April 23, 2005

April 23, 2005

This morning we check out of our Fort Lauderdale hotel and drive south to Miami Beach checking into the Avalon-Majestic Hotel. It is located in the Art Deco district called South Beach. The older hotels in this area have been renovated and have now become very chic and trendy. This area is definitely bustling. After settling in, we retrieve our car from the valet and drive to the suburb of Coconut Grove to visit Aimee’s cousin, Billy. After spending the afternoon with his wife, two young girls and two very large dogs, Billy takes us back into Miami Beach for dinner. We talk a little about his work as an accountant. He probably has the most dangerous job of anybody I know especially for a CPA. He is first generation Irish but speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese. As a result he has a thriving business traveling all over South America, including Columbia. He is nuts.

After dinner we hit the South Beach party circuit. We head to the nightclub at the Delano Hotel. The party is on mattresses that surround the hotel pool. The drinks are EXPENSIVE but well spent. Billy and I are impressed with the clientele. The place is wall-to-wall girls. We should have left Aimee at home.