Hey everyone,
I'm back, and had a great time. Thanks again for all the help planning my itinerary, we totally pulled it off, and the GF even complimented me on hitting everything on our list!
Here's what we did:
Saturday:
-Sampled cafecitos, guava con queso pastries and croquetas at maybe 3-4 places in Little Havana.
-Visited Vizcaya Mansion.
-Tried to go to the Venetian Pools (waited 30 minutes, no parking, so we bailed)
-Went to Jimbo's (more below)
-Hung out around South Beach
-Had dinner at a Nuevo Latino restaurant
-Strolled around Lincoln center
-Cocktails at whatever hotels we could get into
Sunday:
-Breakfast at Versailles
-Day trip to Ft. Lauderdale
-Detour as I was drawn like a moth to the huge Divers Direct building off 95.
-Snacks at Puerto Sagua
-Art deco district drive-by
-More food at La Carreta
I have to say, Jimbo's was the most memorable destination on the trip. The girl collecting the beach fee at the gate really tried hard to steer us away, something about, "it's not really a restaurant, it's a...place. It's not somewhere 'people' go. It's not...you know, hygienic." LOL. So with expectations fully set, we drive in. Find it, and immediately fear for our lives. There are locals, and then there are locals. The guys here were the latter type. Guys and gals watch us as we tentatively walk around looking for the "register" or "storefront." We get scoffed at by the guy manning the beer (sheesh, more tourists!), grab a pound of marlin and a couple of beers, and sit on the back dock looking for manatees or the saltwater croc, neither of which shows up. The fish came in a plastic bag, was still warm from the smoker, and was SIMPLY AWESOME. We then sat and watched half an hour of bocce ball played by some guys who have obviously had LOTS of practice (amazing), and who were totally friendly and gave us tutorial about how to play, etc. We walked around 4-5 indifferent cats on the way back to the car, which was, just as amazingly, still there (we left nothing in it at all just in case) and not on cinder blocks, and drove by the sewage processing plant on the way back out to the city.
Now that's a story I can have fun telling! If I'm ever back, I'm gonna bring a cooler and pack some fish to travel.
