the great SoBe outdoors...

Craig and I spent very little time indoors in SoBe. We were excited to find that our hotel rents bikes out to guests and what better way to experience the area in its entirety than on 2 wheels.

We biked down Ocean, through Collins and parked our bikes outside Puerto Sagua where we enjoyed a Cuban lunch of Palmilla steak & Ropa Vieja. This place was recommended by many and I have to agree - it's great Cuban food, great prices and is in close proximity to all the main attractions.

After biking in the humidity for 2 hours, it was time for the beach where we spent the next few hours lounging under a life-saving umbrella and taking several dips in the water.

Bienvenidos A Miami!

South Beach seems worlds away from Fort Lauderdale. Known to locals as SoBe, this part of Miami is filled with travelers from all over the world, a unique party scene, authentic Cuban food, crystal clear beaches and sidewalk cafes lined further than you can walk.

Every hotel has a party and every party in Miami lasts til the break of dawn (practically). There are ALWAYS people walking around at all times of the day/night. There is one issue I have with this city, the drinks are so expensive! Our first night here, we walked up to the bar, ordered 3 drinks and bam! There goes $48! We shortly caught on and made sure to stock up our hotel room with pre-party supplies.

Beach Bums

Before heading out to South Beach, we enjoyed the less crowded Fort Lauderdale Beach once again. I guess I just wanted to enjoy the peace & quiet before moving on to the infamous party town.

Downtown Fort Lauderdale Nights

You know you're going to have a great night when the first bar you walk into has no cover charge. This was the case at the Porterhouse, but in addition to no cover it was "Ladies Night" which means, free drinks for the ladies.

You can literally get a free drink from Porterhouse, walk out the door with it and onto the next place. This is what we did. Grabbed a drink and walked to Automatic Slims (no cover charge!).
Hmm... this being my 3rd post about Florida, I almost feel like all I've done so far is drink! Well, I guess that's the MIA/FLL vibe for ya - or maybe it's just 'cause I'm on vacation.

Upon entering this club, I was flabbergasted - all of the women had perfect bodies! Granted, they all worked there as bartenders or dancers, but still! This place has two floors and it surprised me that they played such a great selection of music - a combination of mainstream radio tracks & oldschool east/westcoast tracks.

Overall, my first downtown FLL experience was a memorable one.

P.S. There are so many international travelers in Florida! Of course, I managed to make a few overseas friends again - I love my international folks.

Fort Lauderdale Days

Fort Lauderdale is totally underrated. Not many US cities can you walk from bar to bar with a drink in hand. Even at 3am, it's perfectly legal. This place has beautiful beaches, crowded parties where everyone is friendly and minding their own, great food and who doesn't love a place where you can go to the beach (and actually take a dip) any day of the year? Of course, not when there's a hurricane stirring. You get the point...

The Elbo Room is in the center of Fort Lauderdale beach. With bright colors, doors wide open and a prime location, it's almost impossible to not walk into this place for a drink. If you're lucky enough, maybe you'll even run into the "MILF hunter" (as seen in the shades).


Another great place to stop at along this street is Sangria Cafe. This place along with the rest of the sidewalk cafes in this location offer happy hour specials like 2 for 1 margaritas. I opted for a Caiparinha which was very refreshing in the hot humid sun.

If the menu here doesn't suit your palate, there are a wealth of options neighboring Sangria Cafe.

Destination: Florida

Upon our late night arrival into the Fort Lauderdale Airport, we rent a car and we're on our way. Prior to our departure we made sure to check the weather report only to find that it would be hot, humid and we'd likely experience isolated thunderstorms.

At first, I was bewildered at the thought of isolated thunderstorms. Soon enough, we figured it out. Right when we drive out of the airport lot, thunderstorms equipped with rain showers. We thought, "Wow, this sucks - what a horrible time to be on vacation here!" A few miles later, we're introduced to clear, precipitation & thunder-free skies. That must have been an isolated thunderstorm!

Layover in Houston

When you have more than an hour long layover, always relax between flights with a drink & snack. It's fun to be in an unfamiliar airport.

Here we are at Lefty's Lone Star Grill. I decided to try the ShockTop (a beer I was unfamiliar with) and ended up enjoying it. Very similar to a Blue Moon (though I prefer Blue Moon).

We're so ready for Florida!

SF has me falling in love over & over

Summer Fridays are days that I look forward to. I'm referring to "Summer Fridays" at work. Each Friday throughout the Summer, we can leave work at 1pm (if we feel like we've gotten enough work done) just so we can get an early start on our weekend. It's a great deal to work extra hard during the week and enjoy the weekend a few hours earlier.

On this particular Summer Friday, I decided to walk around and enjoy the heat. If you've been to SF and know where the Powell St. cable car stop is, you've seen the infamous tap dancing man who taps to whatever beat is playing on his boombox. It was a delightful surprise to find him tapping to the sound of a random band that decided to collaborate with him that day.

I fall in love with SF over and over because this city has so much culture and there are surprises left and right.

[video coming soon]