Day 57 - Homestead to Miami - Best Valentine’s Day Ever

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day, about 68 degrees to start.  We were on our way by 9:40 am and travelled up the coast on a calm Biscayne Bay.  Although there should not be any crab pots as the bay is part of Biscayne National Park, we dodged a few.  Coral Gables and Coconut Grove were on the port side and Stiltsville and Key Biscayne were on the starboard.  Straight ahead lies downtown Miami and Miami Beach.  We pulled into Dinner Key Marina to see if we could stop for a bite to eat in Coral Gables, but it was completely full, as was the other marina we called, probably due to boat show traffic.

 

 

 

 

We ran over to Stiltsville to take some pictures of these historic structures that were built in the bay early in the 20^th century as “speakeasy’s” and party houses during Prohibition.  (Here is a LINK to the history of Stiltsville.) There has long been a ban on constructing more of these and if an existing home is more than 50% destroyed in a storm, it cannot be rebuilt.  There are still parties held at some of these homes, and our friends Chuck and Pam have attended one.  The Florida State Lighthouse sits at the southern end of Key Biscayne.  We decided to tie up at No Name Harbor on the Key, and had lunch at the Boater’s Grill.

The approach to Miami Beach Marina through Government Cut (channel from the Atlantic to Miami) is magnificent.  This is also the entrance to the Port of Miami, so if you have taken a cruise boat from Miami, you left through Government Cut.  We arrived at the marina at 2:15 pm and a dockhand was there to meet us.

 

Miami Beach Marina is huge, with several hundred slips and some very large boats, one of which is on the T-head right next to us.  There is a walkway all along the marina and Government Cut from the Causeway from Miami to the ocean.  High-rise condominiums line the walkway and there is a large area of green space closer to the Atlantic, including an off-leash dog park.  There are modern lighted “towers” that feature red lights at night along the way and a Smith & Wollensky’s restaurant is right on the water – some tables literally a few feet from the binwall.

We walked the marina area and stopped in at the bar/restaurant on premises, Monty’s for a cool drink.  We weren’t there 10 minutes when we see Paul, a Diversey Harbor friend who helped us secure a spot in this marina.  Another friend and former Diversey Harbormaster, Luke, is also at the bar.  Soon we see Danny, the Chicago boat captain that we first ran into on Halloween at Demopoulos on the Tenn-Tom Waterway and last saw at Dog River Marina in Mobile.  It was the “Chicago Corner” at Monty’s.

Later, we walked to South Beach for a Valentine’s Day dinner at Nikki Beach, a “lifestyle” brand with restaurants, boutiques, beach clubs and a couple hotels in Miami and several foreign countries.  There are several bar areas and a few tables inside, with the main dining area and more bar seating outside.  The tables form a semicircle around a group of beach lounge chairs.  No one was “lounging” during dinner, but maybe these seats fill up in the late afternoons or late night club time.  The menu features seafood with a French flair.  We both enjoyed a seafood mixture with a delicious but rich sauce.   A wonderful ending to our first day in Miami.