A Nighttime Stroll

So it's Saturday night in Southern Florida, where's the hottest spot in town?

Miami Beach, of course!

This evening, we drove down to Miami and walked along South Beach.

It was actually the perfect time of day for a walk down the beach. It was after dark, so the beach was empty and the path basically clear. (Usually it's super crowded.) Plus, there was a nice breeze off the water which felt heavenly.

And we got to walk past the swankest hotels in town and catch a glimpse of how the other half lives. (WOW! Just WOW! And I thought they were exaggerating on CSI: Miami.)

Lily was pretty good, but Gideon was fairly fussy. He wasn't happy walking, he wasn't happy riding in the stroller. He just wasn't happy.

We decided to walk through the Art Deco district, because on a Saturday night (or any night of the week for that matter) this is where the party is! Plus, I haven't been to Miami since 1996 and they were really just beginning to restore some parts of the district then, so I wanted to see what progress had been made. And I just love Art Deco architecture. Maybe it's my obsession with old movies or something, but seeing these glamorous old buildings just makes me happy. And I've never seen any of it at night, so this was going to be really cool to see the buildings all lit up.

I know, the photography is poor and I apologize, but it was so awesome to be there and see these amazing buildings and how they've been rennovated, and yet preserved at the same time.

Besides, it was fun to see the restaurants and bars and pool parties teeming with people enjoying the weather and the weekend.

Gideon was not as impressed with the architecture. In fact, because he was so cranky, the only way to keep him quiet was to let him play with my phone most of the evening.

This is the former Franklin Hotel, which is currently under rennovation. That's another thing I loved about this, so many of the older and even newer hotels have kept the 20's and 30's names. The Carlyle, the Clevelander, the Victor, Loews, etc, etc, etc. It just adds to the ambiance.

Most of these hotels have bars or restaurants that open onto the street, but even those that don't, have beautiful outdoor lanai and patios that are so luxurious I couldn't help but take a peek (and a quick photo.)

We stopped for gelato on our way back to the car and I got a fruit smoothie. We managed to drink most of it before Gideon dumped it all over himself. By that time he was very tired because it was nearly 10:00pm and since he was already cranky, he really started to wail. Fortunately, both babies fell asleep on the drive home.

All things considered it's been an enjoyable day (the sunburn I got earlier at the beach notwithstanding.) I'm so enjoying this vacation, I just can't believe how quickly the time is passing. We're having so much fun!!! And we're so happy that Cami, Jacob and Lily have been so accomodating and willing to put up with us this last few days! You guys are the best! Thanks so much for having us! We're already trying to figure out when we can come back!