Here is how Miami looks in a pretty drab morning of a rainy day. It rained all day today, which is not too often in November. There is a pretty potent cold front coming to Miami, but this one moves too slowly so it will rain again tomorrow. Tomorrow night, the temperature will drop a good 15 - 20 degrees Fahrenheit... So watch out for my Dendrobium crunematum, the "cockroach orchid " that will bloom in about 12 days. May be I'll show its blooms again here then.
Sitting high above traffic on US-1 is this new large billboard advertising for the six eateries in Coral Gables. There are literally hundreds of places where you can eat in downtown Coral Gables/Miracle Mile, but these six must feel this is a good time to have their names recognized by the mass. In the US, advertising sales, a concept I have a hard time to comprehend.
In the older days, highway and street light posts, telephone and electrical power posts came mainly from pressure treated pine trees' trunks. Gradually, they are replaced by concrete poles like these that are transported to their sites. It's quite a job to manufacture, transport and erect these heavy objects. They have a much better chance to stay put under hurricanes that Miami is so prone to have. Speaking of which, none occurred this season that is about to end in about one week. Now, weather experts, you who have predicted a number of canes and so many of them "major" canes this year. What do you say now?
Downtown Miami seen from about 12 miles South by SouthEast, from the Land Shark stadium. Photo taken yesterday during the college football game so the parking was crowded from this angle.
There is a Miami Hurricanes (that's the University of Miami's football team) game today at Miami's Land Shark stadium, and that's against the Blue Devils of the Duke University from Durham, Nortth Carolina. Because the Hurricanes has already lost three games this year and therefore has dashed all hopes of championship, only the die hard fans attend the game. We still had a great time today and luckily, the Canes won 34-16.
Here is a sad portrait for you: a lonesome kitten. So skinny, sad and all alone. This stray kitten will need to find food to survive and it won't be easy because there is virtually no litter here and the trash are in controlled containers with lids that are placed out twice weekly for collection.
This is Coconut Grove "downtown," at the end of Main Highway, merging to Grand Avenue straight ahead and McFarlane Road to the right leading to the marina. This is a great place to hang around in this time of the year. The weather is just perfect.
Miami has many speed breakers like this one. Regular intersections are remodeled and circles are built with quite narrow driveways that motorists are forced to slow down to get through them to not breaking a wheel or two of their cars. I think that is an expense well spent. Besides, these have very attractive landscape as bonus to the city.
Here is what I think a very brave Miamian commuter, riding on his tiny motor scooter. In about 20 minutes, it will get dark, as we are now rushing through the year's remaining days. Rush hour traffic is very busy here on Sunset Drive near 97th Avenue. When it gets dark, I know I won't see his scooter very well and he may get run over by the crazy drivers of Miami.
1 liter, 3 cylinders Smart car from Smart Center of Coral Gables. This is the Smart ForTwo, perhaps the smallest car in America. French made in Hambach, France, in the Lorraine region, it comes in coupe and cabriolet. These cars are not painted, but they are powder coated! Believe it or not, the exterior surface is made with Trespa, a material 80% of which comes from fast growing European timber. Really? I can't imagine this Smart car colliding with an American monster like the HumVee.
This scene is quite unusual but it illustrates a point about life in Miami, that may or may not be representative of other states of the US: a wheel chair moving about in the streets. Here, disabled individuals who need to use wheel chairs have their lives simplified a bit thanks to a uniform law requiring facilitating movement of wheel chairs by use of curb cuts. Steps are removed and replaced by small access ramps everywhere in the city so wheel chairs can navigate around. This man is pushing an elderly woman in this wheel chair crossing a busy intersection near Dadeland mall. Seeing a wheel chair in this fashion is quite rare and it is also quite dangerous, giving the way some drivers behave in this city.
We are in mid November, and this place is gearing up for XMas. Year in and year out,
that never fails. In a couple of weeks, immediately after the American ThanksGiving holiday on the last Thursday of November, Christmas trees will be up for sale here, near the K-Mart on US-1 at 124 street.
This Chic Children's Boutique is one of many specialty stores in South Miami. I think the only way these small individual stores can survive is that they carry special items that the large department store chains do not have. This cozy little shop fits that bill. It's on Sunset Drive just East of US-1.
This used to be the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast food place. It has closed and this new fast food (again!) store just came into being. Another pizza place to compete in the already large crowd selling this very popular American junk food. This location is near the corner of Red Road (SW 57th Avenue) and US-1.
