First of all, I am so bummed I haven't been able to write in the past month. Work and life have been crazy and some days I barely find time to feed myself let alone write. I hope to make more time for blogging because it really is something I enjoy and is a good break from the hustle and bustle.
Because I have been working so hard lately, I decided to treat myself to a long girls weekend in Miami Beach with one of my best friends. She just finished up her accounting internship and a vaca was definitely needed by the both of us.
Thursday was a busy day for me filled with a full day of work in the lab followed by a trip to Madison to recruit at a STEM career fair before heading down to Chicago to meet Sarah. By the time I arrived it was a little after 11pm and we had to be awake by 230am to make our 5am flight. Needless to say, I was beat by the time we got on the plane but we were excited and eager to get into the sunshine and warmth of Miami.
We arrived at 945am Miami time to 80 degree weather and loads of sunshine. Luckily, our hotel provided a luggage check so we could go out and venture without having to lug around our bags. We were off to grab some Huevos Rancheros at Maxine's before heading to the beach. To our surprise, it is apparently common for a restaurant to add 18% gratuity to every check (definitely something to be aware of when traveling to Miami). After eating, we ventured to the beach where we were greeted by palm trees and white sand beaches.
We spent most of our time on the beach lounging in beach chairs reading and soaking in the sun. I honestly wouldn't have had it any other way. One of the best parts about the trip was that we didn't make any real plans and were just able to relax. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.
When the sun was too hot to handle, we would take a dip into the ocean. The turquoise water was cool enough to be refreshing but warm enough to swim in. Basically, it was perfection.
We washed up at our hotel and made our way out for some dinner on Lincoln Ave. Another thing I loved about Miami was all the outdoor seating. I don't think we ate a single meal inside while we were there.
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Although more expensive than I am used to in Milwaukee, all the food was amazingly fresh.
We then just walked around Lincoln taking in the people and the atmosphere (and took a few selfies along the way).
I didn't have much in terms of hair products because of just packing a carry-on.The humidity was not kind to me.
Our days basically just consisted of the same basic routine of beaching and then sight seeing and eating. There were hundreds on hundreds of chairs and umbrellas where our fellow sun lovers from all over the world also relaxed. Side note: bathing suit fashion is very different across the world. We say lots of exposed man thighs and lady tooshies on the beach. It was a little different than what we were used to.
Our last day was spent by the hotel pool. We had to check out by 11am but stuck around until around 7pm for our 930pm flight. We stayed at the Dorchester. It was a cute little boutique hotel that screamed classic Miami. We took one last walk on the beach before heading back to the Midwest.
Random notes on Miami:
- Everybody smokes. A lot. Everywhere. Since everything is outside, people are free to smoke basically wherever. It was not really what we were used to and not something I really liked. It wasn't a deal breaker, as we just excused ourselves from areas where it was too much to handle, but it was just something I definitely noticed.
- Fashion is very different. Woman are pretty open about not wearing the proper, if any, undergarments and I saw a whole lot more of a whole lot of women than I ever expected to.
- Personal space? Not really a thing. People would basically walk right into you and were not shy about expressing themselves even if it meant getting very, very close to you.
- Miami is a very progressive city that is very open-minded and accepting. Not to our prior knowledge, this past weekend was Pridefest in Miami. There were parties and music and spirits flowing and everyone seemed so happy to be themselves and be in Miami. Everyone around just seemed very accepting of everyone around them regardless of sexual orientation, race and nationality, or language spoken, which was particularly nice to see.
All in all, it was a great weekend and exactly what I needed to recharge after a busy couple of months at work. I feel recharged and ready to take on the world! I highly recommend Miami to anyone who wants a great combo of fun and relaxation.
