Miami Snapshot

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Geo: 25.729, -80.2374

What a city. Its got to go down as one of my favourites. Today, was the end of the first leg of our cruise on the Norwegian Star. Booking separate legs rather than one continuous cruise had saved us a heap of money but meant a cabin change was required, moving from 10009 to 9673. We packed our things, leaving our luggage behind for transfer to our new cabin. Getting out on deck, it was one of those cities that left a lasting impression at first glimpse, a breathtaking love at first sight affair. Its an enormous city, countless towering skyscrapers dominate the shoreline. The buildings kiss the waters edge, towering over the glassy still waters of the bay nestled with anchored yachts, their grandeur illuminated in the orange glow of the morning sunrise. Palm trees all around rustle in a gentle sea breeze and highlight the tropical vibe of the city.
We chowed down a breakfast and with camera in hand and spring in our step we set for the gangway to get out and explore the city. That spring, was swiftly removed. For further steps would soon be brutally limited to perhaps one or two per minute. Here we got an unwelcome and painfully ineffective introduction to US customs. Over two hours. That's how long it took to just get off the ship. Over a quarter of our available time in Miami wasted. Frustrated passengers tried to comprehend the delays. Many tried to pin it on the US Government shutdown. This didn't seem to be the case. There was no shortage of staff. All passport control gates but one were open. There were dozens of porters and staff around, some standing, chatting or slowly moving luggage. Slow is an understatement. It was the most tedious and painful immigration/ customs process I have ever experienced. At least Tunisia was funny. Eventually, after questioning, photos and (all) fingerprint samples we were through to.. an ineffective port. No info, no shuttles, no ATM, no maps, no shops, no nothing. And worse. There they were, my nemesis, dreaded taxi drivers salivating, licking their lips and stroking their wallets as thousands of cruise passengers (many elderly, with luggage, and limited mobility) fell into their laps. I wasn't about to do the same. I asked around, cruise staff, port staff, an airport shuttle driver. 'Sure man, its out of the way, Ill do you a deal.' No you wont. It looked a distance, but we took the only option and walked. It was a couple miles from the Port, over the bridge to Bay side area of the city. It was actually a pretty walk, warm in the Miami heat (we passed the same named NBA stadium on the way), refreshing in the sea breeze. It took a bit over half an hour. We spent a bit of time enjoying the relaxed vibe of Bay side, dotted with shops, cafes, bars, palm trees, yachts and cool Latin music. We spent a bit of time checking things on wifi in a Starbucks, our first time online in a couple weeks. No time for blogs upload here though.
So with just a few hours, what better way to tackle Miami than an open top bus tour. 90 minutes, a live audio tour, either around the city or beach route. We chose the city, to get at least a snapshot of Miami. The route took us from Central Station through Downtown Miami, winding around skyscrapers, past Miami Metro (where Dexter is filmed), the University and many impressive buildings. Theres a free monorail here too that gets you around the city. From Downtown, we headed along the waters edge, by Brickell along South Bayshore drive and the City Hall, through Coconut Grove to Coral Gables. This was an impressive and lush area of the city, a really green and wealthy neighborhood. From there we headed through little Havana, a Latin neighborhood with many fine cafes and restaurants. Around here we got a sample of the weather variety in Miami with a quick but intense tropical downpour. By the time we were back at Central Station, the sun was back out, and we walked back to the ship just in time for planned departure by 4.30. In reality, the ship was delayed and didn't leave until 8. Before then, we had a delicious dinner, and I tried teaching Nat chess on the jumbo outdoor board. At sunset, we were treated to a beautiful view of the city. Definitely a place I am marking for a return journey. A New York, Miami and Caribbean expedition would make a fine future holiday package I think. For now, we've got some great things to look forward to. We've a couple of days at sea ahead before we arrive in Cartagena, Columbia in South America. That should be a fresh new culture to experience!

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