What to Do First in Romantic Miami?

It turns out that Miami is one of my favorite places in the world. Who knew?
I guess I pictured the Miami that Hollywood invented, filled with drug-dealers and scantily dressed floozies.
Turns out Miami is the perfect place to travel with your family. Or, as we recently found out, it’s a great place for a romantic getaway.
Of course, who can argue with any place that features sunshine glistening off of turquoise water and sandy beaches, combined with fun stuff to do, delicious restaurants, and live music?
Here are just a few of our favorite things about Miami:
-The aquarium. Yes, and I am old enough to remember and be impressed by the original set of the TV series, “Flipper.”
-South Beach. The sandy, white beaches are fringed by water so clear you can see for yards and so gentle, that your smallest children can walk out that far without ever getting into trouble. Plus, there is public access through parks that have restrooms and outdoor showers; parks so picturesque that they frequently make the cut as sets in movies and TV shows.
-South Beach shopping. Still in your bathing suit, wander into any of the famous designer stores or, my favorite, choose from all the shoe stores whose windows boast shelves of fancy, colorful shoes and purses at discount prices.
-The Vizcaya. This historic mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay once belonged to the guy who owned American Harvester and sent his decorator all over Europe, furnishing his summer home in layers of history by way of antiques. It is also a self-sustaining, eco-friendly agricultural estate.
-Los Ranchos at Bayside. A Nicaraguan restaurant serving thin-cut steak served with three sauces, my favorite of which is a parsley and garlic sauce. Steaks come with fried green plantains which are crisp like potato chips, fried sweet plantains which are similar to sweet potatoes, and pinto gallo, a traditional way of preparing pinto beans and rice. Don’t miss the Yucca or the Nicaraguan tamales.
-The Café Versailles in Little Havana. A classic Cuban restaurant serving flaky, buttery pastries unique to Cuba that bring to mind Paris but are filled with tropical jellies like mango or guava. Here, elderly Cuban gentlemen dressed in nice slacks and dress shirts line up at the window outside for the Cuban coffee. Inside reasonably-priced Cuban specialties are served on white table clothes. Plan to order in Spanish because the waiters aren’t necessarily bilingual.
-Puerto Sagua on South Beach. Try the fish soup or the pushed Cuban sandwich. Similar to French bread, Cubans make their soft, crusty loaves fresh every day, then fill them so full of ham, turkey and a mild, melted cheese that the sandwich has to be pushed down to hold together.
-Catch an outdoor concert. Walk outside any day of the week in South Beach and you’ll stumble onto a live concert at any of the restaurants where tables spill over onto the sidewalks. Order dinner and enjoy the musical benefits of the local culture. If you are so inclined, you can even smoke one of the other benefits of Miami culture, hand-rolled Cuban-style cigars.
Outside of Texas, there are few places in the world that I want to visit twice. It turns out Miami is on my short list of places to return to again and again. Bienvenidos a Miami!

Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.