Our last day in Florida

Day 4

Our last day in Miami. I really wanted to do a duck tour to see what Miami had to offer and Jim was ok with that plan. When we were leaving the hotel after checking out, however, the skies opened up and the rain came down heavy and steady. Now I know that the duck tours in Boston operate in any weather – I have seen them and heard the quacking passengers no matter what. In rain, they just put the plastic sides down and away they go Quack Quack. So we drove into Miami Beach to the duck tour place but no duck tours would run today because of the weather. CRAP!

So we decided to drive along the beach and find a nice restaurant for lunch. Well, we certainly found a REALLY good place! We each ordered off of the specials menu (which we should have clued in on the fact that it had no prices on the menu … if you have to ask you can’t afford it) Jim did order one thing off the menu with prices – a small bowl of seafood soup at a cost of $16. Get it? Okay so the joke all through lunch was trying to guess how much the bill would be at the end.

The soup was actually really worth $16 after all. It was big enough to share and our waiter did bring 2 spoons so I just had to try it … and eat ½ (sorry Jim). For our main course, Jim got sea bass and I got red snapper. Both were really really good. For drinks, Jim got a berry martini (well 2 actually) and I got a mango mojito. It rocked (I have a pic). People oooed and awed when it came out. FUN!

We were so full after dinner that we had to walk around a bit. I know I mentioned the rain, but what I did not mention was that it had dropped about 20 degrees since yesterday. I was wearing ¾ pants, a long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt. (yesterday – tank top and shorts!) We did however walk across to the beach as the rain had subsided and was barely a drizzle now. The beach was beautiful and we walked along the water’s edge. I had my shoes off so I walked a little in the water. It was so warm that I went a little deeper. Apparently there was a sand shelf a couple of feet in where the bottom just dropped off suddenly … I found that as a big wave came in and swept me out. Ugh! I was soaked right up to my cro… top of my legs. Then the wind picked up and even jim was cold so you can imagine how cold I was. We made our way back to the car and I popped into the backseat to change. Thank God for tinted windows!

We drove onward to find the cathedral which the guy at duck tours told us where to find. No luck – he directed us to a Catholic church – but not the cathedral. Jim decided to go in and ask where the cathedral was. He pulled up across the street from the church in a zone that was labeled “crisis parking only” and said he would just be a minute. While he was gone 4 cars tried to park in the crisis zone with actual crisis business. I moved to the driver’s seat and moved to the spaces in front of the church. OOOoooo boy did we have words when he got back to the car 10 minutes later all happy and gleeful that the secretary had map-quested it for us! And he used the bathroom too. What a great find for him. I said get in the car crisis boy, you are about to have a crisis. We decided to check out south beach before heading to the cathedral. I was still in the drivers seat and assumed that jim would read the map like I had been doing for him all along. You know what happens when you assume … ass u me, ya. Eventually I pulled over and re-acquired the copilot seat.

We made it to south beach sort of. It was hidden behind buildings. We stopped and asked a valet guy how to actually get into south beach and he told us that south beach was “crap”. He told us that the northern section of south beach was much more beautiful. That was where we had been earlier so we headed for the cathedral.

The cathedral was locked up good and tight when we arrived. Jim walked all the way around and checked every door. While he was gone though a priest cam and unlocked the first door he tried. Jim came back to the car all dejected that he could not get into the cathedral after everything it took to get there, and then I pointed out the unlocked door. He was pumped. The best thing about the cathedral was the outside after all. Oh and there was a picture of Pope JP II praying in the chapel there hanging in the chapel there – that was cool too. The street outside was Pope JP II road – now we understood why.

From the cathedral, we decided to try the stadium again. Jim punched it up in Maggie and off we went to the jail / ghetto street again. Jim was actually surprised that we landed there again. I said – what did you think that Maggie learned something new overnight? (Duh!) we laughed and drove a bit more until we found a Wendy’s. Jim went in and asked how to get to Miami Stadium … the guy said that Miami Stadium hasn’t been there in years (MAGGIE!!!). The now had Dolphin Stadium and he game jim directions. While Jim was inside getting that info, I consulted the other AAA book which told me the same thing. I then called the stadium and got the address which I entered into Maggie and was ready to go when jim returned.

So onward to the stadium – we arrived there safely and took some pics of the superbowl signs yadda yadda yadda … it was a stadium ooooo – ahhhh – done.

That was the end – we went to the airport and off to home.