There are no direct flights from SF to Jamaica. Rather than just change planes, Grace and I decided to spend two days in Miami on our way. Our trip ended up being 3 one-way tickets, to optimize airlines and cost. We’re fans of Virgin America, which just opened a route to Fort Lauderdale. A transcontinental red-eye on any airline is going to wreck you, and this flight was no exception. We stayed at the W in South Beach, which was wonderful, though we hardly had time to enjoy it.
We had lunch at Wish on day one and walked all the way down Collins to the heart of the shopping district. Grace did some damage, which was our excuse for taking a cab back to the hotel. The primary purpose of our visit to Florida was to meet Cooper Abrams and visit his parents, Laura and Chris. That evening, we drove up to Palm Beach Gardens to their home. The best meal we had the whole trip was prepared by chef Chris. Appetizers were stuffed clams, followed by a main course of grilled Mahi Mahi, served with a fruit salsa. It was accompanied by grilled yellow peppers and Bok Choy. Delicious!
Cooper is a big boy and a super cutie. We were so happy to have the chance to meet him and see Laura and Chris. Hopefully we’ll see them again this summer in California.
On day two, we drove out to Coral Gables to golf at The Biltmore. The course was great, but the game was brutal. That’s all I have to say about that. We got in some lunch and rest at the pool, before the sun slid behind the hotel, well before sundown. We stayed on Pacific time, so didn’t head out for dinner until 11pm. We had a nice dinner at The Blue Door at the Delano Hotel. It became clear that we’re neither young enough nor cool enough to be hanging in South Beach, but we did our best.
