Miami: 5 Days

On October 14, I left King of Prussia and took a flight to Miami. Since I had stored all my things in the storage unit, I left the house early and had plenty of time. I decided to visit Philadelphia Chinatown before boarding the plane.

For some reason, I wanted to pray at a temple. I’m not religious, but I think it’ll help my travels if I did a little praying. More specifically, I wanted to pray to my grandma for a safe trip. My grandma was the nicest person I had ever met and she raised me until I was eleven years old. I took three bows at the Fo Shou Temple in Chinatown then had my last meal at Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House before leaving Philadelphia.

Everything was smooth at the airport and on the plane. I arrived in Miami Airport soon after the sunset and took a Lyft to Viajero Hostel, a hostel that I had stayed four years ago in Miami.

Viajero Hostel is in Miami Beach and is a block away from the beach. I ended up seeing the sunrise every morning except for one when it rained. Miami South Beach is also one of my favorite beaches in the world because of its vastness and the warm water.

The first time I was here was in the summer of 2003 when I was traveling around the United States on Greyhound buses. Now, it’s my third or fourth time here. I really like the art deco buildings as well. They remind me of the video game GTA Vice City.

The first day, I walked all the way south to South Pointe Park Pier where an retired man named Gary started chatting with me while we watched container ships going out into the sea from the port. Gary told me many interesting stories from his past, including how the SR-71 Blackbird airplane got its titanium material from the Russians, his adventures in South Africa, and his meetings with Steve Jobs when he used to work for Princeton University before he retired. Gary had such an interesting life!

The following day, I was feeling a bit bored since there’s nothing to do except for the beach. I ended up taking a stroll to Lincoln Road and Española Way. I felt a bit lonely and the hostel didn’t seem as social as four years ago. However, in my dorm room I met Yanis, a French exchange student, and Patrick, an African living in Belgium. We would spend the next day together with a German guy name Yanik.

The highlight of that day was a car trip outside of Miami Beach to Wynwood and Little Havana. Wynwood is famous for its street art. I had been there before and the place still felt a bit fake, like it was all manufactured for tourists.

In Little Havana, we had a great time eating dinner at El Rey De Las Fritas. I had to try to the famous frita sandwich. Afterward, we walked along 8th Street, the main drag of Little Havana. Yanis and Yanik bought some cigars before we came back to the hostel.

Yesterday, Sameer, my college friend from the University of Rochester, and I went to an alumni picnic event in Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand Park.

I’ve known Sameer for over 20 years. He and his wife and two kids live in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. They have a different life than mine. My life is more nomad and their life is rooted. However, I think we are the result of our decisions and choices based on our circumstances. I’m very glad Sameer was able to build his life in Miami as a real estate developer. Even though it’s been 20 years since we graduated from college we still kept in touch. It was just by luck that the university had a picnic event that day and Sameer registered for both of us to attend.

I had a good time at the picnic, but I felt I was an outlier because people wanted to know what other people’s professions are, but I don’t have one anymore. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the BBQ and met some alumni.

This morning, I saw my last sunrise at Miami Beach. My plane to Mexico City is at 5:12 PM so I have plenty of time to get to the airport. I plan to stay in Mexico City for at least a month so I can take a Spanish class. I still have to register and find an apartment.

Philadelphia Chinatown gate