Miami

In these freezing cold, snow storming days in New York City, Miami is the perfect quick, warm, and bronzed getaway.

Looking back at these pictures and writing this actually makes me feel a little warmer because man, was it hot. We went to Miami for my birthday back in October and it was still a cool 85° and humid as all hell. When we landed at Fort Lauderdale, we were hit by a gush of warm air and ended up sticky with sweat for the rest of the time there. In retrospect, that actually seems nicer than freezing... 

First thing was to pick up our ride. I can't recommend Silvercar enough if you're traveling to a major a city in the US and need a rental. They only rent silver Audi A4's (which are p nice if you ask me) and everything is done through the app - they'll come pick you up at the airport in your car, take you to their lot to drop themselves off, and boom you're good to go. If you want $25 off your first rental, use my referral code 'VRDQBUHN'. #shamlessplug but not a partnership - I just really love Silvercar!

Once we got our ride, we stopped for brunch and Wynwood Walls (more on that in second) on the way to our hotel - Room Mate Lord Balfour in South Beach. The hotel was a little small, but made up for the size in charm. Our room had fun decor, they gave us beach towels and chairs everyday, and it was close to everything we wanted to see in South Beach without being in the middle of the craziness. We got settled and the rest of the time was a whirlwind of food, sun, and shopping - basically the perfect weekend. Here's the rundown:

• Go explore. Miami has so much to offer in terms of art, shopping, and just straight up cool things to see. Check out Vizcaya if you're looking for amazing architecture and gardens, Wynwood Walls for your hipster murals and cool boutique shops, and Lincoln Road Mall for a mile long, pedestrian only, outdoor shopping strip - you'll need some coffee to get through it all, trust me.

• Eat like you've never eaten before. When asking for recommendations of things to do in Miami, I got a loooong list of food I just had to eat. I'm only human, but I made a pretty good dent in the list.
  
  My favorites were Versailles, which was a long wait and touristy for sure, but some of the best Cuban food and so so affordable, Under The Mango Tree, a super cute organic/juice place that reminded me of Hawaii and had some delicious overnight oats, and Sugarcane, (which actually just opened a location up in NYC) which I can't even begin to describe - you just have to try it. BONUS: there's also a Doraku in Miami, which I recommended in my Honolulu post because I thought it was only in Hawaii - I stand corrected, there's one other location in South Beach! 

• Getcho tan on. We didn't actually beach as much as we would've liked, but Key Biscayne has an amazing lighthouse that you can climb up and get 360 views in PLUS one of the top beaches in America. Well worth the $8 entrance fee. We also hit up Haulover Beach, ranked one of the best ~*nude beaches*~ in America. You park across the highway and walk through a tunnel and past some bushes to pop out and see just a whole lotta naked people. Go check it out and even out those tan lines! (Or take some thot pics like I did)

Honorable mentions go out to Twist for drinks (and dancing if you're so inclined) and all of South Beach's gorgeous art deco architecture. But after all the talk of bath salts and Florida being the penis of America, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Miami. I'll definitely be back to escape the city cold, if only for a mojito and some warm salt water. 

Have some of your own great recommendations for Miami? Comment below!