It was Black Friday and I almost made it without shopping all day. Brett and I are still in Miami until Sunday afternoon when we board our ship and begin our cruise. The weather here has been in the low 70s and sunny. I think it is going to warm a bit today to close to 80. I am sure it is nowhere near 80 at home!

We started the day with a trip to the Everglades. It’s one of those things I have always wanted to see. We’re spending our time in Miami with Alton, our pal from Boston. He also wanted to go. Off we headed into the South Florida swamplands. It’s a lot closer to Miami than I imagined. Within 30 minutes or so we were traveling across a desolate road with just about nothing on it.

Checking out the road signs and advertisements, I could see the Everglades had the potential of having a lot of cheesy Florida tourist traps. I was actually looking forward to them. They make a trip memorable. Our first stop was an Indian village that was a total bust; cheap Hong Kong made souvenirs that included fake gator heads for your desk. I regret passing them by.

The national park parking was full, and we passed on just driving through. After checking out the airboat rides on our way to  the Indian reservation, we chose Everglades Safari Park. It did not disappoint me. It was full of German and Japanese tourists with a super cheesy gift shop. We did enjoy the airboat ride but were quite cold since we were wearing t-shirts and shorts.

After a day in the wilderness, we did the logical thing and headed to South Beach for the evening. It was really shaking last night. The crowds were out. We walked about 20  blocks on Ocean Boulevard. We found the hotel used to film The Bird Cage and Something about Mary. Did you know it was the same hotel in both movies?

After being accosted by the restaurant folks as we passed the 50 or so restaurants, we chose a nice Italian spot. It was excellent. We got toasted on their super-sized Caipirinhas as we passed the night watching the passing parade on the sidewalk cafe.

We ended the night a little bit tippy and shopping in the South Beach Best Buy. Alton needed a new camera. So, you see we got some Black Friday shopping in after all.