There is a lot to say about my visit to America but it’s always best to start at the beginning. So here I am having arrived in Miami flying first class with Virgin Atlantic and heading to South Beach in Miami riding on the wheels of a sweet sweet Mustang.
Passing street signs, roads and shops all with that typical American look to them was a weird feeling, as if at some point the dream is going to end and I’ll go back to my normal life. It was the kind of excitement that Europe gifted me long ago when I first set off to travel the world and man is it a rush.
Pretty soon the luxurious Delano Hotel appeared and so began my touch of celebrity living. After all its only the good hotels that have fancy chairs like this in the lobby.
The rest of the hotel is suitably fitted out with stunning rooms decked out all in white, a popular nightclub in the basement and a pool with definite appeal that leads directly onto South Beach or Sobe as I now call it. Suffice to say I’ve never been this close to a celebrity hot spot and probably will never be again.
It wasn’t all about living the celebrity life while in Miami, I also got to feel the wind in my hair (figuratively of course) taking a Vespa tour to the Wynwood Art District.
I’ve blogged about other street art tours I’ve taken in the past but this one was totally cooler thanks to the Vespa. It’s also a great way to experience a bit of a city by riding the streets stopping to look at things as you go. You may even stumble onto a celebrity filming a video clip like we did (security guy wasn’t keen on us stopping for photos).
The highlight of the tour is Wynwood Walls which houses some amazing artwork from pretty well known artists. Suffice to say if you like street art and find yourself in Miami get on the tour or just head out there yourself for a look.
The only downside to my introduction to Miami was that I had 2 nights to soak it up which everybody knows is far to short. But hey it was my introductory visit to America so all in good time.
Along with the above I managed to find time to explore the streets, the beach and just soak up the heat (to melting point) that makes up Miami and Florida for that matter. It was the final experience Miami had for me that showed just how quick the weather can go from sun to rain in this part of the world.
I went in to enjoy my evening meal at Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian with the sun set for a stunning show and instead was gifted clouds that rolled in with a thunder and lighting spectacular. By the time I’d made it home to the Delano for the night this was what drivers faced in the street at the door of the hotel.
As the night ended on my Miami experience the only hope for tomorrow was that the rain passed and my airboat ride in the Everglades proved jam packed with crocodiles.
While all views are my own, my stay in Florida was organised by Visit Florida with cars provided by Hertz from their Adrenaline Range and the flight to Florida was provided by Virgin Atlantic.
Welcome to the States! A vespa street art tour sounds awesome and I’ve actually never been to Miami. Adding that to my list!
Thanks Britany. Was a great experience being in Florida and enjoying some of the sights. And I can’t recommend the vespa tour enough was a lot of fun.
South Beach! One of my favorite vacation spots. Of course, it’s never rained when I’ve been there. Still, not a bad introduction to America, if I may say so. The people-watching at night is a ton of fun.
Hi Gray, I did get lucky with an amazing day with no rain so it wasn’t all bad to just have some at night. Crazy how quickly it went from good to bad.
I love SoBe! Spent a year studying abroad there, and I absolutely understand your sentiments about it feeling like a dream, and thinking normality is about to resume at any second! The whole time I was there I felt like I was watching some bizarre reality show. Been to a few places stateside now, and I have to say I am so glad that Miami was my first. The vibrance and eclectic fun will always endear it to me!