Every year since leaving Melbourne, we have celebrated New Year's Eve in a different city.It was London in 2011 under the shadow (and firework ash) of the Eye; 2012 was huddled under an umbrella in Brussels; 2013 on the island of Madeira watching one of the largest pyrotechnic displays in the world. So for 2014, we were inspired to go beyond Europe and Miami came up on the list. And whilst we were in the area, we cruised the Caribbean for Christmas. A great way to bring in 2015.
The 2013 New Year's Eve theme for Madeira's festivities had been the 'cruise ship'. On that trip we were lucky to witness one of the largest gatherings of cruise ships at a single port. This inspired us to immediately book ourselves onto a Caribbean cruise and Miami was chosen as the port of embarkation.
 |
| Going on a big boat (the one behind, as the front one is Disney) |
Straight after paying the cruise deposit, we made a rookie mistake of checking out flights and buying the cheapest option in fear that the 'holiday period' travel dates would mean certain price rises. However, in this case we lost out - as the 11 month ahead of travel date period is often mis-priced (advice a travel agent once told me which may / may not be true). The prices tend to fluctuate a bit until all airlines have released their schedules and then there are some 'specials' that arrive throughout the year. So it pays to be attentive to price alerts - set yours up with sites like: Skyscanner or Kayak.
Fun In Transit
It is always better to pay for a direct flight instead of a 'cheaper' one-stop option. Particularly when flying multi-stop in the USA, because you need to clear your bag through customs on arrival at the first airport. This extra activity needs to be factored into layover time. Therefore Mei risk assessed our London to New York to Miami flight route and decided that 'in case we missed our connecting flight', we needed an extra night in Miami. Also, short layovers result in trying to find ways to fill time - ie. sitting in JFK airport drinking beer and eating buffalo wings.
Fun In Transit
It is always better to pay for a direct flight instead of a 'cheaper' one-stop option. Particularly when flying multi-stop in the USA, because you need to clear your bag through customs on arrival at the first airport. This extra activity needs to be factored into layover time. Therefore Mei risk assessed our London to New York to Miami flight route and decided that 'in case we missed our connecting flight', we needed an extra night in Miami. Also, short layovers result in trying to find ways to fill time - ie. sitting in JFK airport drinking beer and eating buffalo wings.
 |
| Welcome to the USA and buffalo wings |
Welcome to Miami
Our knowledge of Miami, Florida was limited to what we had seen on film and TV: CSI Miami; Miami Vice, Bad Boys etc - a bit of a party place with decadent resorts, cosmetically enhanced bodies and the iconic black and white Miami Beach police cars.
Our knowledge of Miami, Florida was limited to what we had seen on film and TV: CSI Miami; Miami Vice, Bad Boys etc - a bit of a party place with decadent resorts, cosmetically enhanced bodies and the iconic black and white Miami Beach police cars.
Welcome to South Beach (SoBe)
South Beach is part of Miami Beach, the district connected to Miami City by a number of causeways that were crammed with traffic and flashy cars. South Beach has the iconic beach front of sand where beautiful people jog in the morning among the coconut trees and then pop into Starbucks for their double soy frappe with extra cream.
 |
| South Beach in the morning (we did go running on our holiday) |
 |
| The iconic coconut trees |
 |
| A beautiful beach when the sun came out |
 |
| Plenty of pesky seagulls |
People and car watching
Ocean Drive is one of those streets that encourages you to watch people and also check out their flashy cars - just like the Las Vegas Strip or The Walk in Dubai; exploring the pavements also means seeing a parade of flashy wheels and people hanging out at cafes (watching everyone else watching them).
 |
| Ocean Drive - where we hung out in South Beach |
 |
| The valet at work |
 |
| Versace Mansion, now a hotel |
 |
| Nice set of wheels |
News Cafe
One of the most popular spots for people watching was the 24-hour News Cafe - one of Ocean Drive's established residences and decent place to start the morning off with eggs, sausage meat, toast and coffee.
Art Deco district
South Beach is home to some fascinating architecture aligned to the Art Deco movement. A number of buildings along Ocean Drive are heritage protected due to the signature pastel coloured walls, port-hole windows and curved balconies.
But the facilities went unused, as we ventured out to the restaurants along Ocean Drive for dinner and drinks at the touristy bar: Oceans Ten for massive cocktails and a pretty average paella.
Booking in a New Year's Eve party
The next morning (day of the cruise) we aimed to book ourselves into a New Year's Eve party, as it had been difficult just searching online without any knowledge of the neighborhood. Ticket prices varied depending on the venue (restaurant vs bar vs club) and type of dinner and drink packages. Originally we had considered booking a place on a boat around the harbour to watch the fireworks. However we were on the wrong part of Miami Beach and the logistics were too difficult to co-ordinate. In the end we decided on a package at the High Bar (above the Naked Taco restaurant) on Collins Ave - as it included unlimited alcohol until midnight; a buffet dinner and roof-top views of the fireworks.
 |
| Planning for New Year's Eve |
Fast-forward to the Eve of New Year's Eve
After the cruise and short trip to Orlando to visit Universal Studios (separate blog posts); we arrived back in Ocean Drive on December 30th, in time to settle into our new hotel: Room Mate Waldorf Towers. The hotel room wasn't ready when we arrived, but looking exhausted after a lengthy Megabus ride, the receptionist took pity and gave us champagne to revive our spirits.
Whilst we were away, Ocean Drive had been transformed for the upcoming New Year's Eve celebrations. The atmosphere was amazing as more people were in the area and the street was converted into a traffic-free walkway. Local restaurants were permitted to extend their outdoor seating onto the road and tables were filling up fast. However the weather didn't quite co-operate and with every sudden down-pour of rain, patrons scattered indoors and staff had a big job clearing the soggy paper table clothes and re-serving all the food and drinks.
And throughout the night, the streets were full of people that came from all over town to soak up the party atmosphere.
Goodbye Miami
The next morning, we woke up with a predictable headache and promise to 'stop drinking' for a while - as per previous New Year's Days. By mid-afternoon, although the headache still remained as the clubs next door had continued to play loud music right through the day; we summoned up the courage to find food - eating Pad Thai noodles at a Thai restaurant on Washington Avenue.
That evening, we took a short walk along Espanola Way to see how the neighbourhood was welcoming in 2015. As this was our last night in Miami and perhaps atoning for the previous night's calorie fest; we ate salad for dinner and pledged an alcohol free existence that lasted for 21 days.
Next blog post:
If you liked this post, please share it with others using the social media buttons below.
To connect with us and see snippets of our Culture Stamp travel adventures:
 |
| A beautiful sunset - inspiring us for the next few days of revelry |
 |
| Streets full of people |
 |
| The Corona Cafe ready to bring in the new year |
Celebrating December 30th
Drinking cocktails along Ocean Drive can be a very expensive (but fun) activity. The super-sized mojitos came with enough straws to hint that the drinks should be shared by four people - instead of the two of us deciding to have one each.
And throughout the night, the streets were full of people that came from all over town to soak up the party atmosphere.
New Year's Eve lunch
With a long night ahead, lunch became an important meal for lining our stomachs. We chose the Greek restaurant: Poseidon on Washington Avenue for a meal, sitting outside on the terrace just in-between rain showers. The octopus and greek salad were highlights of the meal.
New Year's Eve Scenery
After lunch, we walked past the clubs and they were kicking off their New Year's Eve parties - with the loudest music and greatest crowd excitement being generated at the Clevelander Bar and Ocean's Ten.
 |
| Crowds gathering to enjoy a long, loud night |
The strategy of having a samba party with lots of girls dancing on tables and in front of the bar, definitely drew in an interested crowd.
Whilst Olie was happy watching the entertainment, Mei found some nice scenery to check out too.
 |
| And the subject of this photo is....people walking down the street |
New Year's Eve Party
After a quick rest at the hotel, we got ready for the party at Highbar, a few streets away. On arrival, our names were ticked off the list, given a wrist band and escorted to an elevator that took us to the top of the building.
 |
| View over Miami from the terrace, perfect for viewing fireworks |
The terrace had a pool with cabana lounges for VIP guests. A DJ was entertaining the crowd and we headed straight for the bar where we met some of the other guests as we kicked off the night with champagne.
Everyone gathered at the back of the terrace for dinner - a Hawaiian buffet feast that helped to moderate the impact of all the alcohol we were drinking. Close to midnight, the music was turned up and the atmosphere transformed from polite cocktail hour into a busy nightclub. When the last 'free' drinks were called, Olie made sure we could remain hydrated well into the early hours of 2015. After the merriment of the fireworks, sparklers and singing Auld Lang Syne; one of the guests jumped into the pool - and security were nice enough not to kick him out of the party.
The next morning, we woke up with a predictable headache and promise to 'stop drinking' for a while - as per previous New Year's Days. By mid-afternoon, although the headache still remained as the clubs next door had continued to play loud music right through the day; we summoned up the courage to find food - eating Pad Thai noodles at a Thai restaurant on Washington Avenue.
 |
| Pad Thai - great for a hangover |
That evening, we took a short walk along Espanola Way to see how the neighbourhood was welcoming in 2015. As this was our last night in Miami and perhaps atoning for the previous night's calorie fest; we ate salad for dinner and pledged an alcohol free existence that lasted for 21 days.
Caribbean cruise - Part 1
**Connect With Us**
This post was written by: Culture StampsIf you liked this post, please share it with others using the social media buttons below.
To connect with us and see snippets of our Culture Stamp travel adventures:
- Follow Culture Stamps on Twitter
- LIKE our Culture Stamps Page on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment