It was time to soak up the sun. It was quite chilly in Barcelona, so I was ready to welcome up to 30 degrees celsius. The last time I was in Miami was 2005, so I was keen to see some parts I missed on the first pass, and mostly just experience the town like a local.
But first, coffee, of course. And I headed straight to the number one recommended coffee place – Panther Coffee. They have a few locations around Miami, but I thought to try the one nearest to South Beach.
Panther Coffee
Like many places in Miami, parking costs money. Luckily the parking garage next to Panther was only $1/hour.
Then, of course, comes the currency shock. Two cappuccinos and 1 croissant comes to US$16, which is AUD$21.
Holy moly! Forget Paris having expensive coffee, we just broke the international coffee price barrier!
It WAS good coffee, and the croissant was good too.
Lincoln Road Mall
While looking to re-stock my Lush perfume, I ended up at the Lincoln Road Mall. Clearly the Christmas decorations had just gone up. Too early in my opinion.
And the trip to Lush was all in vain… the prices are nearly double Australian prices – literally. My AUD$24.95 bottle of perfume was US$24.95, so I opted to look for other options.
Still, it was a nice stroll down over Collin Avenue to…
Miami Beach
Yes, this beach is as good as you would expect…
Cheesecake Factory
A visit to the US is not complete for me until I visit Cheesecake Factory. It used to be Red Lobster that I usually visited, but it has kinda gone down hill.
Yes, I would not really associate the word “healthy” with Cheesecake Factory, so I have mixed feelings about the deep fried zucchini, mushrooms and avocado! Still, it was delicious!
Actually the real reason I stumbled into Cheesecake Factory was because I was at the Aventura Mall looking for new shoes at The Walking Store. Somehow I ripped my Rieker walking shoes in Madrid, so I knew the time to grab a new pair was close.
Sadly the range was VERY thin on the ground, and I’m not sure that if you are a shoe shop dealing with “problem feet” that just suggesting people shop from the website is the best idea. Problem feet normally means having trouble fitting shoes, and not even a single shoe make keep consistency any more when manufacturing shoes. Tricky business.
Whole Foods
Not just a grocery store…. it’s an institution. And the food is awesome.
And it literally is the cheapest and best place to stock up on natural beauty creams and cosmetics.
Ok. I love this place.