Miami Itinerary

It helps to have friends that grew up in Miami to show you around town.. the trip was nonstop, consisting of brunches, lunches, cocktail parties, birthday parties, dinner parties and of course dancing. In fact two of the nights we closed the venue down and danced until we were asked to leave. I don’t know if it was the flawless weather (knowing that it was freezing in New York), or the fact that I was in good hands and was shown the creme de la creme of South Beach because for the first time ever, I fell in love with Miami. I wanted to stay. I joked with my friends about considering this city for my next move. Footnote: Not that I have any plans to move anytime in the near future.

I could adopt the Latino flair and learn how to salsa and learn Spanish.. perhaps invest in a Vespa to jet around town and finally perfect my tennis skills. I love Miami. I’m already looking for an excuse to get back to South Beach. But until then…

Here are a few of my favorite spots and must-do spots to revisit on my next trip:

The new W Hotel.
The interior does not follow the cookie cutter stamp of previous W Hotel chains. It’s stunning and eclectic and is much more sophisticated in style than I expected. Mr Chow is studded with gorgeous people and makes for fabulous people watching and the cabanas by the pool are fantastic and a perfect spot to leisurely spend a few hours in the evening. Heck, I spotted A ROD there two nights in a row so that’s gotta mean something, right? This spot is cool. And after the deejay shut down at the pool, we mosied over to the club called Wall and danced the night away.

La Goulue in Bal Harbour.
La Goulue is a French bistro originally from New York that was an institution on Madison Avenue for over 20 years and recently shut its doors. Rumor is that they will re-open in NYC in another location, but until that happens, one must travel to Miami to indulge in some of their famous dishes such as the hericot vert salad, steak tartare or cheese souffle. After a long lunch it’s nice to take a stroll through the Bal Harbour Shops.. I did more sightseeing than shopping.. reminds me of a concentrated version of Fashion Island from Newport Beach, California.

La Piaggia.
We went for Sunday lunch. I felt like I was in the South of France.. think Club 55 except with vibrant use of tangerine orange instead of sky blue. Our table was nestled in the sand and masked by three huge umbrellas as no one in our crew actually wanted to bake in the sun. Instead we drank French Rose wine and had a wonderful feast of the freshest crudite platters and grilled fish. It was a glorious afternoon.

Balans.
I met a friend for breakfast Monday morning at Balans on Lincoln Road. I was planning on walking there from my friend’s condo but I started chatting with the guy I shared the elevator with and he told me to take the quarter bus to Lincoln Road as it only costs one quarter. Love that. So we waited for the bus together and he jumped off at the stop before me and I continued on to Lincoln Road. I’m already a local girl. We sat outside and had a delicious omelet and latte. I love breakfast food and am a complete breakfast snob and Balans was delicious. I will definitely frequent this spot for my omelet fix.

This trip we never made it to Casa Tua for drinks, but I do love that spot and will definitely make sure to add it to my list for my next trip. I also want to check out Fontainebleau and LIV. I do hope to be back soon to.. party in the city where the heat is on!