I bought a ticket on a plane

This past weekend I hopped an airplane to venture to my new home of Miami, FL for some moments of r&r, apartment find, and to draw circles in the sand. I haven't been to Miami since 2001 and absolutely nothing is as I remembered it. People of Miami, you are an unfriendly bag of s.o.b.s.

Miami is filled with an overwhelmingly large population of New Yorkers, Haitians, Dominicans, Russians, and Jewish folk, and it shows (think "Meet the Fockers"). Citizens are as spicy as the Cuban Mojo, and as feisty as the Russian mafia. Mid-westerners are easily the minority in this metropolitan mix, and by far the friendliest.

Florida International University - Biscayne Bay

Aside from Miami's unpleasant mix of hospitality, I still had an enjoyable visit--fantastic wine bars, cuban burritos, and maple walnut ice cream on Hollywood Blvd; a glimpse of my new University along the waters of Biscayne Bay, and the discovery of a local Whole Foods Market I can hopefully transfer to once I move in June. And to top it all off, I actually already have a new apartment in Hallandale.

My new backyard. View other fotos here.

The deal-sealer on this perfectly quaint, Spanish-style, gated comunidad located on the Intracoastal Waterway was pretty much just that--a sweet Spanish-style gated community with the Intracoastal as our backyard. Walk out the door, and there it is: coastal waters equipped with sail boats, a perfect place for me to write and dangle my feet over the water every day of the week, and a surprise pair of dolphins lazing past. There are tennis and racquet ball courts, two pools (one facing the ocean) with jacuzzi, a workout room, pool table, and swings in the playground. And it's only a 10 minute walk to the beach. Bliss. Going back to school may not be so hard after all, as long as everything continues to works out as well as this.

"and by the time it landed..."