Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Sunshine State

I haven't been all that interested in going to Florida in my adult life, but Miami seemed like it might be a little bit different from the rest of the state. I just got back from a little Thanksgiving week trip there, and while I had fun, it doesn't really make me want to go back there. If I want palm trees and beaches I'll go to L.A.--there's better food and even better cultural offerings. But that isn't stopping me from posting some pictures...

We learned of a vegan food truck that was serving lunch in Coconut Grove, so we took a walk around the neighborhood beforehand and stumbled upon a little waterfront park (can't remember the name of it). At the end of the pier there was a sort of repository of boats.

Almost looks like a toy from this angle.

Some spilled paint on the pier.

A grove of palm trees on the other side of the pier.


After that we went to Crandon Park, which includes a beach, golf course, tennis court, amusement park, etc. We went swimming at the beach and later on wandered around the gardens, which are actually the grounds of a former zoo.

They left a few of the cages there, but with the bars mostly removed.

I love the murals on this one.

There's very much a feeling like the animals have just recently escaped and are still lurking nearby, especially with all the crazy sounds from the dozens of birds roaming the park.

We saw peacocks, ibises, vultures, some really tall birds we couldn't identify, a group of really angry ducks that hissed at us a lot, and even a bunny.

We went there just before dark as the sun was setting. I love the low light in these pictures.

Coconuts!