As the cold weather starts to settle in over
Canada, it's always a real treat to get away to a warm and sunny destination. And there is no closer and more convenient destination from
Toronto than
Florida. So I used up some of my Airmiles to book flights for my husband and me to
Miami. On
November 27,
2010 we arrived at the
Miami Airport, picked up our rental car and drove north to the
City of
Weston, where we would be spending a week at the
Mizner Place Resort in a well-equipped one-bedroom apartment.
On Sunday,
November 28, 2010, I drove south into Miami to do some sightseeing where I visited
Villa Vizcaya, an opulent mansion that was constructed between
1914 and
1919 for
James Deering, an industrialist and heir to the
International Harvester fortune.
Built in a
Venetian and
Renaissance revival style, this
National Historic Landmark impresses with its interior courtyard, its formal reception rooms, lavish private living quarters and its breathtaking location on
Biscayne Bay.
My explorations continued on Monday with a trip into downtown
Fort Lauderdale where I explored the
Las Olas Riverfront.
Las Olas Boulevard is Fort Lauderdale's most popular shopping avenue and the Las Olas Riverfront is an entertainment complex that features several restaurants, nightclubs and retail outlets, all set on a scenic waterfront promenade along the
New River.
On
November 30, 2010 I headed off again to another interesting destination in Miami: the
Spanish Monastery at
St. Bernard de Clairvaux
Episcopal Church. Publishing tycoon
William Randolph Hearts purchased the Cloisters and the Monastery's outbuilding which were all part of a monastic complex in
Sacramenia, near
Segovia, Spain, that was built between 1133 and 1144.
Hurst had the entire complex dismantled stone by stone, protected with hay and shipped to the
United States in 1925.
I headed off to Miami again on Wedesday. At 1 pm I was planning to meet a real local expert --
David Brown, the
Urban Tour
Host.
David offers cultural community and eco tours in the
Miami area and specializes in sustainable community-based tourism that gives back to local communities. We started our driving tour in
Overtown, a historic African-American area of Miami.
Little Haiti was our next stop where we visited the Little Haiti Cutural
Centre as well Kalbassi
House, an artist's cooperative and retail outlet.
Finally David took me to the
Downtown Miami Riverwalk, a waterfront promenade next to the
Miami River.
On
December 2 we explored the local areas in Weston, a master-planned community west of Fort Lauderdale. Established in
1996, Weston is home to many celebrities including
Dan Marino,
José Canseco and
Sugar Ray Leonard. The next day we played a round
of tennis with a friendly couple from
Kentucky and explored the Fort Lauderdale waterfront in the afternoon
. In the evening we enjoyed a nice dinner with
George and Jill in an
Italian restaurant at the Weston
Town Center.
On
December 4 we checked out and drove into downtown Miami to take a stroll around
Bayfront Park, one of downtown Miami's top attractions and outdoor gathering places.
Next to the park is the
Bayside Marketplace, an outdoor shopping complex right on the water. In the late afternoon we drove to
South Beach and took a stroll on busy
Ocean Drive and
Collins Avenue.
Sunday,
December 5, was our last full day in Miami, I ventured back into downtown Miami for an urban bicycling adventure. I rented a bicycle at
Bike and
Roll at the Bayside Marketplace and started to explore downtown Miami as well as the large collection of upscale condos along Biscayne Bay and the New River. I also cycled across to
Miami Beach where I checked out the
Lincoln Street Mall.
Our time in
South Florida had come to an end and on
December 6 when we flew back to Toronto where we were greeted by a winter storm with frigid temperatures. After our little subtropical escape it was right back to reality
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- published: 10 Dec 2010
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