day one
the salty donut & the mondrian hotel
I got into Miami on an early Friday afternoon, and spent an absolutely lovely (and packed!) weekend with some of my best friends. Right after I landed, we headed to an incredible donut shop in Wynwood called The Salty Donut for some sugary energy, before spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the Mondrian Hotel pool.
day two
strawberry picking
We began Saturday bright and early by picking strawberries on Knaus farm. Afterwards we picked up some of their famous cinnamon buns (which I'm not sure how I didn't get a picture of those) before heading out to our next stop: The Perez Art Museum.
The perez art museum
miami beach
The Perez Art Museum happened to have free admission on that Saturday, so we swung by for a quick visit before heading to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. (Spoiler alert: I did get a small sun burn).
Bodega
It wouldn't be a trip in Miami without one memorable night out, and we spent Saturday night (or I suppose you could say Sunday morning) at Bodega. Needless to say, our start on Sunday was a bit slower than usual.
day three
brickell city center
We started Sunday with some well-deserved brunch at Tacology in the Brickell City Center, followed by a peruse of some of the stores. (Yes, we both succumbed to going into Zara but neither of us bought anything!). It was a relaxing way to start off a slower morning, and just what we needed to refuel.
the wharf
After Brickell, we headed to a place called The Wharf and I was surprised by how incredibly busy it was. One of the differences I noticed between Miami and NYC: people in Miami try hard and want to be acknowledged for that; New Yorkers tend to dial back the effort — or, more accurately, the perception of effort.
bayside
As it became evening, we spent some time at Bayside snacking on spiralized mango and taking in the beautiful views. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better last night. We did head to Ocean Drive after, and an old favorite for breakfast in the morning but both of those meals were each times where the conversation kept me too distracted from taking any pictures.
It is a little bit odd to return to the place you've grown up, long after you've left it. And yet there's also something comforting in returning to a place with so many roots and seeing that even amidst a lot of change, some things — like wonderful old friends — aren't all that different.
