This trip to Miami was looong overdue – it had been over seven years since my last trip down there! I am pretty sure the last time I went to Miami was for Ultra Music Festival, and let’s just say I have changed a lot since then. Needless to say, I was eager to revisit the city, spend some time at the beach, and just get out of the cold in DC for a minute!
The original impetus for this trip was Art Basel, but that wasn’t the main reason for going. My best friend from San Diego has been living back home in Tampa most of the year, building up a van to move back to the West Coast in. Art Basel fell right in between her 30th birthday and when she planned to leave the East Coast, so the timing just ending up being too perfect not to go! It didn’t hurt that I ended up buying my tickets (last minute) on what is apparently the best day of the year to buy plane tickets – they were sooo cheap!
Even BETTER timing was the fact that I finaaaaally got a job offer a couple days before my trip! HELL TO THE YES! If you know me, have been reading my blog or following me on Instagram for a while, you know exactly how long I have been looking for a job. So getting this amazing news right before my trip was the perfect way to start off, and just reassured me of the timing of my life! Read on to relive my trip with me:
Day 1:
I arrived in Miami around 3pm, ready to go! Since the flight was short and in the middle of the day, I got dressed that morning in the outfit I was planning to wear all day – something I NEVER do! I am all about the bum/sweats look on the plane. Anyway, I had a KILLER migraine when I got there, but was so happy to see sunshine and palm trees in my Lyft that I didn’t even care!!
I got to my hostel and checked in while simultaneously FREAKING out over how cute and hipster and instagrammable it was!! I mean, I could tell it was cute from the pictures (which is why I booked this one, duh), but pictures on hostelworld often lie and I always brace myself to be disappointed. NOT HERE!! The hostel is only a month old, so the pictures online were pretty much exactly how it looked in real life.
After getting my room key, I dropped my stuff down and walked around the hostel taking pictures and videos to share on my IG story, which I could already tell was going to be long as shit every day that I was there. All I cared about after that was going to the beach and sticking my feet in the sand! I grabbed an iced coffee on the way and did exactly that. The hostel was only a block from the beach, so nothing was stopping me.
After walking blissfully down the empty beach, I sat down on one of those fancy hotel lounge chairs to watch the waves and enjoy the sun. I randomly made friends with a girl sitting on the lounge chair next to mine, and we decided to walk up to her hotel room right behind the beach. She was staying at this super swanky hotel, so the whole walk through the pool deck and back area of the hotel was incredible – I obviously stopped to take a bunch of pics!
We parted ways so I could go back to the hostel to eat and figure out my night, with plans to meet up later. There seemed to be an event going on for Art Basel in the hostel lobby when I got back, so after eating some food I packed in my (still empty) hostel room, I went down to grab a drink and try to make friends.
The crowd was kinda random and not quite my vibe, but I did make friends with a really dope chick who was there with her three best friends. I sat and chilled with them for a bit, but they sadly did not invite me to their next stop! I tried hitting up the beach girl, but she was MIA in MIA (sorry y’all), and I was getting antsy at the hostel, so I decided to just go for a walk. There was a looot going on for Art Basel, so I spent almost two hours walking up and down Collins Ave, the main street which my hostel was on.
When I got back, I was so ready to eat this piece of chocolate cake I bought on my adventure and pass tf out. To my dismay, not only were there two guys sitting in the middle of the room talking, but apparently there was ANOTHER guy staying there as well. Okay, I knew I had booked a mixed dorm (that’s all that was left), but what kind of moron places a female with three males in one room??
I was so annoyed and really did not feel like dealing with them, so I basically just told them to shut up so I could sleep. When I first checked in, I was stoked about having the bathroom in the room – versus down the hall like many hostels have it – but now with an audience of two men, I really wished for some separation! The toilet and shower were each in separate rooms with doors (within the dorm room), but the sink was literally just in the room, so it was super awkward washing up with them behind me!
Anyway, I sucked it up cuz I had no choice, then got in to bed to rest up for a full day of beach and fun the next day. Nope. Despite my request via email prior to my trip for a quieter room, they placed me on the side facing the back patio, where they had a bar, restaurant, lounge and loud music. Double fail on the hostel’s part!! Without much other choice, I put on earplugs and my sound maker app and passed out.
Day 2
I woke up very ready for my first full day in Miami! I got up around 8 and went down to the lobby to get breakfast. As it is at most hostels, they had a very basic breakfast of toast, cereal and fruit. I took what I could – cuz free is free! – and went outside to eat away from everyone else. After eating, I used the computer they had in their lobby to send off my acceptance letter for the job I got offered right before I left. What a great way to start the weekend of my vacation!!
Once I was all squared away, I went back up to get ready for the beach. Of course my “dorm mates” came in while I was getting ready, trying to talk and shit, and I was just so eager to get out of there! I waited for them to leave, finished getting ready, and headed out as well.
My original plan was to walk to the beach a block or two away from the hostel and just post up for a few hours, but as SOON as I put my stuff down on the near empty beach, I immediately knew I was going to be bored there all day. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good empty beach – I lived at the beach in San Diego for 3 years, so I am no stranger to being on an empty beach alone – but something about being in Miami (especially during Art Basel) made me want to be around people!
I went back to the hostel to rent a bike, but they were all gone already, so I rented a bike from a station a block down and rode it down to South Beach. The sun was out and it was a gorgeous day, so I was delighted to take a nice long bike ride to the beach! I used to have a beach cruiser when I lived in San Diego, and reaaaally miss being able to ride around town instead of having to drive everywhere.
I wasn’t sure exactly where to stop, so once I got to 9th street, I got off my bike and redocked it at another station. Unfortunately, I realized too late that several blocks of the beach were taken over by a huge art exhibit tent, and ended up having to walk pretty far with my heavy beach bag to find a good spot on the beach!
The spot I chose was on the edge of the tent, so I was surrounded by people on one side but not the other. I felt pretty restless sitting there at first, feeling like I didn’t choose a “good spot”, which really was just my restlessness about being alone and wanting some company! I was not prepared to feel like this, given that I have traveled and gone to the beach and just generally spent so much time alone in my life and rarely if ever get bothered by it!
Nevertheless, I convinced myself to lay down and enjoy the beach, because that is really what I went down there for. While I was laying out and relaxing, I texted a friend of my cousin’s – who is from Miami – to ask for recommendations of what to do and where to hang out. Being a local, she is very anti-Art Basel, but gave me what advice she could.
In the absence of friends to hang out with and no real way to make friends – the hostel was obviously a bust because of the “roommate” situation, and I wasn’t about to randomly cruise the beach for people to approach – I decided to think outside the box. Well, not TOTALLY outside the box – because I have done this before on solo travels – but I guess outside the box in the general sense of what people do lol.
Anyway, what I mean is that I decided to go on Bumble to find a guy to hang out with that day/night/weekend. I know this is not something everyone is into or feels comfortable with, but in my experience, it is the perfect way to enhance a solo trip. If you vibe with the person, then not only do you get some company, but there’s a pretty good bet you will get a free drink out of it! Bonus points if they’re a local – which is typically what I look for – because they will give you a different view of whatever city you’re visiting that you might not normally get. Sounds like a win-win to me!
Also, as a female, I typically don’t go out at night alone, even though I feel totally fine doing everything else alone. Walking around is one thing, but going to bars or clubs alone just feels weird. I don’t even do that at home! So ironically, I feel more comfortable going out with a random stranger I met on an app than going out alone. And since I was in Miami during Art Basel, I definitely did not want to sit at the hostel alone all night every night!
So after swiping for what felt like foreveeeer, I found 2 or 3 matches right at once and start chatting a couple of them up. With two decent prospects for someone to hang out with that night, I relaxed even more and let my anxiety go about needing to find companions for the weekend.
Once I had my fill of the beach after a few hours, I gathered up my stuff and walked to Ocean Ave to find somewhere to grab a drink and a bite. I walked several blocks up and down before settling on a decent looking (albeit overpriced) spot. If anything else, it was an excuse to sit down, put my heavy bag down, and people watch.
After that I biked back to the hostel to take a shower and figure out my plans for the night. One guy ended up winning out over the other, so I agreed to finalize our plans after I took a nap. Needless to say, nap was a fail because one of the guys came back into the room while I was trying to sleep. Le sigh. Bumble guy was loafing and still not ready to meet up after my failed nap, so I got dressed and went to the restaurant downstairs to grab a bite.
The restaurant (Driftway) is attached to the hostel, but anyone can eat there, even if you are not staying at the hostel. It has a casual vibe, but an upscale menu, and thus draws in a fairly eclectic and elite crowd. I ordered a taco, and since it seemed like Bumble guy was gonna be a while, I decided to grab a drink too. Besides, I had just accepted a job offer that morning – that was certainly cause to celebrate!!
I ended up being there almost TWO hours waiting for Bumble guy, which I was kind of annoyed about but worked out for me in the end. Since I was sitting there alone, the manager came to talk to me, and after finding out I am a blogger that writes about food and travel and such, decided to send me over several dishes to try.
In the end he comped all my food – all I paid for was the drink! And let me tell y’all: this food was GOOD! Like, random ingredients you wouldn’t think to put together but are incredible once you taste them kind of good. The drink was amazing too, and I am pretty picky about both food and drinks! The whole experience was great – I felt so spoiled! The manager certainly made my night with that special treatment. Shout out to Kevin!
Once I finally got the location from Bumble boy, I closed out my tab and hopped in a Lyft with the quickness! It was already 11 and I was pressed to leave the hostel and actually go out already. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea, and the ride from my hostel to Wynwood took FOREVER!
When we finally got to Wynwood, I hopped out the Lyft and walked the last few blocks to avoid sitting in traffic even longer. I met Bumble boy outside a bar, where he was waiting with his friends for me. I’m not sure if it’s like this all the time – or just during Art Basel – but all the streets in Wynwood were filled with people just walking around with no regard for cars trying to pass through. And there was a LOT of people!
The four of us walked to a club a couple blocks away, and stood outside waiting until another friend arrived – yes, MORE waiting – to get a table for us to drink at. I convinced the guys to order my favorite drink, tequila and pineapple, so I happily drank for free all night! The music was good, the vibe was good, and I was having fun with Bumble boy! I was honestly just happy to be out and about after the FOMO of the previous day and night.
At some point, Fat Joe made an appearance at the club and “performed” a few songs – not including “Not a Player”, wtf!! – before dipping. Random but ok! Around 3 we left to go back to Miami Beach to drop his friend off near my hostel. Bumble boy asked whether I wanted to go back to my hostel or come over to his place, and given the awkward situation in my dorm room, I jumped at any chance to escape it! Plus, he seemed cool and trustworthy, so why not?
Day 3:
The next morning, I was exhausted but super ready to go back to the beach. Bumble boy wanted to work out first, but he was going to the outdoor gym at the beach, and said he would meet me on the beach after. He lives in South Beach, but on the side of the island opposite the beach, so I decided to grab a coffee then just take a Lyft to the beach so I wouldn’t have to schlep my heavy bag so far again!
This time, I was able to relax a bit more knowing I had plans to meet Bumble guy, but it got windy and cloudy pretty quick. I got cold and couldn’t quite relax anymore and I started to get antsy waiting for this guy to come meet me! Once I had enough of the beach, I decided to pack up and go meet the guy at the outdoor gym. He wasn’t answering my texts, so I went to look for him but couldn’t find him. I called him and he told me he had to leave quickly to give his friend a ride somewhere -___-
I wasn’t mad, because I know this friend pays him well and I respect the hustle, but he could have at least told me!! Since I had packed a bag the night before – which I left at his place that morning – I decided to walk back to his spot and grab it then go back to the hostel to shower and nap. He left a key for me to get in so I wouldn’t have to wait even longer for him – thank god!
The walk back was pretty – right before sunset – but I was tired and sooo hangry, so I couldn’t fully enjoy it! It took me forever to find the key he left – probably cuz I was looking at the wrong door for it – and I was just over it by the time I got inside! He told me I could eat something there, so I made myself a smoothie and gathered my stuff up. For some reason my Lyft app wasn’t working, which I am grateful for because I took it as a sign to just stay put. The thought of taking a shower and a nap in an empty apartment, ALONE, was so much more appealing than going back to the hostel!!
Despite my perfect set up, I still wasn’t able to nap, but it felt great to rest in a nice dark room alone for a while. It was probably another hour after that before Bumble guy finally got home, and by that point I was STARVING! He had barely eaten all day too, so we decided to go get food by his apartment.
I was ready to get food ASAP, but he was determined to go get this new pair of Jordans that were released that day. We walked to the Nike store that is literally behind his apartment, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out how dope and HUGE this Nike store was! Despite my hanger, I walked around like a kid in a toy store, happily browsing all the displays. When he finally got his hands on the last pair in his size (he used to be a manager there, so he had the finesse), he was nice enough to buy me a tshirt too “for waiting all day”. That’s right fool!!
We FINALLY got food after that, at a really bomb taco spot a few blocks away. We didn’t have much of a gameplan past that, so the rest of the night consisted of meeting up with random people around South Beach and just driving around. I hadn’t planned to stay out for that long, so I was wearing the same outfit as the night before, remixed with sweatpants instead of a skirt. I knew I would have to go back to the hostel to grab more stuff if I wanted to go out anywhere.
Since it seemed like it would be a hassle to keep driving me back and forth to get stuff from the hostel, he offered to let me just stay at his place for the rest of the weekend. It seemed like it would make more sense than paying to store my stuff there and causing an inconvenience just to retrieve it, but I had already paid for the room and didn’t think I would get a refund that last minute.
He told me not to worry: he would get my money back, just let him do the talking. We walked up to the front desk, and he told some elaborate story about how he is my brother and drove from Tampa to pick me up because our grandma just died and we have to go to his funeral. It took EVERYTHING not to crack up: not only was this crazy and pretty obviously bullshit story so out of pocket, but this 6’6 Senegalese man could NOT pass for my brother!
Long story short, I didn’t get my money back but I am in the process of getting it back through my bank after several more attempts to get it directly from the hostel. Anyway, I waited until I checked out, grabbed all my stuff and got back to his car to die of laughter. We were both suddenly spent and exhausted, so we decided to just go back to his apartment to watch a movie and pass out.
This is so interesting, I love it! Heading to read part 2 now!
Yas I’m glad you enjoyed it!!