Art Deco Archives

After a relaxing and sunny day on Wednesday I was ready for a new adventure. So on Thursday I was headed out for the City Tour on the Double Decker buses. It would take most of the day and include lunch and a boat ride through the islands to look at the million dollar homes of the stars. Miami really loves their movie stars.

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The bus picked up right in front of the resort and I headed to the open top.

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As we wove our way along Ocean Drive and Collins Ave the driver pointed out all the Art deco buildings, a restaurant where Will Smith was spotted having breakfast, (of course he wasn’t there when we drove by) and the famous Versace Mansion where the clothing designed was shot and killed in 1997.

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As we passed one hotel and restaurant after another it seemed they were all owned by famous actors and actresses. Miami Vice was mentioned many times. It seems scenes from the show were shot all up and down Ocean Drive.

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Turns out this was the prequel to the actual tour. We reached the ticket office on Washington Ave and all filed off the bus to trade in our vouchers for the real tickets. Then it was back on the bus for the real tour.

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As our tour began we headed off the Island (Miami Beach is an Island in case you didn’t know) via the MacArthur Causeway. Along the way we learned of the hazards of riding on the top deck of the bus. We did a lot of ducking. We ducked for overhanging palm fronds, electric wires, signal lights and even a bridge. That one was the one that took your breath away!

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Even so this was a super way to get pictures. No window glass and an elevated view!

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As we traveled along the MacArthur Causeway we had the Port of Miami on our left where cruise ships from every line start and end their voyages. There was only one ship in port as we passed by. To our right was the Venetian Causeway.

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The tour guide says this is the bridge from the Fast and Furious movie. I’ve never seen the movie so I’ll just have to take their word for it. But there was the famous Miami Skyline to enjoy from multiple angles.

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I knew South beach would be a big change from Orlando. I wanted to get to south Florida so I could visit the Everglades again and maybe, schedules permitting, visit some relatives. The only condo available was right on Ocean Drive, South Beach. Part of me liked the sound of that and part of me reminded myself that South Beach is where the “Beautiful People” go to vacation.

The other drawback is the parking. It’s a minimum of $47.00/day to park so I would be stuck either taking public transportation, cabs or walking. I felt that paying more for parking than I was for a rental was not the smartest way to spend my vacation bucks. I was hoping there’d be some tours to take me where I wanted to go that might pick up at the resort.

My first surprise was the resort itself. I am used to Diamond Properties having large lobbies and a feeling of spaciousness but “Crescent Resort on South Beach” was tiny. It’s in the heart of the Art Deco district so there are restrictions on what they can do to the property.

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As for the service, the staff had the same welcoming attitude of all the other Diamond Properties I’ve visited. I arrived 2 hours before check in. It was raining and I’m sure I looked more like a drowned rat than a “beautiful people” but they were very gracious and let me check in right away. Then they told me I could get a 20% discount at the Purple Penguin next door as they did not have a restaurant.

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Considering the weather this was a perfect solution.

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I was still fighting the cold I caught back in October while on vacation in San Antonio & New Orleans so I welcomed this dreary day as a “down day” so I could relax, nap and do nothing once I got checked in. I was glad I had a couple of books with me.

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