am covered in mosquito bites. Pictures tomorrow night. Of Miami, not the mosquito bites.
The long version:
-flying into Houston in the middle of a thunderstorm...why God made Rescue Remedy
-sitting in the Houston airport for 4 hours, and then flying back out through the next thunderstorm
-watching lightning bounce from cloud to cloud while flying high above the spectacular show
-no small cars left by the time I finally go into Miami, so they rented me an uncomfortably ginormous Chevy Uplander
-driving down I95 at 1 in the morning, chanting to myself: "millions of soccer moms drive these things, so can I"
-Art Deco yumminess and my room key attached to a toy alligator at the super-charming Indian Creek Hotel
-morning walk on the boardwalk along the ocean down into South Beach
-all manner of beach bums and bunnies
-wandering around the Art Deco district, stumbling upon one beautiful building after another
-tamarind BBQ duck confit and fontina sandwich + kimchee slaw + Chardonnay
-lazy afternoons by the pool, listening to dim horny youngsters attempt to flirt with each other
-my own personal pool cat
-I always forget the sun doesn't go down over the water on that side of the country
-I always forget how attractive I find surfer boys, especially really cut surfer boys
-grilled sea scallops in a zesty tomato sauce with currants, chorizo, and crusty bread + Pinot Grigio + warm baklava with dried apricots and honeyed yogurt
-dining outdoors for pretty much every meal
-climbing all 109 steps of a swaying spiral staircase on trembling legs up the middle of the Cape Florida lighthouse
-views of Stiltsville (and the suddenly incoming storm) from up top
-following a peregrine falcon through mangrove wetlands in Bill Baggs State Park, trying not to think about possible alligators lurking by the side of the trail
-grilled shrimp skewers + flan post-hike, overlooking No Name Harbor
-I had hoped that in the 15 years since I was last in Florida the mosquitoes might have forgotten how tasty they find me
-crepe Italienne with prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella + the house red + Earl Grey to sober up again
-strolling along Espanola Ave by night with a cone of strawberry ice cream
-a program of this year's Oscar-nominated short drama films at the wonderfully intimate Miami Beach Cinemateque, all of the films inspiring in their own way, but especially the takes-place-in-Senegal Binta and the Great Idea
-the infinitely disturbing display of South Beach on a Friday night
-Roman omelette with tomatoes, kalamata olives, and dry ricotta + Mimosa
-the Holocaust Memorial
-70 galleries from all over Latin America gathered into the Miami Convention Center for ArteAmericas
-compliments and double-takes and blatant scoping
-pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a creamy pink sauce + Pinot Noir + white-chocolate-dipped ice cream in a hot chocolate sauce
-Aterciopelados bringing the awesome funky Colombian psych-rock to the North Beach Bandshell, under the stars and right next to the water
-my iPod seeing fit to play Sufjan Stevens's Chicago just as the shores of Lake Michigan came into view
-pure agony: merely being on layover in Chicago and not being able to stay a few days
-consoling myself with a slice of deep dish in the airport
-home sweet kitties
I made it to Union Square and Ginger's Trois too late on Saturday to catch the bulk of the Ninth Annual Brides of March, but I did find two brides stumbling to their bus home who relayed tales of much carousing, startled tourists, and white dresses as far as the eye could see. Flickr corroborates their account. Me, I bought some cheap nail polish at Walgreen's and went home and painted my toes.
Female Soldiers - Afraid of Their Comrades:
Fear of assault and rape by their fellow soldiers discourage female troops in Iraq from using the toilet; some have died of dehydration. Amy Goodman talks to an Iraq vet about her experience.
Weight lifter: diagram from A Book of the Knowledge of Mechanical Contrivances by Al-Jaziri, Persia, 1206
In a couple days I'm off to Miami for a long weekend and some art, food, manatees, and much-needed relaxation. See you when I get back!
I'm indescribably jealous of anyone heading off to Art Basel next week, even if I have my own trip to Miami all booked for March. I dream of purchasing a wee piece by Andre Ethier (above left) or Taravat Talepasand, and then kicking back at the Albion South Beach (above right) with a fruity alcoholic beverage. In actuality my budget will limit me to looking but not buying in the Miami galleries, and I'll be staying at the more modest Indian Creek Hotel. But three days back from Africa and already I'm salivating for more vacation.
