Miami, Florida
Merry Christmas Eve! And good morning, Miami!
We woke up early and did some work on the boat, trying to get organized and wrapping presents for Christmas, then grabbed a quick coffee at the same spot where we'd gotten the key lime pie last night. We are gluttons for punishment. Or maybe that would just be gluttons. This chick loves to eat, but somehow we resisted all those lovely temptations and decided just to bring Greta something, and that we'd wait and have a late breakfast somewhere else, hopefully with Will and Whitney.
Afterwards, we left for a run to Target to fill more gaps in our boat inventory. We let Greta sleep in which was also nice because she could keep Steve company, AND she wouldn't be forced to share that nutella thingy we brought her for breakfast. It's dangerous to have anything chocolate around this crowd.
A nice Uber driver took us and all of our bags back to the marina, and we asked Greta to meet us near the entrance to help us carry everything. When she showed up, she was flushed with excitement and told us to come look in the harbor just ahead of us. There was the most adorable manatee I’ve ever seen; actually it was the FIRST actual manatee I’ve ever seen (aside from that one sighting of a manatee's tail), and my GOSH that alone felt like Christmas. It had found a fresh water leak in a nearby hose and was happy to hang around for a drink and a few pictures. It seemed so docile and sweet.
When we finally headed out for a late breakfast, Skeet convinced us to give the MetroMover a try. The only bad thing about Skeet being so good with directions is that it makes you super lazy, because he takes care of EVERYTHING and you just follow along.
Headed to a delicious brunch spot — Café Bastille — that got rave reviews on Google but didn’t take reservations, and got really lucky with a table for 4 being the only seats left when we arrived around 11:30. Truffle fries were on the menu, so I already knew I would LOVE IT. We sat next to the CUTEST family of about 9 people who ranged in age from 2 to 60-something, and every single one of them was dressed in matching plaid Christmas pajamas. I asked if they’d like for me to take their picture and they humored me. I couldn’t resist . . . they were just too cute.
Greta ordered eggs that came with a side of pancakes, and the pancakes alone would’ve fed an army of people. Greta said she was pretty sure they were the best pancakes she’d ever had in her life. My salmon & spinach omelette was equally delicious.
From there, we walked along the beautiful Bayfront Park to Will & Whitney’s hotel, which is the InterContinental Miami, and it was decked out from head to toe in Orange Bowl promotional signs for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Apparently the team is staying there a few days prior to the 12.31 Orange Bowl. Whether you were a football fan or not, you could feel the buzz in the air. We went up to the 4th floor patio and met Whitney and Will at the pool. It was the first time we’d seen them since their engagement, and it felt exciting on a different level. Just knowing Will is going to permanently be a member of our family is pretty amazing.
We all walked back to the boat and hung out for awhile. I have to say that as touristy as it is around our marina, the waterfront walk from the InterContinental to Bayside Marketplace is so picturesque. It seems like Miami has worked hard to have a significant amount of green space, and the weather yesterday and today has encouraged everyone to take advantage of being outside. Maybe it’s this gorgeous ALL the time in Miami . . . I have no idea, but it’s pretty hard to beat if that’s the case. Low humidity, light breeze, and clear skies. Just perfect weather, really. Especially in December!
Thanks to Skeet, we all set out to explore the city some more, and he got us all around effortlessly on the MetroMover.
That evening we tried to figure out a good place for dinner, and settled on the InterContinental just to keep it simple. We arrived to find a prix fixe menu, and it was super expensive, so we decided to go for Plan B. But not until after taking a picture with Santa at our table 😂. We apologized to the waiter bc we felt bad that we’d just been seated, but it was understandable since we didn’t realize the situation with the menu, and a prix fixe menu also made sense from their standpoint since it was Christmas Eve.
Eventually made our way to a place described as one of Miami’s best kept secrets, and we could instantly see why. While Alloy Bistro was hard to find because it didn’t front on an actual street but rather in a little courtyard, it was incredibly charming for that very reason.
The setting felt European, and that was reinforced by our extremely competent waitress who had a beautiful Italian accent, and knew the specials and menu inside and out. The service was impeccable, and so was the food, with the only unfortunate downside coming with the delivery of the final tab, which included a $9 charge (That's NINE with a capital HOLY SH*T) per bottle of water. 😱Every time they asked if we’d like more water, we were like, sure, bring it on. THIRTY SIX DOLLARS LATER! It felt somewhat misleading, although I will say we should’ve clarified that it was tap water, but still. Nine bucks a bottle felt like we got reamed. I guess because we did. It was a shame that a fun evening ended on that sour note. Otherwise it was a stellar experience, and another great night spent on the KORKZcrew.
⚓️Consider following our adventures on Instagram. If you've got any questions at all, please feel free to leave us a comment, and I'll do my best to get back to you with an answer. Maybe even a correct one. 😜
