Miami, Part II

When last we talked, J and A and I had just been invited up to Pearl, where there appeared to be a private party going on. We had heard rumblings throughout the night that Mr. Mike Ditka was supposed to be in attendance, but when we asked at the bar, we were informed he had left already!! But no worries, we drank our free mojitos from our new "friend" and danced on the tables anyway (seriously, ON the tables - though I think they were there just for that purpose). Shortly after escaping our rather creepy new "friend" (who stalked us outside the bathroom until he resigned himself to the fact that we weren't coming out until he left) and scoring some more free drinks from a man with teeth stained purple from red wine, who spit when he talked, we finally ran into our L.A. friends, who rescued us from the scary, yet generous, people. At one point, one of them asked us, "Hey, did you see Mike Ditka? He's right over there." Much squealing and fumbling for cameras ensued, and we made our way over to his table. J asked him very politely if he wouldn't mind taking a picture with three lovely ladies from Chicago, which he did graciously ... but not without grabbing A's butt first. Yeah, he was rather intoxicated. It was awesome. :) Maybe, if I can figure out how to put pictures on here, I'll post it. If you're nice. After more table-dancing and other shenanigans, we eventually found our boys from DC down in the Nikki Beach VIP area, and were able to chat with them again, as well. So yeah, that was a fun night. Exhausted from partying our bootys (booties?) off, we (meaning, J, A, Tom-the-L.A.-boy, and me) headed over to Jerry's Famous Deli for a late night nosh. I think they have, like, 600 things on their menu. It was pure insanity.

That was a very late night. I can't be entirely sure what time we got home, but my guess is somewhere around 5:30 a.m. Yep. It was fun. And funny 'cause A and I told just about everyone we met that J had run the marathon that morning, and everyone was so impressed! So much so that J became known as "that girl who ran the marathon," which I think she started getting a little annoyed by. Sorry, hun. :)

The next day, Monday, we vowed to take it a little easier. I can't recall exactly what we did during the day, the days kind of run together after so much time has passed by. But I can guarantee you it either included a walk down to SOBE, or a trip to the beach/pool, or both. (Actually, upon further consultation with J, this was the day we went on a quest to find a lunch spot in our hotel's neighborhood, which turned into a disgusting tour of the filthiest Jewish delis we'd ever seen, and an episode of what I can only describe as racial discrimination based on the fact that we were the only Non-Jewish people in one of the restaurants we walked into. We received stares from every person in the place when we arrived, no one spoke to us, and twice, I was unnecessarily knocked into by a waitress who did not apologize, or even seem to acknowledge my presence. Never in my life had I been so uncomfortable in a place, and felt so unwelcome. I so wanted to connect with this neighborhood - to say I'd found this great little cafe that I'd return to on every visit - but apparently, the neighborhood did not want me. We eventually found a little French place that, though the service left much to be desired, had excellent sandwiches, which we brought to the hotel pool and devoured. Yum.) That night, we decided to go for dinner at a seafood place we happened upon, which, even though I was the initiator of the seafood idea, I unfortunately regret. Apparently something I ate at dinner (or possibly something before dinner, I'm not entirely sure), did not sit well with me, and I started feeling really ill. Incidentally, I do not recommend the Scallops Marsala at Grillfish. Even if they had not made me sick, the wine in the sauce had saturated the mushrooms, and made them taste like pure alcohol. I opted to return to the hotel directly after dinner, even missing out on the fancy shots we had been given by some patrons at the bar (See what I mean about the free drinks??), and I believe J and A met our L.A. friends again at a nearby bar or club. What transpired there, I will never know, but I think they had a good time. Me, I was stuck in the hotel, feeling not-so-hot. I did get to talk to my Mom for a little while, though, and relate our adventures so far, so that was nice. Needless to say, I went to bed early.

The next morning, feeling nearly back to normal, we decided to make a trek down to South Beach again to see what we could see. We walked all along the boardwalk again, marveling at all the Super Bowl tents and stages for ESPN and whatnot that were being set up, and then cut in to where all the restaurants and shops were. Did a little window shopping, and stopped for lunch at one of the many places that shoved their menus in our faces as we walked by. :) Okay, they didn't really shove them in our faces, but practically. Unfortunately, not being in "summer mode" and not being in a bathing suit where this may have occurred to me, I neglected to put on any sunscreen, and was wearing a deep V-neck shirt, so I got myself a wee bit sunburned. Didn't really realize the extent of it until that night when I got dressed to go out, but it was pretty red ... and funny-looking. That afternoon, we were feeling a bit loopy as we bought some junk food at our neighborhood convenience store, and some delicious cafe con leche at this little deli/diner thingie, and decided that the name of the hot sauce on the table was absolutely hilarious: Chilly Willy, "Try me! I'm hot and tasty!" This was to be J's slogan for the night. Can you say slap happy? We even returned to the convenience store to see if they sold it. Sadly, they did not. Otherwise, everyone reading this might now be the proud owner of a bottle of Chilly Willy hot sauce.

Up next: The final installment, in which we say goodbye, and I experience a terrible loss. Oh, and there will also be hookers.

Miami, Part I

Well, I've put it off for long enough ... here is the long-awaited (at least in my imagination where people actually read my blog and are interested in my life) Miami trip recap post. Actually, posts, plural, because apparently I don't have enough time to do it all at once!

In case you weren't aware, the reason I was in Miami was because my good friend (and an incredible athlete) J was running the marathon, and my lovely friend A and I decided we'd go down there to cheer her on and make a little vacation out of it. It was a splendid idea and a wonderfully fun trip.

After spending about 6 hours at the airport trying unsuccessfully to get on an earlier afternoon flight, J and I arrived in Miami late on Friday, and pretty much only had time to check into our hotel and crash. The hotel (Circa 39) was pretty cute. We were in a suite, which was like a little apartment, and ended up being the perfect size for three girls. There was a little courtyard right outside our room, too. The lobby was very pretty, and there was a small bar that had a free happy hour every evening, and a small cafe with a surprisingly large breakfast selection every morning. The pool area was also very pretty, though the pool itself could have used a little TLC. Aside from the fact that every 24 hours our key cards would stop working and we had to get new ones, the stay at the hotel was very pleasant. It was farther north than the action of South Beach, which was nice because we knew we'd be able to go back to the hotel at night and actually sleep. Although the neighborhood we were in ... well, I'll get to a story about that later.

Saturday morning, the two of us got up and headed down the beach to the Expo where J had to check in for the marathon, which would be the following day. As we walked out of the hotel, we discovered that we were literally across the street from the ocean, and there was a gorgeous boardwalk all down the beach, so that's what we took to get to the convention center. The entire journey down the beach, I just soaked it all in. I'd never been to the Atlantic before, and I wanted to make sure I experienced it fully. The weather was beautiful, if a little cool at times, but it was just what I needed at the end of January. :) The Expo was pretty cool, with all the different vendors selling their fitness-related wares. J bought a new pair of sunglasses for running, and I got to try a ... cube thingie. I forget what they're called, but they are these little energy cubes that runners eat while they run to replenish nutrients they may be losing. It was tasty. Oh, and we also got to see where they were setting up the press area for the Super Bowl! That was cool, and only one of the many Super Bowl themed things we saw that week. As we left the Expo, we noticed a cute little Botanical Garden across the street, so we took a stroll through there and became one with nature. Okay, maybe not, but we took some very pretty pictures of flowers. Then, after a failed attempt to find a grocery store (Don't people actually LIVE in Miami Beach??), we stopped off at a local convenience store for provisions, then headed to the beach to wait for A to arrive.

J had read about an Italian restaurant on Espanola Way, called Hosteria Romana, that she wanted to try (needing pasta the night before her race), so when A arrived, we headed down that way again for the most entertaining dining experience I had had in a very long time. I knew it would be fun when the host insisted we hold his elbow and be escorted to our seats. Everyone who worked there was Italian, or so it seemed, and they shouted back and forth to each other in Italian throughout the evening. The waiters were all adorable and flirty with the customers, and A even succeeded in getting a couple phone numbers! There was a man with an iguana on his back at the bar, and a snare drum at the entrance that the staff would occasionally beat out a tune on. And yeah, the food was awesome, too. :) After dinner, J decided to head back to the hotel to get her beauty sleep before her race, so A and I went to the bar at the Delano for a drinky. That place was absolutely gorgeous, and I'd go back there in a minute if I could. As are many of the bars/clubs in SOBE, it was outside, with a pool with beds surrounding it, little cabanas for small gatherings of people, and just a beautiful beach atmosphere. We ended up meeting some really cool people that night, who were in Miami for various reasons. We met some gentlemen from Washington DC in town for a golf tournament, and a couple of guys from L.A. in town on business (direct marketing). These were very fortuitous meetings, too, because those cool people led us to some cool clubs and fun events throughout the rest of our stay in Miami. Having satisfied ourselves with a couple drinks and a few more phone numbers, A and I called it a night.

The next morning was the marathon!! Unfortunately for J, it was raining all morning, so we were worried her run was going to be miserable. After a cab ride into the city with the most friendly, accommodating cabbie I've ever met, A and I camped out at the finish line so we could see her as she crossed. When she did, we were like proud parents!! I thought she did so well! Hell, just FINISHING one of those things is a major accomplishment. Apparently it was a very difficult run because of the rain and the humidity that followed, but she made it!! She was drenched to the skin, but she did it! Yay! I was proud. And now it was time to party. :) I think the rest of the afternoon was spent either hanging out at the pool or the beach (where the wind was blowing sand in our faces/hair/clothing/ears), but that evening, we were ready for a night on the town. We had been invited by the L.A. boys we met the night before to a club called Opium Garden for a party they were hosting with free food and drinks, so we decided to make that the first stop of the evening. Then, we planned on moving to Nikki Beach, the supposed Sunday night hot spot, where we'd meet up with the DC fellas. Opium Garden was beautiful, and the free drinks and food were pretty sweet. :) The L.A. boys were surprised and happy that we actually showed up, and they informed us that their plans were also to head over to Nikki Beach later that night, after one other stop they had to make. So after the freebies were over, we went to the "place to be" on a Sunday night in South Beach (who knew??), and what do you think happened? More freebies! Never in my life had I had such an ego trip because of all the people willing to buy us girls drinks! Nikki Beach is another outdoor venue right on the beach (sand and all), and after exploring for a bit, J and A and I settled into a couple of couches and observed the scene. It was ... interesting. I was having so much fun that night that I didn't notice it too much, but the superficiality of the place is such that I wouldn't want to spend any long spans of time there. But for a vacation to escape the everyday humdrum, it was perfect. It was not long at all before a local gentleman (relatively speaking) approached us and offered to get us upstairs to the restuarant and lounge, Pearl, that we had noticed was roped off. We accepted his offer, and his mojitos. :) And I'm sure glad we did.

Up next: Part II, in which a certain Chicago Bear makes an appearance ...

dark clouds on the horizon

There is one more week until the day that I plan to ignore arrives. Yes, Valentine's Day is one short week away. You may be asking yourself, "How can she be ignoring the day if she's recognizing the fact that it's one week away?" That is a good question, but it has a good answer, too. Like I mentioned in one of my posts about Valentine's Day last year (yes, I did go back to read them), it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to ignore the day completely because we are bombarded with all the consumerist images of what love is supposed to look like. It's just plain inescapable. I guess that's good for all the girlfriends out there whose boyfriends may not ever look at a calendar, but for your average single girl like me, it sucks the big one. Lemme tall ya.

This year, I'm planning on taking a similar tack as I did last year. I'm going to spend the evening with a bunch of my girl friends and forget about boys all together. My friend A is hosting a dinner at her place, for girls only, and I think it will be a good time. My friend T is also hosting an Un-Valentine's potluck, but A invited me first, so that's where I'm going. Sorry, T! (T & A, ha ha! Oh, brother.) Now, whether either of these events would be more gratifying than sitting at home watching movies and eating ice cream with the cat is another story. See, the cat really loves ice cream ...

But anyway, this year I have no illusions. I think that the little part of me that secretly hopes for MOMD (Man of My Dreams, for those of you who were not paying attention in class) to suddenly appear and sweep me off my feet has shrunk just a little bit. Not that I don't always have a little bit of hope (see, this is why I need to go back and read my New Year's post now and then), I think maybe I've just been a little hardened by some past experiences. I know for certain that MOMD is not going to show up a) because he does not exist, and b) because I'm not that lucky. I'm not going to wear black out of protest, like I have done in years past, but I won't be wearing any red and pink sweaters with frilly appliqueed hearts on them either. I'm just going to calmly coast through the day, and then meet my friends for dinner that night. That's the plan.

Valentine's Day? What's that? This is just Wednesday.

a.d.d.

Oh, stuff. So much stuff. I really want to write about things that are happening, or have happened lately, like my awesome trip to Miami and all the cool people we met down there, but at the moment, I don't have the concentration to stay on one topic for long enough to do it justice ... so here's some other random crap.

I've got this idea for a new little art project that I saw on a blog I read yesterday - I guess that means it's not really MY idea, but I'm taking what he did and modifying it a bit, so I'm MAKING it mine. :) I can't wait to start it! And who knows? Maybe somebody I know might be getting it as a gift some time in the near future ...

As you may or may not know, I am moving out of my apartment when the lease is up at the end of March, so I'm all full of emotion because of that. I love the apartment and the roomie, but I've always wanted to try living on my own, and I figure if I don't do it sooner, rather than later, I may never get the chance! So this is the time. I'm kind of looking forward to looking at new places, and I made an appointment with Apartment People for this Saturday (that's who we found our current apartment through, and it was a good experience), so perhaps I will come out of that with a new place lined up! Yippee!

I've been having this sort of weird, disconnected, slightly depressed feeling lately that I just can't explain. It might be a combination of winter blues, and the fact that I haven't seen much of my friends for a while (save for the two I went to Miami with). I am trying to remedy that by calling people up, sending e-mails and text messages, and trying to just be more involved in my own life, and not let this INSANELY cold weather get me down too much. I did not even leave my apartment this weekend unless I absolutely had to (which I did to go to the grocery store and a Super Bowl party), and I think maybe that was a mistake. Hibernating does not help one get out of a funk, it just buries one deeper. But damn, it's cold!!

And ... ummm ... I won't even mention the Super Bowl (whoops, did it anyway) because I don't want to make anyone cry. Except Rex Grossman. But my guess is he's already crying.

Well, that's all I got. I'll post another time with my Miami trip details, as I'm sure you're all DYING to hear about how we met Mike Ditka ...