South Beach
A Secret Getaway
A Secret Getaway
February 17, 2015
Sunny and 65 at 7am, a nice morning to start our South Beach
Getaway. After breakfast and packing we loaded the luggage, dog beds, food and
treats into the car and headed for Denise’s place. She had offered to keep the
kids for the two days wed be gone. Then it was off to the freeway for the trip
east to Miami.
Since it was a nice day we decided to stop at Shark Valley
in the Everglades National Park and take the narrated 15 mile tram ride. This
was something we’d been thinking about for the past two years but being about
80 miles we had held off.
We took I-75 then cut down to US-41 (Tamiami Trail) at FL 29
which runs between Immokalee and Everglades City. Making a left onto US-41, we
made the drive to the Shark Valley entrance and entered the Everglades NP.
There were a lot of cars parked along the highway and a fairly long line of
cars waiting to enter the park. When we got to the entrance gate, the Ranger
informed us it would be at least two hours until the next tram was available.
So we decided to wait for the return trip and went back to the highway where we
resumed our drive.
Tina set up google maps to get to our destination so all we
had to do was let Siri tell us where to turn! Ain’t technology great?
We
arrived at our destination only to find that there was no parking, only valet
parking. So we dropped off the car at the valet stand and with suitcase in tow
entered the “Breakwater Esplanador” hotel, on Ocean Blvd at 7th, right
across from the beach!!
 |
| Lunch at the Pelican on Ocean Blvd |
After checking in we went to our room, got everything put
away then walked to lunch. We stopped at the Pelican Restaurant for a salad and soup, then went for a walk on the beach.
 |
| South Beach looking North |
There were lots of people everywhere you looked. After
dipping our toes in the water we strolled north past the tents where the Miami
Food Festival was being set up on the beach. Quite an undertaking as the tents ran
for 4 city blocks along the beach.
 |
| Nearing the end of the Boardwalk |
Eventually we cut back to the boardwalk, actually a
meandering paved walkway next to the beach dunes, and continued our stroll. Unexpectedly,
the pavement gave way to a brick “Esplanade” that ran for another two blocks
along the front of the Ritz Carlton and Delano Hotels on 17th. At
this time we decided to head back to the hotel and followed the sidewalk along
Ocean Blvd continuing to ‘people watch’ along the way.
 |
| Dressed for Dinner |
Back in our room we took some time to relax before dressing
for dinner. We had reservations for 6pm at “A Fish Called Avalon” which was
only two blocks away on Ocean Blvd. Tina had brought some dressy clothes so we
actually looked like we belonged, heh, heh!!
 |
| Party time in South Beach |
Ocean Blvd, being the street running along the ocean front
in South Beach, has all the hotels and restaurants on the west side of the
street fronting on the sidewalk. Each of the hotels have their own restaurant
and have spread large umbrellas across the sidewalk with tables along both
sides of the sidewalk. This is great for outdoor dining and as the night goes
on, turns into a party atmosphere with loud music and crowds of people
wandering by the diners! Walking along the sidewalk, you feel like you are
walking a gauntlet with dinner hosts trying to get you to sit at their
establishment amid a swirl of other people out for a walk or heading to their
dinner/party destination!
Arriving at the restaurant we were seated outdoors on the
veranda above the sidewalk where we could continue people watching from our
raised platform! A Fish Called Avalon is a noted seafood restaurant so Tina
ordered a 1 lb Maine Lobster which came split in half and chilled, served on a
bed of ice with a light underneath the ice, along with a Caesar Salad, making a
very stunning presentation and tasty too!!
 |
| Split Lobster Tail on a bed of Ice |
I had the Seafood Risoto which was absolutely delicious,
with lots of shrimp, scallops, calamari, mussels, clams and fresh fish along
with roasted garlic, english peas, tomato and basil. Ummmm, ummm! We
were too full for desert so we headed back to our hotel, but this time by
crossing the street and walking on the ocean side of Ocean Blvd in order to
avoid the crush of people on the hotel side.
The next morning dawned cloudy, rainy and about 15 degrees
cooler than the day before. After getting up and checking on the weather we
wandered downstairs to breakfast on the veranda (included with the room). Since
we had been to South beach before we decided to check out a couple of different
tourist attractions. We ordered the car from the valet and had another cup of
coffee while we waited. Since the cars are parked in a parking garage about five
miles away, it usually takes about 15 minutes for it to arrive.
Once the car got there, we set up Siri to give us directions
to the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in south Miami, along the shore of Biscayne
Bay.
 |
| Rain greets us as we leave the car |
After parking we got our tickets and walked to the Mansion to tour the
inside.
Vizcaya was built between 1914 and 1922 in the Coconut Grove
area of Miami, as the winter residence of industrialist James Deering.
The estate was entirely surrounded by subtropical forest on the shores of
Biscayne Bay. Conceived as a modern and subtropical interpretation of an
eighteenth-century Italian villa, in particular the country estates of the
Veneto region of northern Italy, the mansion and grounds is an oasis of silence
and green, miraculously preserved just south of Miami’s modern skyline.
The
house was designed to take full advantage of its location on Biscayne Bay.
Deering wanted Vizcaya to be approached and seen from the sea, and the east
façade on the bay is the most monumental and the only symmetrical one—it opens
onto a wide terrace that descends toward the water.
 |
| The front entrance to Vizcaya |
Walking up the
steps and into the entrance we were greeted by a huge courtyard around which
the entire house is built. Originally open to the sky, the courtyard is now
covered by a massive skylight. As we made our way around the first floor
we saw several reception rooms, the Library, the Music Room, and the Dining
Room. (Interior photography is not permitted). goto: http://vizcaya.org/
On the second floor were Deering’s personal suite of rooms and guest bedrooms as well as a Breakfast Room and the Kitchen. Every room had artworks and tapestries. The floors were done in mosaics of stone and all the doors were hand carved.
 |
| Breakwater boat landing on Biscayne Bay |
Walking outside onto the terrace facing Biscayne Bay, we saw
the docking facilities for guests visiting by water. A large stone breakwater
was built in the image of an old sailing vessel and provided space for
afternoon parties and tea. The landing area swept around in an arc reaching out
to a gazebo on one side and the entrance to a hidden grotto on the other.
 |
| Looking north towards Miami - the prow of the breakwater |
 |
| Casino at the south end of the Quay |
 |
| Tina inside the Casino |
We left the seaside landing and made our way to the café and
gift store for lunch. Occupying the original space for the billiards and game
rooms, the café is next to the indoor/outdoor swimming pool which is under
restoration.
 |
| Left half of fore gardens |
After lunch we walked to the gardens. Vizcaya’s
European-inspired gardens are among the most elaborate in the United States.
Reminiscent of gardens created in seventeenth and eighteenth century Italy and
France, the overall landscape design is conceived as a series of rooms.
 |
| Add caption |
The central space is dominated by low hedges, or parterres,
in a geometric arrangement. Beyond that are the evocative Secret Garden, the
intimate Theater Garden, the playful Maze Garden and the once-watery domain of
the Fountain Garden. On either side of this designed landscape Deering preserved
the native forest.
 |
| Large fountain being renovated |
 |
| One of many statues in the garden |
 |
| Cascading waterfall |
 |
| Ivy covered structures |
After several hours in the gardens we decided to head back
to the hotel and take a break before dinner. About 5:30 we decided to walk over
to the 11th Street Diner for dinner. It was featured in Guy Fierri’s
“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dive” and was supposed to be pretty good. We both had
sandwiches and enjoyed a pleasant dinner in a real Diner!!
 |
| 11th Street Diner |
 |
| Shark Valley Tram Station |
 |
| Immature Ibis |
 |
| Little Blue Heron |
Everglades National Park protects only the southern
one-fifth of the historic Everglades ecosystem. Even so, it is the third
largest National Park in the lower 48 and boast the largest biodiversity of any
place in the United States. In its entirety, this massive watershed boasts a
multitude of habitats that provide a subtropical refuge to a unique assemblage
of wildlife. With the passage of time and the growth of human population
centers in south Florida, the park serves a new role: serving as a touchstone
against which to gauge the impacts of man on the natural world.
The Everglades comprise a vast, interconnected mosaic of
distinct ecosystems. These diverse habitats are in a state of constant change,
subject to the influences of a full suite of environmental processes. Geology,
hydrology, air quality, water quality, fire regime, weather, and climate are
but a few of the many natural factors that help shape the development of
landscapes in the Everglades.
 |
| Alligator warming up from the cold night |
We started on the tour and our guide, Robert, talked about
the different environmental zones and differences in habitat, along with
seasonal effects. Right away we started seeing lots of alligators alongside the
road near the deeper water holes and Willow stands. And of course there were
lots and lots of birds.
 |
| Viewing Tower at Mile Seven |
Seven miles out we made a stop at the viewing tower where we
could look out over the grass prairies and woodlands. Tina spotted a family of “Yellow
Crowned Night Herons” nesting in the trees nearby along with several “White
Egrets” and alligators floating below. There were several “Great Blue Herons”,
lots of “Anhingas” with young, immature “Little Blue Herons”, White Ibis” and
many more species. Even though it was cold and windy, the sightings were pretty
spectacular.
 |
| Young Anhingas ready for breakfast |
 |
| Anhinga taking some needed sun |
A very nice mid-week getaway!!
To see all our photos, click on:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski
