Miami 2025. Days 4 and 5. Beaches and (ice) Cream.
We woke up with hopes to go to breakfast, but that didn’t happen.
I bought cheerios yesterday so the kids had a little. We met everyone in the lobby at 10:45 and walked to shul where there was a kiddush. We couldn’t decide if we wanted to be meat or not because we didn’t know the days’ food situation. It ended up that the cholent was vegetarian which as great! Tzvi mixed the cholent with tuna salad, which he used to do as a kid. He liked it, but everyone thought it was disgusting. They also had Caesar salad but they keep putting olives in it and I don’t understand that. We obviously stayed at shul for a while, before walking home and getting ready for the beach.
Once again as we arrive we find out someone checked in under our name again! At this point I was pissed and nervous that someone would be charging things under our name. I went to the front desk and asked for a manager. I told him about this and then I also mentioned that the overnight manager was horrible (but I didn’t say that exactly). He was nice.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach and pool. It was so nice because the kids all hung out with each other and kept each other entertained. It also wasn’t as hot as yesterday. All around a great afternoon. About an hour before Havdala we went next door to Hindel and Mendy’s room for a seudat shlishit and then maariv.
By the time Shabbos ended it was late, around 9:15/9:30 and we all wanted to go eat. Well, the only place we could find open was Mozart Café! Once again, it was sub par! It was like 15 of us, spread over several tables (including one table where Hattie sat alone, although that was probably to get some rest from our kids), and when we ordered the waitress told us to order separately and she would give us each a separate check. Well, surprise, surprise, they put everything on a single bill. So we each had to go through the bill and tell them what we ordered to figure out how to pay for it. Anyway, the meal was ok. It's one of those kosher places that reminds me of Babu Bat’s American Dream Café from Seinfeld – no real direction and you can get both felafel and ravioli, which is actually what Neal ordered. Probably better than yesterday, but still just ok.
The kids were exhausted, but it was 11:30 and I had wanted ice cream for the last two days, so we Ubered to Anita Gelato for a midnight ice cream run. It’s actually still kosher here and it is delicious. The kids were running on fumes but everyone enjoyed their ice cream. We ubered back to the hotel and ended up with a party van – flashing colorful lights on the ceileing. When we got back we watched the non-stop news of the US bombing Iran, and then went to bed, once again around 1am.
Sunday
Today we got up and it was pouring! We really got lucky with weather this trip because if there was a day to rain, this was it. Hallie was hungry so she got a bagel and sat in the breakfast area with the Feits. We packed up and moved our bags to Mendy’s room, because he is staying another night. Then he got his car and drove us to the mall in the pouring rain.
Today we brunched at Motek, the Israeli place at Aventura Mall that Hallie and I ate at when we went to Taylor Swift. It’s not kosher, but there’s a big sign outside that says “Kosher style.” Once again it was delicious. We shared everything – crispy cauliflower with harissa honey glaze, crispy artichokes, French toast, zucchini latkes, shakshuka with humus, Jerusalem bagel and malawach.
After lunch we said goodbye to Mendy and walked around the mall. The girls got chocolate strawberries and a bunch of things from Abercrombie, and then we Ubered back to the hotel, collected our stuff, used Mendy’s bathroom and left to the airport.
Check in and security were great and all was well, until we got to the gate when they announced a 2 hour delay! The PTSD hit hard. Instead of a 4:55 flight it was now 6:45. They told us it was because of too much air traffic. I have nothing to say. We waited and waited. Thankfully we did board, but were delayed a bit more, once again due to air traffic. We finally took off maybe around 7:30. Painful.
The flight was fine. We landed at JFK, had to wait forever for our bags (but at least they came our early when they did start coming), and took a car home.
Exhausting trip. Great Trip!
