Leanne and Matthew

We awoke to a cloudy, rainy day. First stop was the Fruit and Spice Park (http://miamifruitandspicepark.com). We were able to taste some of the different fruits (some that I’d never heard of), including the sapote, which comes in different varieties, and this one tasted like chocolate. However, overall, the park didn’t live up to my expectations. Upon leaving the park, we drove on to a nearby fruit stand (which is more like a small market) called “Robert Is Here” (http://www.robertishere.com). We got some mango, grapefruit, and sapote (this particular kind tastes a lot like pumpkin pie). If you have the time, it’s definitely worth your while to spend a few minutes here. Our next stop was the Everglades Alligator Farm (http://www.everglades.com) where we planned to go on an airboat tour of the Everglades. You may want ... read more

We were able to spend this day with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece. We first stopped at Total Wine (http://totalwine.com) to see their large collection of wines and beer and settled on trying Key West beer (which I would say is comparable to Blue Moon). Then we headed towards Little Havana and lunch at Versailles. I got the Chicken and Yellow Rice Imperial, which has mayonnaise, peas, pimento, and a hard boiled egg. Not too bad. Worth noting: you have to specify you want a fountain drink if you want to get free refills. Otherwise, you get a can of soda, no refills, and it costs $0.25 more… After lunch we went to Domino Park and did some exploring in Little Havana (http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/visitors/little_havana.asp). We were also hoping to experience Little Haiti (http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/nets/pages/LittleHaiti/LittleHaiti.asp), and although we seemed ... read more

Woke up at about 5:00 am to a rooster crowing. I was barely able to sleep after this as the crowing did not stop. It sounded like there was a rooster right outside our window, and then we’d hearing more crowing in the distance. For breakfast, we went to Blue Heaven (http://blueheavenkw.homestead.com/Blue_Heaven_Restaurant_Key_West.html) - as they say, “You don’t have to die to get there!” They are well known for their breakfasts and laid back atmosphere (sit outside if it’s nice but only if you don’t mind an occasional rooster stopping by your table!). I had a bacon and tomato benedict, and Matt had lobster and asparagus omelette. One of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had… After Blue Heaven we walked on and toured Ernest Hemingway’s house (www.hemingwayhome.com), which is worth a visit, and then went on ... read more

Matthew had a photo shoot scheduled at Nova Southeastern University in the afternoon, so we spent the morning relaxing, drinking coffee, and stopping by a local camera shop at Aventura Mall (www.wolfcamera.com). Depending on what you are looking for, stopping by Wolf Camera may not be worth your while as it is a small store without much of a selection. After the mall we headed to NSU to meet our brother-in-law and to get ready for the photo shoot. NSU has a nice campus, and it was a beautiful day. We were even able to capture the famous campus iguana out sunning itself. The photo shoot was for promotional materials for NSU, and the subject was Julia Yarbrough, a current student of NSU and a well-known former Miami news anchor. She recently left her career in ... read more