Only in Miami moment

So I was driving up US1 this afternoon, on my way to the gym and I had one of those, "only in Miami" moments.

Now normally when you are on the road in South Florida, you have to be fairly defensive because you never know what you are going to have swerve into your lane, car, motorcycle, moped, pedestrians, Iguana-the-size-of-a-pony, whatever.
But in the five years I have been here, I have never seen parrots become an issue. And I'm not talking about the little green parrots, I'm referring to the HUGE yellow and blue parrots that people pay thousands of dollars for.

It was a pair of said yellow and blue parrots the size of my cats that almost dive-bombed my car before the swooped up at the last minute. freaky

Hoo-ray for Hollywood - Florida - not the other one

Yesterday, in an attempt to escape the craziness of Miami, I thought it would be a good idea to head north. I was going to trek further but instead thought - hey, I haven't been to Hollywood in like a year, so it's time to see what's going on there. I was mighty surprised in a good way to see that there are way more restaurants and bars and other establishments than I remember, and the beach front was all fixed up with the new Broadwalk and looked all purdy. Hollywood has a smalltown feel yet it has such a mix of ethnicities and randoms that you feel like you are in some small European town/yet know in the back of your mind that you're still in South Fla. I ate at this really good restaurant that was super cheap - I think it's called Chocolada or something - and they feature live music every night which is a plus in my book. And everyone who ran the joint was Eastern European (Romanian I believe). But I did know that they are not from South Fla.

Another thing that is really cool is that Hollywood's really fixed up their small downtown. Upon arrival, you go by the usual boarded up, empty store fronts that are more reminicent of a northern town, but once you enter their strip, it's really nice. Someone in Hollywood is paying attention and is incorporating small parks and gardens for the community, and there are lots of plantings and arty things around. I know they have their own version of the art walk like we have in Midtown, so I may try to go sometime.

My favorite additions are the "tree people" as I call them. These topiary wonders are neat - I didn't see them the first drive down the street, but saw them the second time around. They add some uniqueness to the strip, remind me of Edward Scissorhands, and could cause young children to have nightmares about tree people who might come to life and eat them (I have an overactive imagination). But I liked them in all their untree-like poses. Here are the pics:

The Ballerina:

The Waiter (I thought this was an appropriate tree person to have in South Fla. since there are SO MANY ;):

The sax (saxamaphone) player :

Kudos, Hollywood. Keep it up! I will be visiting again hopefully sometime soon!

Monday - A Good Day for the Beach

Here are some more gratuitous beach photos (I just can't get enough) from North Beach:

Miami Sunsets over the MacArthur

A rare site - no traffic on the MacArthur at 7 pm on a beautiful Friday night! And photography at 60 mph. Snazzy!

Skyline

Last week at work we had lunch out at Key Biscayne (it's a rough life sometimes)

While I was there I snapped a couple skyline shots (its much easier to take these when you are not in the car BTW)





I love that I caught a manatee sign in the photo too. Awesomeness.

Miami-Dade Transit - Anyone can drive!

This is one of the best stories lately to come out of Miami-Dade. James L. Harris, a metrobus aficionado, has been arrested TWICE for taking metrobuses and driving them around the greater Miami area. He not only drove to Florida City, but picked up passengers along Collins Avenue and I hear only charged 25 cents per passenger. What a deal! I say, good for Mr. Harris! He's not hurting anyone and really likes buses - and is willing to give a discount in these tough economic times. He's been involved in bus disputes and routes for years and he's only 18! Who knows what the future holds for him - but I think it's in transportation. I know this story has been mentioned elsewhere, but it's definitely a misadventure in my book and unique to Miami. A "Only in Florida" moment as I like to call them. Click here to read today's saga in the Herald of Mr. James L. Harris, "bus fanatic."

Scenes around the Gables

I love living in the gables. It's beautiful and there are so many neat little details you never notice unless you keep your eyes up.

For example, this wall is awesome:



And another flamingo! awesome!



This whole city loves giant, ridiculously painted birds....