Miami

We're in Miami! After having lunch at Gump's restaurant, we walked on the beach and attempted to visit Parrot Island. Unfortunately, this attraction has been closed since Hurricane Wilma came through. We almost got to enjoy a private viewing of Parrot Island because the gates were open and we started to walk in. Someone who worked there called out across the courtyard we had just crossed to see what we were doing, and then informed us that the island was closed. Bummer! We walked around South Beach and checked out the art deco buildings which were pretty cool.

Today, we were ready to do some serious sightseeing, so drove quite a ways to a national park - only to find out that the boat rides that normally take place weren't happening because they are preparing for Tropical Storm Gamma. We walked around a bit, but didn't get to see a whole lot. The cruddy thing is that the drive was nearly unbearable, as Connor has decided that his mild aversion to the car is now a serious aversion. The kid can cry for about an hour - at which point we stopped the car because we had arrived. At one point, I looked up to see Ed covering his ears at a stoplight, while I tried to get Connor interested in his pacifier (which he is still unimpressed with) or anything else. AUGH! The super unfortunate thing is that in his little mind, Connor may have decided that his crying is what caused us to stop the four wheeled torture chamber, not the fact that we had arrived at our destination.


We then got back in the car and went to Coral Castle - which I swear in the tourist info sounded interesting. It, in fact, is possibly the worst tourist attraction ever. Some goofy guy carved a "castle" out of coral, and now the pieces of it are on display with this guy's recorded voice telling you to dream big and someday you too could do something really fabulous like he did. I can hardly believe Ed and I paid to see it. The best part was probably the gift shop. Here, they had little keyrings that coordinated to birthdays and held info about important events that happened on your birthday. Unlike the usual fare which I presume would have something uplifting, these were remarkably unpleasant. For example, on my birthday Pope John Paul II was shot (who knew) and Connor's birthday held the fact that some animal became extinct. Ed's was a bit different. On his birth date, capitol punishment in England was ended and JFK was elected president. I suspect Ed will never allow me to suggest a tourist attraction again. We were going to visit a monastery, but the beach was closer and frankly, none of us could take another moment in the car with Connor. Really, Connor, I love you - but you're making me completely insane. I hope you learn to like the car soon - or at least keep quiet about your dislike so that everyone else's ride isn't made so unpleasant.


Elaine