Weekend in Miami

This past weekend was the first time we stayed in the city of Miami, heading north from Key West for some shopping and off-island fun. We usually head to Broward County for retail therapy....Aventura, Hallandale, or Fort Lauderdale. All those stores we miss from home, in suburban areas that really could be in Maryland or any place else, except for the palm trees. This weekend gave me a little taste of the 'glitz' I often miss from traveling to large cities. We all enjoyed it.

We stayed at the Conrad hotel in Miami's financial district, a sea of high rises surrounded by Biscayne Bay. The view from our suite on the 22nd floor was amazing! It reminded me of our stay at the Conrad in Battery Park in Manhattan a few summers ago....replace the Biscayne Bay with the Hudson River, switch Goldman Sach's with Chase.

In Battery Park, there are many families living in the neighborhood high rises, so the waterfront park and local restaurants are dotted with kids. On Brickell Avenue (our address in Miami), things were definitely geared to well-heeled adults. And soccer fans. We watched Peru v Venezuela while we ate some delicious Mexican food near the hotel. On our walk back, the girls posed in front of the many 'step and repeats' (those backdrops listing sponsors of special events) in front of restaurants and bars we passed. I saw the highest heels ever on some gorgeous Latinas.....how do you walk in those things? And the valet parking (something I will never understand about South Florida) was in full swing, with the best cars placed curbside for all to see. I'm talking Rolls Royce and Maclaren.

The staff at the Conrad may have looked like the staff in New York in uniform and grace, but this hotel had a Latin flair that befits a luxury hotel in the city called 'the gateway to South America.' My girls became instant celebrities upon check in. Everyone assumes they speak Spanish (they don't.....yet!) but after the first conversation the staff was enchanted. Lots of special treatment, which they completely loved. At check out Mari told the concierge 'You did a great job and this is a WONDERFUL hotel. 'Bye!'

High rises and Biscayne Bay. That is the causeway to Key Biscayne in the background.