Just a taste of Miami

“you are so white!!!” exclaimed vern (my big sis) as she greeted me at the baggage claim in Miami with Stretch, her husband, and kids, T and Wes, in tow.

V: yea, I hope to work on that this weekend!

Unfortunately, weather did not cooperate. After finding our hotel, Island Souse located on Collins near 14th st, we suited up and headed to the beach which was conveniently located just a couple blocks away. I laid out my towel and got situated and the kids raced to the water, vern trailing behind. Just as I started to get comfortable, I started to feel a sprinkling of rain.

V: uh oh. This is just my luck. . this doesn’t look too good.

Families and couples nearby started packing up.

Stretch: yea, looks like it may rain. Maybe they know something we don’t know?

V: well, let’s see if it passes.

For the next couple hours, the kids played in the water and sand, I chatted with Stretch, and waited out the weather. Though the clouds looked gloomy, the weather held out enough for us to have a nice little afternoon at the beach. Around 5 we decided to pack up and head back to the hotel so Wes could nap before dinner.

For dinner, we opted for Cuban and headed to Versailles based on my experience at an offshoot in LA and reviews attesting to its authenticity and warning of poor service. It was a huge restaurant with a cafeteria style meets garish décor but all I cared about was the food. We ordered calamari, a sampler of deep fried treats, ropa vieja, Versailles chicken, and a Cuban sandwich. What we got was comfort food at its near best- satisfying and filling! Despite being ready to burst, we indulged in flan and tres con leches. Deliciously decadent and worth the discomfort of an overly full belly.

I never slept so well! Unfortunately, our second day at the beach was not to be. The thunderstorms that started in the early hours continued on and off throughout the day. So instead, we decided to leave Miami early and head to Orlando, check out the Millenium Mall, and get dinner at Pho Hoa. While I was a little disappointed that our time in Miami was cut short, a real Vietnamese dinner all about made up for it!