Wow, a lot has changed since the last time I sat down to write.
When OU set us loose for spring break, I didn't even think for one second I wouldn't be returning until the fall. I'm still bewildered and disappointed.
Many of the earlier developments with coronavirus were happening while I was out of town. We were worried about flights getting canceled and ending up stranded in sunny, beautiful Florida. A true tragedy.
Luckily I was allowed to come home, where I've been cooped up ever since. You're not the only one that needs to read of warm weather and ocean waves!
Enough corona talk, I'm sure you're sick of it too. Let's get started!
DAY ONE - Flying in and sizing up the new digs
Photo by Cristina Formichelli
The airport is an interesting experience during this absurd time in history. I lived it, so you don't have to. Anyways, I white-knuckled the two-hour flight and watched Sex Education on Netflix before we landed in the later evening. Flying over the city was absurd - I'd never been in a city so large before, nor seen one at such heights at night. My cousin and her husband picked my aunt and me up from the airport and we drove back to her apartment. She lives on the 38th floor of an apartment building in Brickell. The view from her apartment was insane, you could see the ocean in two different directions! Tired from our flight, we did little besides talking before going to bed.
DAY TWO - A visit with Uncle Tony in Naples
Cristina Formichelli
We didn't stay in Miami for very long. We promised my Great Uncle Tony we'd drive the two hours to spend the day with him in Naples. I didn't even know he lived in Florida during the winter months, which is bad of me. Throughout the drive down Alligator Alley (I swear I saw one,) I wondered where we would find ourselves. Of course, it was like a home away from home. The smell of our homemade sauce hit me the second I walked in the door. He grew all the familiar food in the backyard all old Italian men do, with some added warm-weather fruits. I'd never eaten that good in my life, all the food I grew up eating. He showed us around Naples, aka he drove us to see all of his friends and insist they come over for dinner (more like coerce, but it worked), I swear he's actually the mayor, and he definitely acted like it. We got out at three different beaches and drove down the millionaire row looking up the values of houses. After enough cooking, eating, and cleaning to knock a non-Italian out, we drove the two hours back. It was such a wonderful day and experience, I wish I could detail it more, but it was nothing that any of you would find especially exciting, visiting a lively 90-year-old.
DAY THREE - Art museum, hot tub, & good eats!
Cristina Formichelli
We started the morning by attempting to take the sky train to the art museum, but it was down for some reason and repeating an extremely annoying message. So we took a lyft to PAMM (Pérez Art Museum Miami) where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the café there before strolling through the maze-like galleries. I especially loved it because many were by a wide variety of different people; encouraging and embracing a rich, diverse history and futuristic vibrant theme. The sky train worked on our way home. Then we went to the pool on the tenth floor of the apartment building! The unfortunate thing about our trip is that we brought the Ohio weather with us - it was cloudy and windy for almost the entire trip. We stuck to the hot tub and didn't even put on sunscreen (but you should!) For dinner we went to Mister 01, a pizza place near my cousin's apartment. It was called that because the founder of the restaurant was so amazing at making pizzas, he was allowed to come to the US to make them. While we were eating, it seemed like the entire police force was shutting down the block next to ours, huge blockades of them. We later found out that the president of Brazil may have been eating near us. Then home and Bachelor Finale part one! Overall, a lovely first day in the city.
DAY FOUR - Pool, a crazy mall, and a scenic island walk
Cristina Formichelli
My aunt and I woke up early and spent the morning laying by the pool. It was still too cold to get in, but perfect to lay in the sun. Afterward, we went to an incredible restaurant in the mall near my cousin's apartment. It was called Casa Tua. Essentially you can go up to stations, order what you want, and bring it back to your spot. It was so packed. We took advantage of the waiters, though, so we weren't moving around that much. I had so much food, it was insane. We walked around the indoor-outdoor mall (I had to make a stop and Kendra Scott,) before going back to the pool. When it got too cold we went back up to the apartment. My aunt napped while I read out on the balcony. I spent so much time out there, it was breathtaking. When my cousin got home from work we took a nice stroll around Brickell Key, a tiny island also within walking distance from my cousin's apartment. For dinner, I had my first açai bowl. Then we got to watch The Bachelor finale part two!
DAY FIVE - Miami Beach, baby!
Photo by Cristina Formichelli
Early in the morning, my aunt and I took a lyft to Miami Beach. We were more by the South Point Pier, aka away from the other college spring breakers, who probably weren't even awake yet from the night before. When we got hungry we took the trolley to Española Way, a cute little street that's part of Miami Beach's historic Spanish Villiage. It was lined with enticing restaurants and adorable houses. We went to one that was actually also a cigar shop! I had the most amazing tacos I've ever eaten in my entire life. For the remainder of our time in Miami Beach, we walked down Ocean Drive, taking in the amazing art deco district. We also paid a visit to Gianni Versace's house, one of the two things I really wanted to do while in Miami (the other being Little Havana, which we did not hit, but we will next time!) We had dinner at a restaurant in Coconut Grove, which I think is one of the older areas in Miami. We had a tapa-style meal, which was okay, not my favorite meal of the trip. We stopped at a pie place for dessert, where I got flan for the night and a coconut pie for breakfast, something to brighten the last morning of the trip. :(
DAY SIX - Vizacaya & goodbye-uh
Cristina Formichelli
My aunt and I epically failed at taking the trolley to Vizcaya, so we had to catch yet another lyft. The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, hands down, was my favorite part of the entire trip. This enormous house-turned-museum was absolutely breathtaking. The history, the architecture, the interior design, the GARDENS, everything kept you staring, imagining. We spent almost three hours wandering the grounds, taking pictures of everything, and wondering what it would've been like to live there. I took more pictures there than I did the entire trip. To top it off, there were at least four girls taking their quinceañera photos there. The dresses, the girls, so beautiful. I almost cried when we left I loved it so much, I know I'll be returning. I bought a postcard for myself to keep and one to send to my boyfriend. I'm still in awe now thinking of it, that's what I recommend most if you're planning a trip to Miami. We ordered awful sandwiches from the same place we got my acai bowl from a few days earlier to eat by the pool. I tried to eat it and just couldn't, I ended up getting Burger King seconds before our flight boarded at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. That final hour by the pool was bliss - the first nice day, of course, being the day that we left. We packed, said goodbye to our amazing view, and left with three instead of two, as my cousin was coming into town for a wedding (that got canceled due to coronavirus before the plane even took off, so that was unfortunate for her. She had checked her bag, though, so she couldn't get off.)
Literally, those few days were a dream, despite the developing nightmare happening all around me while I was desperately attempting to tune it out. (The number of times my aunt made me get hand sanitizer, though, brought me back down from the clouds.)
I can't wait to return to Miami. My cousin says I can come to visit her at any time, and I will absolutely take her up on that offer. The atmosphere in that city was absolutely electric, and there's still so much I want to do. Some ghost tours, Little Havana, and another go at Miami Beach with people my age topping the list.
I hope living through me has made social distancing just a bit easier! (It did for me. I can't believe that's what I was doing just last week. Oh, how fast the times have changed.)
Stay healthy everyone!