The 2016 Sojourn to South Beach (SoBe)

Thursday Feb 25th and Friday Feb 26th

Al P ( so many Al's in this club!) and his wife Marion graciously invited me to come to stay overnight in SoBe to explore the area and of course.... to cycle. 

This is the view from their condo

The water is as blue as the Caribbean.....really!

It was a bit to chilly to go to the beach so we decide to venture out and explore Ocean Ave which has the nightclubs, restaurants, and all types of hotels including some Art Deco designed hotels. 

One of the Art Deco hotels

This is Versace mansion and the place where he was shot by his lover

This car was made of stainless steel.  Someone has way too much money!  The license plate was from NY

Citi bike kiosks were located throughout the city.   I think Al said there were 50 of them!

There was a big weekend festival ( there seems to be one every weekend) and this one featured celebrity chefs....and of course food.  There were tents on the beach that must have extended a mile....really.  On Friday when we came back from the ride the line for tickets was so long it would probably take three hours to purchase one!!

At dinner which consisted of French crepes on Lincoln Street which is walking pedestrian mall, our conversation consisted of the fact that SoBe is sinking much like Venice, Italy.  Who knows how many years that it will take for the water to overtake the land but it has been determined that it will definitely happen at some point.  Perpetual Headwinds mentioned this to me when I first moved to Florida but I didn't believe her.   




On Friday morning.....a windy and a bit chilly one...we decided to ride towards Hollywood Beach which is north of SoBe.   I got up early to see the sunrise and got a surprise instead.  Al was up by that time and when we looked out the window just after sunrise there was a strange looking boat....a rowboat I think....full of people.  Al thought it might be Cuban refugees but quickly dismissed that thought as there was no Coast Guard boats chasing it.  Seems a common thing in Miami.  However within 10 minutes the Miami police were chasing the boat via the beach.  They were too late.  Once the Cubans are on the beach they are granted immunity from deportation.  They have special status as Al explained to me.  However, the police are equipped to get them connected to a Cuban community who will give them housing and money so that they can get started with jobs and work here in the US rather than receiving US assistance.  Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the boat.

We started at 9 AM and the ride was going to be approximately 35-40 miles.  The following photos are some of the things we saw along the way to Hollywood Beach and back

Look at the sign.  It says the bikes have the right to use the full lane!  We need this on the west coast of Florida and NJ could certainly use this. 

This beach is located in North Miami Beach.  The second sign is self explanatory.  Zoom in and you will understand what I am talking about.   Too funny but I guess some people need to be told.

We came back the same way and by that time A1A was crowded and many times we ended up riding on the sidewalks to avoid the cars.  Better to start early in the morning and avoid the cars at all possible.  Since it was so cold and windy it was not an option for us.

The gracious hosts.   Thank you for a great time and awesome hospitality!!!  Can't wait for my invite next year.