Bad Boys Running Amok Around Miami

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Miami has a Duck Tour similar to one that we had previously enjoyed in Baltimore, so we gave it a try. This was completely fantastic, but more due to the entertainment and antics of the guide rather than the content of the tour itself. It was a complete riot, for example every time we saw a policeman, he played the tune which is apparently the theme to a TV programme called Cops and we all sung along "Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do, what you gonna do when they come for you...". In most cases the cops waved back and one put his blues-and-twos on.

When going down South Beach someone from the tour was armed with a high-pressure water pistol and we had to select some people to spray. Anyone committing the sin of wearing Speedos had "Speedo, Speedo" shouted at them whilst they were sprayed. The Macho Man tune was played as we passed the area where people were working-out on the beach and they, again, all took it well.

The tour itself was excellent. It concentrated on the bay area a lot, where we passed a lot of the islands with all the exclusive houses where Gloria Esterfan and others live. We wondered why we didn't go to the Little Havana area, but when we passed it on the way to the airport, we saw why. We would have expected people there to join in with the water spraying antics, however we suspect that it would not have been water pistols that they would have been firing back with.

According to him there were a number of things that saved Miami:

1. Miami Vice - and the cool image of Miami;
2. Cuba - and the influx of immigrants who made Miami their new home;
3. The Love Boat TV show - and the impact on the cruises that made Miami their base;
4. The woman who chained herself to the art-deco buildings to stop them being pulled down.

Urr, ok, we took his word for it on that one. On the assumption that we didn't just get lucky with our guide, this is definitely a tour that is worth doing.

We wondered why we didn't go to the Little Havana area, but when we passed it on the way to the airport, we saw why. We would have expected people there to join in with the water spraying antics, however we suspect that it wouldn’t have been water pistols that they would have been firing back with.

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Photos

Miami Beach Sunrise
The early morning sunrise

Colourful Life-guard Tower
Very Baywatch, but more colourful

Life-guard Tower
Miami Beach baywatch

Art-deco Architecture
Art-deco features on some of the buildings