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December 22nd 2008

Published: December 29th 2008

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The Gadabouts

Welcome to Florida!

Michael gets friendly with the locals in the airport.

We arrived at the Four Seasons Miami on Brickell Avenue, and quickly learned that Brickell rhymes not with Cornell but with pickle. This is one of the many satisfactions of travel, the chance to learn little things that you probably would never have learned any other way. It's the same way I learned that in New Hampshire, Berlin rhymes with Merlin, and that in South Dakota, Pierre rhymes with cheer.

The Four Seasons lies in the business district, which is decidedly un-busy during the weekend. But that suited us fine. It made the weekend more like a getaway for just the two of us. And it made it easier to park. One thing you have to give due consideration to in South Florida is whether your parking space is at risk from falling coconuts.

We were in Miami to see a football game, and other than that we had no plans for the weekend. We were indulging in the ultimate travel luxury--spurning research and planning in favor of just showing up and following our fancy. It's an approach that grows on me as the years go by.

Neither of us had ever been to an NFL game before,

You can see Atlanta from here

The fabulous view from the 29th floor of the Four Fancy Seasons!

but now that we've had our first experience, we're eager for more. Just walking through the parking lot is a lot of fun. The smell of 10,000 grill fires is fantastic, and the colorful outfits and spontaneous ball games give the place a festive air. And tailgating brings people together, people of all ages, races, sexes, and even team affiliations.

After taking in the tailgate scene, we went through security (everyone is patted down for booze and weapons) and entered the stadium. We had ponied up for prime seats, and we weren't disappointed--we had a fine view of the whole field. We had thought we might miss the instant replay that you get when you watch TV, but we really didn't (and every big play was replayed on the scoreboard if you wanted to watch it). Instead, we realized how much easier it is to get involved in the game when you don't have the distraction of all the replays and commercials. And there's nothing like the suspense that grips the stadium before a third-down play. Both of us agreed that the field looks strangely smaller in real life than it does on TV. On the other hand, I'm

Aaaaahhhhhh.....

Relaxing in the most comfortable room in Miami.

the guy who found the Grand Canyon strangely small and intimate.

On Monday morning, just because I was curious and it was nearby, we paid a visit to the University of Miami. With its palms and its low white buildings, it looks more like a resort than a university. And it featured another of those things you stumble upon while traveling--outdoor study carrels that consist of a shaded table and bench assembly with wheels mounted on tracks so you can rock back and forth as you read. Seriously, they're great. I can't believe it's hard to recruit students to come here.

Later, we paid our respects to South Beach, which had completed the time-honored journey from seedy to chic to tourist trap. There's still a certain amount of fun to be had in a tourist trap, but I actually found downtown Miami to be more intriguing. There's something about the architecture--gleaming towers with the shapes and colors of a children's playroom--that's very appealing.

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