Front Vine to the Right: Miami Vice

Friday 6/6/14

Flight yesterday afternoon Dallas to Miami with American Airlines. Staying at the Sofitel near the airport, we were picked up by our guides - 2 young American girls - 20's- in 2 big black 15 seater Fords, which
is very roomy with only 9 (+ driver) per car. They will be the guides til the end of the tour at Toronto.
Greater Miami has a population of over 5 million, is only 6 foot above sealevel & has high watertable, so no basements. 66% have spanish as their first language so it is called the capital of Latin America.
Off first up for look around Little Havana, an area of mainly Cubans, looked a bit as I visualise Mexico. Brightly coloured shops,cuban cigar shops, multiple hair salons offering botox for the hair - bizarre
bit shabby, etc. Saw 2 Coronas for $6, that's more like it...we paid $6 each in Billy Bobs Fort Worth....bit early in the day though... always remembering the tax of course. Us lucky Australians should be grateful
for small mercies, at last our prices are advertised & quoted gst included, here it's always a nasty surprise. Sales tax seems to vary from state to state & even may be different in a city compared surrounding
country region, I have seen 7% upwards, 12.5%.
We saw the Tower Theatre, historic as the first theatre in America. to show Spanish language films.
Bay of Pigs memorial in this street also, a sober reminder which has not reminded the yanks of much by the look of it.
We wandered around here a bit, came across a park full of older latino men playing dominos at tables, some cards.

Next stop beachside tourist mall, my idea of hell, so Pat & I found a Chillies (a mex chain here) & had a bowl of chillie, surprise, surprise. The waitress was quite brusque at first, forgot our water etc,
but as it got towards bill (or tip) time was vastly more attentive. In fact when she brought the bill, she took pains to point out the highlighted part on the bill where they had thoughtfully worked out for
us the different amounts for a 15%, 18%, 20% & 22% tip which we could add to the total - at our discretion!

After that we took a closer look at the Freedom Tower - in the 60's Cuban immigrants were processed here, papers, health checks etc, this was mostly over by early 70's. It now houses a modern art gallery on the 2nd floor (really the 1st). Not much , but so nice to get in out of the heat. It is hot,hot, hot!
The guides so far have taken us to an area, explained a bit about it & then us get on with it, leaving us to our own devices to explore, works reasonable well, not quite what I expected, a bit different to the Rhine cruise.
Still early days. Next they dropped us on Ocean Drive, which is the centre of the art deco district for Miami, 4-5 blocks along Ocean Drive which is on the beach & then a couple of streets back into the retail
area. Most beautiful examples of art deco buildings, most quite big, with all the classic features , curved walls, glass bricks, porthole windows, pastel colours ect. Hundreds of buildings, more than can be appreciated in a couple of hours, especially when one is footsore & weary & HOT!
The street in front is just pulsating with life, bar after bar with a spruiker to accost you, Plenty of firm young bikini'ed flesh. A speciality of the area is a Margarita in giant glass - perhaps 750ml or 1 litre, everyone was having them, so we picked a bar with nice latino music & got a table inside (under the waterspray fan), but open to footpath to observe the passing parade. Got the
drinks menu, huh oh, no prices, waiter came over, how much for the big margarita? Thick accent "Ave you got the promotion?" Us "what promotion? He ignored that, went & saw the spruiker, came back $45 for the big glass, $35 next size down!!!!! Are you kidding me. Hundreds of people are sitting at these bars, drinking $45 margaritas? OK I'll tell you what I'dd the speciality of the house, 2 Coronas stuck upside down into the drink, mmmm nice, margarita with beer, as a special deal, we could have the Coronas on the side....$45. Needless to say we resisted his kind offer & had a beer only, bill a snip at $23 . As we left we asked a table of 4 young african american girls what they paid for their giant margaritas.....$20. Pat accosted the spruiker & questioned him, but skin so thick, not at all discomforted, came up but they got theirs in a happy hour....must have that line ready ...perhaps they don't want to encourage our demographic, ie we didn't have 20 yo bods & weren't dressed in bikinis!!!

By then off to tea to a great little restaurant Havana 1957 - cuban cuisine - just the sort of place I like, unsure if artificially aged or genuine, but very quirky decor. Food not bad, had the roast chicken cuban gravy (strange flavour)served with rice, black beans, salad and sweet plantain
I find it heartening when the bathroom (toilet) of a eating place has a sign "Staff are requested to wash their hands before returning to work)