Miami

Neil flew to Tampa to join me for the weekend after the conference. We drove 4 hours to Miami and stayed in a grand hotel in Coral Gables, a garden suburb with beautiful beaux arts architecture style. We met up with a coworker's old friend who is Cuban-American, toured downtown and Miami Beach. South Beach was definitely a place for stylish "beautiful people" to show off, but it's not the scene we're into.

The Vizcaya property on the south Biscayne Bay however, is gracious and full of beautiful architecture and antique interior finishes. It claims to be the inspiration of California's Heast Castle. Although it was quite hot and sunny, the cool harbor at the Vizcaya estate was a great place to be. We also drove to the Key Biscayne island, a luxurious residential area with great views of downtown skyline.