Day 20 - Key West, FL to Miami Lakes, FL

Today was mainly rainy.  We were able to fit in a few sightseeing activities, but rain dominated the schedule.

We left the Parrot Bay Resort this morning, which had unusable wifi, but was very nice.  We didn't take advantage of all the amenities offered by the hotel, but it was perhaps our nicest room so far.  It was also our most expensive hotel by far, but Key West didn't give us much of a choice in the matter.

The drive to Miami had a few fun pictures, but I'll have to include them tomorrow since I don't have Erin's phone.  Mostly, it was just rainy.

When we arrived in Miami, I immediately searched for Cuban food.  It turns out Cuban fast food is a real thing, so I tried it.

Frita on the left and Tamal on the right.

 Cuban Guys is a Cuban fast food chain.   Make sure you speak a little Spanish because otherwise you might not be eating.  Thankfully I can speak enough to order food (and find the bathroom) which is most of what you need to know.

Erin in South Beach.

Many clouds, but dry for the moment.

Miami beachwalk.

After a short beach stroll to see the ocean, we explored the area around the beach.

Awkward sidewalk cafes force you through tables.

Palm trees everywhere here.

We visited the Tesla store for fun.

We found a nice outdoor shopping area.

Miami has some old buildings in the area too.

Next we went to Key Biscayne to check out some fancy houses.

Candidate #1.

Wait, this is a house?

OK, this looks better.

Interesting?

There was quite a variety of sizes and styles on the island.  We wanted to go to Star Island and Hibiscus Island but the gatehouses deterred us.  Apparently the owners of the $10 million+ homes don't want just anyone coming to dinner.

Instead, we found our own dinner at Mash Potato.

I had snapper and brussel sprouts.

Erin had asparagus and of course, mashed potatoes.

After dinner, I went to play minigolf with some friends who happened to be in town.  Oddly, we've now played as a trio in New York, Stillwater, and Miami within the last month and nearly played in Dallas as well. (We played as a duo while the third player was in flight to DFW.)  What are the chances of three people who live in three different cities getting together so frequently?

We combined into one car at a scary gas station filled by cars with giant rims.

Here's a great example.

Sadly, those are not the biggest rims we saw in the gas station this evening.  Over half the cars stopping for gas has very shiny, custom wheels.  I don't own a car, but even if I did, I don't think I could join this group.  I'm clearly not understanding the appeal.

Luckily, I didn't get mugged and returned back safely to write this post.

Tomorrow is our second longest planned driving day up to Daytona Beach.  At least there will be plenty of ocean nearby if we want a break!