Day Twenty: A New Hotel, A New Miami

Lyla gets some love at the pool from Debbie, Dale and ChrisI love Miami.  Originally, I had planned to leave days ago but the weather everywhere else I had planned to go is freezing, raining or snowing.   It’s perfect here.  I can’t leave.  What’s the rush.  One more day (at least).

Once again, the Raleigh is overbooked.  Unfortunately Ben can’t help me out this time, the hotel is short ten rooms.   I call Chris and he gets me a good rate for a room at the Standard, where he works.  The hotel is a time capsule.  Apparently it is a historic landmark, so it is exactly the same as it was in the 1960s.  It has a California vibe.  The room is tiny and the service is dismal, but the landscape is beautiful and I get to hang out with Chris and sit with Lyla at the pool. 

Me, Lyla and Tanya

There is a dog by the pool so Lyla makes her way over to say hi.  The dog is with three attractive gentlemen; Michael, Allen and Craig.  Michael invites me to sit down.  I finish my walk with Lyla first and I run into him on my way back.  We chat for a couple of minutes.  He is a doctor.   He has a clinic and he is a concierge doctor for individuals and some of the nice hotels here.  He lives in Miami and some days he comes to the Standard in the afternoon.   He needs to head back to work. 

I settle down in a chair at the pool near Tanya and Debbie, two lovely girls from Miami who just came to enjoy the pool on their day off.  Tanya is a director at an art gallery and Debbie is an artist and supports the pursuit of her passion by bartending three days a week.  Bartenders here can make $800 a night in tips at some places. 

As the sun comes down, Michael calls and invites me to dinner.  After we eat he drives me around the city of Miami.  I see a different character of Miami.  He shows me where the galleries were for Art Basel and some very cool graffiti art in an industrial part of town.  It is nice to see another Miami.  I had no idea it existed.

Graffiti art