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March 12th 2014
Published: June 15th 2014
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Bayside MarketBayside MarketBayside Market

A view of the harbor looking back at Brickell Key.
Perhaps no one says it better than Will Smith himself, but Miami has "ladies half-dressed, well equipped," and is a "city that keeps the roof blazing." A town where Lebron James infamously took his talents to, a beach with a diet named after it, and the playground of countless stars like Pitbull, Gloria Estefan, and Enrique Iglesias. It is arguably the trendiest town in America where people come to keep a finger on the pulse of entertainment and pop culture, but for Kristina and me, we came for Spring Break because it was a convenient layover for a quick tan and sight-seeing on our way to the Dominican Republic.

The reason Miami was a pitstop on our Caribbean trip was because we had friends in town offering us a place to stay in the youthful Brickell district. The airport was a short 20-minute ride into Brickell where our friend's condo was located just around the corner from the metro stop. We were immediately aware that this is indeed Miami: palm trees lining every avenue, Ferrari's and Lamborghini's at every intersection, and people so bronze you could forge Olympic medals from them. For us though, nothing spells Spring Break better than
The Meat Lovers CollectionThe Meat Lovers CollectionThe Meat Lovers Collection

A deep dish of meat stuffed in mini sandwiches found at 100 Montaditos on Lincoln Rd.
catching some rays on the beach, but before that, we headed to a local hotspot for lunch called Suviche. I ordered aji de gallina at the recommendation of my friend, a juicy shredded chicken breast in the creamiest sauce imaginable, topped with potatoes and sprinkled with crunchy walnuts. Kristina got the citrus fire roll, a tuna with cream cheese sushi dipped in lime and pepper sauce, and the Jalapeno roll, a white fish and avocado roll topped with spicy mayo sauce. It may be attributed to my hunger or fatigue from the flight, but my dish was the best meal I've had since cod fish rice in Europe last summer. While we did pay a steep price for lunch, it was expected in a town with one of the highest costs of living in the country.

After lunch, we suited up and headed to the most famous beach on the Eastern seaboard, South Beach. Set up a towel, blast a good playlist on the boombox, apply some sunscreen, and get ready for fresh ocean breeze and bikinis small enough for Gary Coleman. This is where you can just relax for hours (unless you burn easily), take the sporadic dip or two in the water and escape from your daily 9 to 5 routine. When you've had enough Vitamin D, pack up and stroll around the beachfront street of Collins Avenue and head north to Lincoln Road, the most popular attraction in downtown Miami. Beware because Lincoln is catered towards tourists, but nonetheless it's a lovely brick street flanked by restaurants of all sorts. Scan the menus positioned outside the storefront to see what suits your palate. For us, it was a restaurant called 100 Montaditos where we sampled the best Serrano ham and Spanish cheese outside of Europe. Since this place is named after the small sandwiches served in Spain, it'd be blasphemous if we left without ordering such a dish, so we also asked for the Meat Lovers (bacon, Philly steak, and pork) and Black Label collection (tuna, serrano ham, and BBQ pork). This turned out to be much larger than we imagined so we took it to-go, which made for a great breakfast the next morning. As for the remainder of the night, we had to call it quits early due to the dipping temperatures. Maybe it was because we visited during the transition period in March,
Colombian hotdogColombian hotdogColombian hotdog

A loaded hotdog found at the famous La Moon, which was featured on Adam Richman's "Man vs. Food" on the Travel Channel.
but the weather can be a bit unpredictable so remember to bring a light jacket or be prepared to head home early, which is exactly what we did after dinner. We returned to our place just as the city was coming alive for the late night festivities, but we needed to get some rest before catching an early flight to the motherland of the world's best baseball players, as well as the first place Christopher Columbus landed in the New World over half a millennium ago, the Dominican Republic.

Little did we know that during our return from D.R., our flight back to Washington D.C. would be delayed due to a snow storm, thus stranding us for another day in Miami. With some extra time to explore the city, we decided to take advantage of the free MetroMover transportation system (distinct from the MetroBus and MetroRail, which have longer routes and cost money). This convenient and easily accessible metro allowed us to hop on and off whenever we wished, allowing us to tour the city with minimal effort. Our first stop was the famous La Moon (97 SW 8th St), a spot known for its Colombian-style hotdogs, which is what I ordered. Although mouth watering, I felt the dog was overpriced and failed to satisfy my hunger, so I'd recommend getting two from the start to save you some time. We then used the metro to arrive at Bayfront Park for a comfortable walk along the harbor watching the cruise ships set sail. We proceeded towards Bayside Market, an outdoor center full of souvenirs and useless merchandise everyone loves to hoard. From here, we walked around town near the College North metro stop to window shop where ever we found intriguing. A good 3 to 4 hours is sufficient to explore the downtown area so afterwards, we attempted to find our way back into Brickell. An aimless stroll over the bridge accidentally took us to the outdoor Mary Brickell Village mall where a sea of green was celebrating St.Patrick's Day. From there, we headed back to the condo to get some rest because after 5 days in the Caribbean and an unexpected extended stay in Miami, we were absolutely exhausted. Never have a soft bed, cold shower, and other simple luxuries of life we took for granted seemed so attractive. Boy were we ready to get home, but despite
Aji de GallinaAji de GallinaAji de Gallina

A creamy rice dish topped by walnuts at Suviche in the Brickell district.
our anxiousness to leave Miami, this break was a much needed reprieve from reality and only fueled our hunger to continue traveling. Our next roadtrip will take us through Georgia and back to the Sunshine State to the coastal cities of Savannah and Destin. Until then, happy travels!

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