MIA

So I was in Miami for work last week...

I hadn't been there since 2004 except for driving through to the Keys 2 summers ago.

During the OKC-DFW leg of the trip, I was wide awake. Then when we got settled into the next plane, I had the crossword puzzle and Mensa quiz finished before we took off. Coffee gives me super powers!

After take off, I managed to dive into The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince. Now, I have been a fan of Prince since the early 80's, but I didn't really know much about his personal life. So far, I am really enjoying this book. I can't wait to carve out some time to get back into it now that I am home.

I had a window seat so I took pictures galore to show David and this time I actually showed them to him. ;.)

I took this picture of the Ronald Reagan Turnpike and Dolphin Expressway as we flew by ... What is up with the lime green lake?

We were greeted by this cool sign at the airport:

We had to work at night and during the day so the time to explore Miami was limited, unfortunately, but we did get out some.

For lunch one day, we checked out a Colombian restaurant that my co-workers had enjoyed on a previous trip. I rolled the dice and ordered mondongo, which was the same in Spanish and in English on the menu, even though I wasn't sure what it was. It was served with avocado, banana, lemon, coriander, sweet or hot sauce, rice and corn cake so I figured I could choke it down.

This was before I added in ALL of the cilantro!!!

After the waiter dropped off our dishes and I got a good whiff of the mondongo (smelled like dog poop!), I googled for what it was and I should have known - tripe stew! I added everything that came with the stew to the stew to make each bite count, and I only ate a couple of bites of the actual tripe. The smell was awful and I do NOT plan on recreating this dish. And now I know better.

The only food for sure that I needed to get while in Miami was Cuban, specifically the bread and sandwiches. Some for my belly and some to bring home. I scoped out a placed called Enriqueta's and we got so lucky to get into this place.

The service was described as "swift and friendly" in one review I read and it was certainly that. The servers were attentive and very zen-like bustling around in the loud and crowded little diner.



We got lucky in that we got into the diner before things got really busy. I would have liked to have sat at the counter and gotten a cafe con leche, but I was just glad that we at least got a table.



I could only eat one half of the beautiful Cuban sandwich that I ordered after I ate almost all of those plantains and half of the Cuban toast the waitress brought us. I have no regrets!

I ate some form of banana with almost every meal while in Miami...

I ordered another sandwich and took the 3 halves and the rest of the bread back to the hotel with me. I ate the bread later for a snack, and I packed the sandwiches in between 2 ice packs in my luggage. They survived a day of delays and a night in my fridge. The next day I fried them in my cast iron skillet and they were good as new!

Takeoff!

Leaving Miami: Aerial view of Melreese Country Club: Miami International Links.

Oceanview (finally!)

It was a long day of travel home with my flights being rebooked 3 times and at the last gate there was one final delay before flying through a gorgeous thunderstorm on the way home, but I had a belly full of seafood gumbo and there was a celebrity sighting! Actually there were 3! Four if you count the Reynolds Ford commercial guy who was on my flight back with me.

The photo is out of focus because these guys were quiet like ninjas when they approached the gate and I was fumbling to get my camera ready when I noticed them trying to slyly get through to their flight to Grand Junction. This is the only shot I got of all 3 of the Top Gear hosts - to the left is Jeremy Clarkson standing behind Richard Hammond (my favorite) and going through the door is James May.

Top Gear Celebrities

I think I was the only one in my area that truly appreciates them or even knew who they were and I was geeking out! I wish I had been closer. I would have loved to have gotten a picture with all 3 or have heard their voices in person. Gah, to be on that flight with them!



It was a good trip even with less sleep than normal and the flight delays, but I was ready to get home and get ready for Easter....and maybe nap.