Wednesday 22nd March 2006
6.45 PM
So we’re here! It was quite stressful at the airport.
When you reach passport control, you have your visa and forms to hand in (which although I’d had a 9 hour flight to fill them in properly, I’d still managed to miss a whole section out and had to stand aside to complete it!) Plus if you make any mistake or cross a word out you have to redo the whole thing. Next you have to have to give your fingerprints onto a machine and finally a photo taken!
Then you get to the caracal (that seems to be built for 10 bags) The baggage reclaim board is telling us that Mexico City, Panama and Heathrow all have bags that will need to be collected from this caracal! As we patiently wait for our bag’s to come chugging round, we discover the system here is for someone to take the cases off and leave them all on the floor before they reach you!
Felix, the Hertz car hire guy, was very abrupt and bossing us around and not particularly helpful.
We have booked a Mustang convertible, but there were none left, so we are given a Chrysler convertible…. its a bloody hard life!
Once in the car we were happy. We really wanted to get the roof off straight away, but considering our luggage had spilled over from the boot of the car into the back seat, we thought we’d keep the roof up, in case someone nicked our stuff.
We drove off in the direction of South Beach. After a few wrong turns, we made it! I recognised one of the buildings on 5th Avenue and Collins as I’d taken photos of it last year. Its really cool, all colourful Art Deco designs on one side then a big lit up coloured cylinder on the other side. We’d finally made it.
Just round the corner and after only having just arrived we see Mark Doyle (creator of Hed Kandi crossing the street in front of us, record bag over shoulder. I call out to him and he tells up his new night “Tokyo’ was on that night. He said he would put us on the guest list and we had every intention of going (forgetting about the jet lag!)
Driving along Ocean Drive we really began to feel the buzz. There were lots of people striding along to their destination, couples strolling hand in hand, girls standing in their cars, hanging out the top of their convertibles as they cruise by. The sidewalk is filled with tables and chairs and people sipping drinks and eating food. Everyone seems to be smiling and happy and dressed in colourful summer clothes or just walking along in a bikini!
It has definitely got that American dream, perfection here. Well at least that’s how they see it. Sometimes it is just all too much everything has to bigger, bigger is better; bigger boobs, bigger muscles, bigger cars, bigger portions. You are immediately hit with the whole ostentatious ness of Miami!
Pulled up in front of our hotel and leave our keys with the valet parking guy.
We have a nice room, really spacious, 2 double beds, 2 dressing tables, one that I’ve taken over and the other now has the laptop on it.
The to the right is an extra little turn to the room where there is a round table and 2 chairs and a fridge. The furniture is creamy coloured with floral seats and there are several lamps. The walk in wardrobe is quickly filled up and so is the fridge. We put our alcohol in there and as I am typing this we are enjoying our first chilled bottle of Champagne. Believe it or not, as I am tying this I am also having my toenails painted by Erling. I just suggested that I needed them painted and asked would he do it for me. He said, ‘I’ve never painted someone’s toenails before, after I replied there’s a first time for every thing he agreed and when I showed him my nail polish telling him it was sparkly and Chanel, he actually looked quite pleased! He has seven gone and got tissues to stuff between each toe, telling me he’s seen it on TV! Luxury, drinking champagne while having a pedicure by your boyfriend!
So the hotel is really ok. When we were booking it there wasn’t much left as accommodation gets snapped up really quickly during the WMC week and prices go sky high. We booked on the Internet and from some of the ratings and comments given by previous customers we were really bracing ourselves for the worst!
Back in the car Erling pressed a button and the roof of the car went smoothly back. It felt quite mad. I said to him that I felt really on show and he said that was the point! We cruised down Ocean Drive.
border="0" alt="" />I took him to Jerry’s Diner. It’s a fantastic art deco building that has kept almost all of its original features and unlike some places its been well maintained, keeping its original grace. 
border="0" alt="" />The tall pillars that stretch up to the ceiling are topped with and upside down umbrella shapes and covered with mirror and lights. The windows look out onto the bustling street and between each one are symmetrical patterns with golden mirror mosaic. The seats are red leather. Most are 2 seat chairs with a table between, but at the edge of the wall, half circle booths look out onto the restaurant.
I came here last year, but as it’s open 24 hours, I seemed to end up here in the morning time, after a long session of clubbing and once every where else had finished, with a group of party animals and bedraggled looking casualties! So to go here at a reasonable hour, feeling hungry and actually really taking in my surroundings was a whole new experience!
As we were seated and handed our menu, Erling’s jaw dropped at the sheer extent of the menu!
He has been a chef for many years and was shaking his head in disbelief at how they could possibly offer this amount of food choices!
He ordered half a chicken with a honey dressing, fries and home made cole slaw. I ordered Salad Nicios and we shared onion rings. Scotch and cokes washed it down and for 60 bucks including the tip it was a great meal in a wonderful setting and how could I not mention, fantastic company!
Once the food hit our stomachs, the tiredness began to creep in and all our good intentions of hitting Marks party began to melt. Our bed was calling and we simply couldn’t hold it off!
6.45 PM
So we’re here! It was quite stressful at the airport.
When you reach passport control, you have your visa and forms to hand in (which although I’d had a 9 hour flight to fill them in properly, I’d still managed to miss a whole section out and had to stand aside to complete it!) Plus if you make any mistake or cross a word out you have to redo the whole thing. Next you have to have to give your fingerprints onto a machine and finally a photo taken!
Then you get to the caracal (that seems to be built for 10 bags) The baggage reclaim board is telling us that Mexico City, Panama and Heathrow all have bags that will need to be collected from this caracal! As we patiently wait for our bag’s to come chugging round, we discover the system here is for someone to take the cases off and leave them all on the floor before they reach you!
Felix, the Hertz car hire guy, was very abrupt and bossing us around and not particularly helpful.
We have booked a Mustang convertible, but there were none left, so we are given a Chrysler convertible…. its a bloody hard life!
Once in the car we were happy. We really wanted to get the roof off straight away, but considering our luggage had spilled over from the boot of the car into the back seat, we thought we’d keep the roof up, in case someone nicked our stuff.
We drove off in the direction of South Beach. After a few wrong turns, we made it! I recognised one of the buildings on 5th Avenue and Collins as I’d taken photos of it last year. Its really cool, all colourful Art Deco designs on one side then a big lit up coloured cylinder on the other side. We’d finally made it.
Just round the corner and after only having just arrived we see Mark Doyle (creator of Hed Kandi crossing the street in front of us, record bag over shoulder. I call out to him and he tells up his new night “Tokyo’ was on that night. He said he would put us on the guest list and we had every intention of going (forgetting about the jet lag!)
Driving along Ocean Drive we really began to feel the buzz. There were lots of people striding along to their destination, couples strolling hand in hand, girls standing in their cars, hanging out the top of their convertibles as they cruise by. The sidewalk is filled with tables and chairs and people sipping drinks and eating food. Everyone seems to be smiling and happy and dressed in colourful summer clothes or just walking along in a bikini!
It has definitely got that American dream, perfection here. Well at least that’s how they see it. Sometimes it is just all too much everything has to bigger, bigger is better; bigger boobs, bigger muscles, bigger cars, bigger portions. You are immediately hit with the whole ostentatious ness of Miami!
Pulled up in front of our hotel and leave our keys with the valet parking guy.
We have a nice room, really spacious, 2 double beds, 2 dressing tables, one that I’ve taken over and the other now has the laptop on it.
The to the right is an extra little turn to the room where there is a round table and 2 chairs and a fridge. The furniture is creamy coloured with floral seats and there are several lamps. The walk in wardrobe is quickly filled up and so is the fridge. We put our alcohol in there and as I am typing this we are enjoying our first chilled bottle of Champagne. Believe it or not, as I am tying this I am also having my toenails painted by Erling. I just suggested that I needed them painted and asked would he do it for me. He said, ‘I’ve never painted someone’s toenails before, after I replied there’s a first time for every thing he agreed and when I showed him my nail polish telling him it was sparkly and Chanel, he actually looked quite pleased! He has seven gone and got tissues to stuff between each toe, telling me he’s seen it on TV! Luxury, drinking champagne while having a pedicure by your boyfriend!
So the hotel is really ok. When we were booking it there wasn’t much left as accommodation gets snapped up really quickly during the WMC week and prices go sky high. We booked on the Internet and from some of the ratings and comments given by previous customers we were really bracing ourselves for the worst!
Back in the car Erling pressed a button and the roof of the car went smoothly back. It felt quite mad. I said to him that I felt really on show and he said that was the point! We cruised down Ocean Drive. 
border="0" alt="" />I took him to Jerry’s Diner. It’s a fantastic art deco building that has kept almost all of its original features and unlike some places its been well maintained, keeping its original grace. 
border="0" alt="" />The tall pillars that stretch up to the ceiling are topped with and upside down umbrella shapes and covered with mirror and lights. The windows look out onto the bustling street and between each one are symmetrical patterns with golden mirror mosaic. The seats are red leather. Most are 2 seat chairs with a table between, but at the edge of the wall, half circle booths look out onto the restaurant.
I came here last year, but as it’s open 24 hours, I seemed to end up here in the morning time, after a long session of clubbing and once every where else had finished, with a group of party animals and bedraggled looking casualties! So to go here at a reasonable hour, feeling hungry and actually really taking in my surroundings was a whole new experience!
As we were seated and handed our menu, Erling’s jaw dropped at the sheer extent of the menu!
He has been a chef for many years and was shaking his head in disbelief at how they could possibly offer this amount of food choices!He ordered half a chicken with a honey dressing, fries and home made cole slaw. I ordered Salad Nicios and we shared onion rings. Scotch and cokes washed it down and for 60 bucks including the tip it was a great meal in a wonderful setting and how could I not mention, fantastic company!
Once the food hit our stomachs, the tiredness began to creep in and all our good intentions of hitting Marks party began to melt. Our bed was calling and we simply couldn’t hold it off!
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