the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast...
in the distance to the southwest.
Miami Beach - October, 2002
A business conference... at the Fontainebleau Hilton... a TigerDream-come-true
| View of the hotel, from Collins Avenue... | ...and interior elegance (dig those chandeliers)... |
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| View from my 8th floor balcony: the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast... |
...and the skyline of downtown Miami in the distance to the southwest. |
Imagine the lights at night: the stars over the ocean, the steamers on the Gulf Stream, and the city lights on the other horizon. I slept out on that balcony for five nights!
The Fontainbleau backyard is a tropical paradise...
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...complete with tiki huts and hammocks in the fine white musty sand...
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A western view from the 4th floor, overlooking Collins Avenue and Indian Creek...
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I did manage to spend
some time outdoors during the conference.
A hotel employee offered to take my picture in the kiddie pool
area...
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A 1.5-mile boardwalk stretches south from the hotel, offering many wonderful sights...
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I walked its 3-mile round-trip three times that week. And one of those times when I got to the other end, I just kept going, turning west and walking 2 more miles across the island to the Venetian Causeway, the oldest connection between Miami Beach and Miami. Built in 1912 as a wooden bridge, it now passes through five islands in the bay, four of which are man-made. The island just off the coast of Miami Beach, aptly named Belle Island, is the only natural island.
| Standing on Belle Island
looking west down the Venetian Way toward Miami... |
...and looking north from the bridge
connecting Belle Island with Miami Beach... that's Biscayne Bay... |
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By the time I made it back to the hotel, I had blisters on my feet, but it was worth it!
Sunrise, my last morning at the hotel...
| Looking over the Atlantic Ocean to the east... | ...and to the southwest as the dawn hits the skyline... |
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But I can't stop now... so here are four postcards I bought...
(Red arrow shows where I stayed. Also note
the boardwalk.)
| Little black spot marks my room... | Fontainebleau Promo Postcard | And one more... what a paradise... |
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