April 2019 Update. My annual spring vacation trek.
This time I got a suite room upgrade with wraparound windows for being Lifetime Titanium status in Marriott program 🙂
Because the view was so great, I had to take a run to Miami Beach of course!
Today, the morning weather was fantastic. A pleasant 60 degrees and warm morning sun.
Now, the fun part of running is you always get to see new things and interesting sites that you might miss otherwise. Now, if you look closely at the above picture, there is a very clever Egret bird that realizes this is a fishing boat, and they have fresh fish bait for the sharks…and they left a small opening to their bait locker. He/she is is clever enough to smell and see the opening and will grab some fish out!
June 2018 Posting. Arrived in Miami at a great hotel along the water – the Marriott Biscayne Bay.
Great location and great service, but the restaurant…meh.
But I cannot complain as it is right next to the best running route in Miami. There is a biking and running trail all the way to Miami Beach, but with the humidity, you will look like you went swimming in the ocean after a 10K.
Early in the morning, there is no traffic except the occasional Rolls Royce heading to Starbucks and you do not have to worry about traffic lights stopping your run. But…if you do not time your sprints right, you will get caught by the bridges that open up every 30 minutes!
So, what can you do in Miami? You can get on a cruise ship of course! The checkin lines were brutal – 1 hour to just see you have the papers filled out and have a passport. Uggghhh! …and they say no bottles of water, alcohol or soft drinks. I loaded up on Gatorade for when I go running so I don’t have to pay the ship $10 a bottle.
The room is actually kind of comfy. It is an older ship with few balconies, but I got a really good deal on a single room and looking forward to the ports. Should I try the bunk beds instead?
All unpacked and blending in with the crowd. Will be fun. Now can anyone guess where the ship is headed? Stay tuned…
June 2018 return from cruise:
I came back from Cuba and decided to spend a night on the beach and check out the local scene. It feels everything is about the beachfront and everything else one block away from the beach is a little run down.
So, I had some local PoBoy sandwiches and decided to take an afternoon jog in the cool 91 degree ocean breeze. Brutal!
I wanted to try and do the whole beach and pace myself, but some parts of the beach are closed 🙂 and in April 2019, the beach is still blocked off!
But if you get bored, you can always work out with some of the Navy Seals in the outdoor gym. No thanks!
The other major difference in April 2019 was the availability of beach polo games!
Running around the world is always fun. Some of my other favorite spots:
David Cross Travel Blog 
I have a feeling you’re going to Cuba and I am SO excited for you! What a great adventure!
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