Bienvenidos A Miami (part 2)

STOP! If you haven’t read day one of Bienvenidos A Miami, go to  https://www.akeyadventure.com/post/bienvenidos-a-miami-part-1 then come back.

To those who have read part 1, Welcome back! On to more adventures!

Day two started off with a tour of the city. I had booked the Miami Colors- City Tour with Round Trip Transportation Included through Viator. I was already hesitant to go because in part of booking this particular company, MyTravels & Tours Corp. through Viator, they were supposed to give us round trip transportation to the airport along with picking us up from the hotel for the tour. They never showed up to pick us up from the airport and when I called to ask what happened, there was a heated exchange resulting in me using not so nice words. They also wanted my sister and I to meet them at another location instead of hotel pick up and I explained to them that I had sent them our itinerary several days before arrival and it was agreed upon already and that is what I expected. After this hiccup, they ended up picking us up from the hotel and the rest of the day went smoothly. My review for them is located here.

The tour, which was about 6 hours, started with us driving as close as we could get to Fisher Island. It is the most prestigious place to live with

all types of celebrities owning homes and condos there. You have to be invited to live there and the only way to get there is by boat as it has no land connection. After spending about 15 minutes at the site for pictures, we moved on to Little Havana. Calle Ocho is filled with restaurants and shops. We were given about an hour and a half to explore and eat. My sister and I got lunch at a Mexican restaurant named

El Taquito Mayamesco. I know. I know. Why eat Mexican in a Cuban area? Just keep reading. I ordered elote and shrimp tacos (the real ones not the ones from taco bell or you make at home. Hehe). I took the shrimp out and gave it to my sister. Elote,

pronounced ‘ee-low-tay’ is a side dish of sweet grilled corn on the cob, smothered with a mixture of crema (or sour cream), mayonnaise, and spices. Their version was corn on the cob with mayonnaise, cotija cheese and tajin. Now mayonnaise on corn does not sound appetizing, but it was surprisingly really good. The tacos, after the shrimp was removed, had guacamole, coleslaw, tartar sauce and Pico de Gallo. My sister still eats seafood (she leans more towards pescatarian) so she had the tuna filled avocado and Nacho Supreme. She said the tuna avocado was really good. The portion sizes were fair for the prices. Eating two ears of elote and 3 tacos filled me up, but you be the judge when you visit. My sister paid so I couldn’t tell you what the tab was, but I can say it was roughly $60-80 for two people.

We met up with the tour guide at El Pub Restaurant and tried Cuban coffee. My goodness! It was really strong! My sister said it tasted how motor oil smelled Lol I think it tasted more so like dirty water. (shoulder shrug) We got on the tour bus and took a small tour of a South Beach neighborhood where there was lush greenery to include banana trees and lots of peacocks and roosters! Roosters are sacred animals to the Cubans, like the cow is to those from India is how I can best describe it. They are considered good luck, so they are free to roam and are often fed by the locals. We continued our journey to Wynwood known as the Street Art District because of the colorfully painted building walls.

There is a Museum of Graffiti which showcases graffiti artwork from the 1970s to the present. Because we were pressed for time, we were unable to explore the museum, but just from stepping in the lobby it looked like something of interest.

You know I love my classic cars, so I did a quick tour of Walt Grace Vintage Cars and Guitars. I thought it was an odd combination for a store, but it works. Inside the store classic Porches, Jaguars, Mercedes Benz and Chevys in one section, fender guitars in another section and a small café in another. It’s a nice place to go to kill time or hang out with friends.

The final location of the tour was a Mansions of Miami Beach Tour with Bayride Tours. As the name implies, this ninety-minute boat ride in the Biscayne Bay takes you to see various mansions of celebrities such as Floyd Mayweather, Jackie Chan, Shakira, Will Smith and Rick Ross. The tour guide told great dad jokes and there was music playing in the background while we sailed to keep the passengers entertained. There was a cool breeze which helped save us from the summer heat. One of my favorite sites was the floating bar. I thought that was pretty cool!

My sister and I walked back the short distance to the hotel and met back up with our chapter sisters. We decided to try out a restaurant about a ten-minute walk from the Regency. Hibachi Panasian Grill & Noodle Bar is a cool little place located in downtown Miami. I had the Hibachi Tofu made with fried brown rice, onions and zucchini with mango tea for a drink. It was really good with their special sauce on top, but I was unable to finish it because it was so much. The tofu wasn’t mushy like some places make it and the staff was mildly entertaining. The atmosphere was typical of any small shop-quaint but nice.

One of my chapter sisters decided to go across the street to a different place so we met her there. I cannot remember what the name of the place was called. Based on the crowd level, this place must have been good too. After a nice conversation with the family sitting across from us, they offered our group a bottle of saki to try. I didn’t think to take a picture at the time, but it was nice, smooth and flavorful.

It was getting late, and my sister and I had another jam-packed day ahead of us, so we thanked the wonderful family for the drink and headed back to the hotel. Being that we were downtown, it wasn’t as lively as I though it would be that late at night. I guess we were just not in the right part. I was too tired to party anyway, so I prepared myself for the next day’s adventures and got some rest.

Bare with me. Part 3 coming soon...

Disclaimer: I, Artilya Key, also known as A. Key (A Key To Adventure), am not affiliated with any of the links, places or sites mentioned in this blog nor did I receive any compensation for this post. Should you need more information, please refer to the linked information or contact the company or entities. Any copywritten information belongs to that entity and is not associated with A Key To Adventure.