Events
54 Hours in Miami
without a smartphoneWRITTEN ON DAY 1Otw to the airportI’ve been saying (half joking, half not) for months now that “God has been telling me to go to Miami. I was at a pretty intimate music salon last weekend and I met this wonderful woman who told me, completely unprompted that she split her time between New York and Miami and that she was looking for someone to rent her place for a few remaining days in Miami. So alas, I took the days and booked a flight and called my father to tell him that I
WRITTEN ON DAY 1
Otw to the airport
The author explains that after a chance encounter at a music salon, a woman offered to rent her Miami apartment for a few days. This unexpected opportunity prompted the author to book a flight and invite their father to join them. The piece emphasizes a philosophical shift about travel and discovery.
A key theme emerges: "Stepping away from the little device that we keep trying to have do all the thinking for us made me think, for the first time, that figuring things out is one of the great human pleasures."
The author intentionally left their iPhone behind, relying instead on traditional methods of navigation. At the airport, they describe securing a paper confirmation instead of checking email, arriving at the gate just as boarding began. This analog approach extends to Miami, where they used a payphone to call a taxi rather than summoning an Uber.
Throughout the journey, the author reflects on human connection and memory, noting how taxi drivers once navigated cities entirely from memory rather than GPS.
WRITTEN ON DAY 2
The Haitian cab driver spoke French, providing a language practice opportunity. The author and their father spent the day at the beach, then visited restaurants including La Sandwicherie and Oliver's Bistro, where they discussed the author's memoir-in-progress.
DAY 3
The final day included pool time, ballet barre exercises, vintage shopping with their father, and a business meeting at Sezanne Cubano. A notable moment involved finding perfectly-fitting boots at a local market.
In Sum
The author reflects that Miami Beach offered a slower pace and beautiful atmosphere—exactly what they needed.
Written by hailo
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