Miami + Caribbean Cruise
As some of you know, I recently took a weeklong vacation in Miami and the Caribbean. And the bylaws of this blogspot clearly state that I have to write recaps anytime I go on long vacations, so here goes.
This was my first time to Miami, and we actually spent pretty much the entire time we were there in the South Beach area. As you might expect, South Beach is a very different experience than Chicago (or the Midwest in general, for that matter). Palm trees, sunny weather, hot girls, and flashy cars everywhere - it's somewhat of a shock to the system when you first get there of how "beautiful" everything is.
However, if I had to describe my impression of Miami in one word, it would be "superficial", and not really in a good way. As pretty as everything appears to be at first, I left the city feeling a bit empty and unsatisfied. For example - at first, it sounds great to have sunny weather and 80 degree temperatures every day, but for some reason it didn't really feel as comfortable as I would have expected. Maybe it's the humidity, or the lack of shade and breeze, but it seemed like the same description of "80's and sunny" was about 10x more pleasant when I went to San Diego, than in South Beach. I'm pretty sure "80's and sunny" in Chicago is nicer too, if we ever get there.
The one area that probably most effectively represents Miami in my mind, is Ocean Ave. As Anuj put it, walking down that street is like going to a exotic car show. All you see are Maseratis, Bentleys, Rolls, Ferraris, Lambos - to the point that BMWs and Mercedes almost seem ordinary in comparison. Now, I'm a car lover as much as any other guy, but even I felt a little sickened by seeing that parade of excess roll by.
I found it to be especially ironic to think that all of these expensive cars are built to be capable of top speeds in the hundreds of mph - yet at most given times on Ocean Ave., the average speed on the road is probably under 5 mph - slower than some of the pedestrians walking along the sidewalks. Obviously, the drivers of these cars aren't there to get from one place to another in the shortest time, but that in itself just seems to sum up the culture of South Beach right there. Lots of show, not much substance.
In fairness, I was only there for a couple days, so it's not enough to form a complete opinion of a place. Sorry if I offended any Miami lovers with my evaluation. On the plus side, I did enjoy the food in Miami a lot, and I was particularly impressed by the Lincoln Ave area. Overall, I would say it's a great place to vacation for a weekend, but I would never want to live there permanently. In that way, I think it's kind of like Vegas, except with more beaches and less gambling.
Right after the Miami leg of the trip was our 5 day cruise in the Caribbean. Something you don't see every day is 11 guys getting together on a boat to celebrate a bachelor party, but that's exactly what our group was up to. It seems like these days, everyone else does the Vegas thing for bachelor/bachelorette parties - but most of the guys in our group have already been to Vegas plenty of times, for other occasions. I definitely liked this idea of doing something different, and now that we're back, I can say that it was really a blast for everyone that came. I'd go so far as to call it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Lots of memories that will last for years (mostly positive ones, haha).
The unique thing about a cruise with your buddies, other than the fact that you're living on a boat, is that pretty much everything is only a short walk away. At times during this trip, it almost felt like being back in college for a week. I'd forgotten the convenience of having all of your friends living just down the hall in the other cabins, like we had in the dorms at U of I. And I really enjoyed being able to just walk around the ship and find the other guys scattered in random places - whether it was the buffet line, pool area, nightclub, or the most likely place, casino.
On a side note, it was also a reminder of how much we have come to depend on cell phones these days. I really wonder how people ever managed to find each other and meet up for things before we had cell phones? Especially speaking as the main planning lead for this trip, it was a logistical nightmare on some days just to round up all of the people so that we could get something done.
Anyways, I have to say, being on a cruise is one of the most "efficient" ways to vacation. As I mentioned before, everything is pretty much right there on the boat. You live in a room that gets cleaned twice a day by the staff, there's plenty of activities during the day (pools, waterslide, mini-golf, workout room, ping-pong tables, casino), shows to see at night, bars/clubs/lounges for late night, and most importantly, all the food you can eat. When they drop you off on the islands in the morning, all you need is ready to go at the dock. Beaches are always just a walk or quick bus/taxi ride away, shops and restaurants were usually not far either.
In other words, you never really have to think much about what to do on a cruise. We didn't spend much time (if any) planning on places to tour, fiddle around with maps or travel guides, worrying about transportation, converting foreign currency, finding restaurants, hotels, etc. Once you step onto the boat, it's basically 5 straight days of entertainment, escape, and relaxation.
However, the one main drawback of the cruise experience kind of goes hand-in-hand with that same advantage I just described. With everything planned and laid out for you, the whole trip does become a bit too tourist-y as a result. It's nice that they provide shopping on the docks, and offer pre-arranged "excursions" on the islands, but for me, that kind of takes out the excitement of traveling to new places.
When I go on vacations, of course I love beaches, the ocean, sunny weather, entertainment, all that good stuff. But a part of me definitely wants to also take the opportunity to actually dig in and immerse myself in the place I'm visiting. I love to observe the culture and lifestyle of a place and compare it to the other places I've been to. I enjoy the randomness of being in a new setting, and encountering things I didn't expect or plan on. I appreciate having quiet moments on my own, to unwind and reflect on my thoughts, while getting away from the routines of home.
Honestly, I didn't really get to experience much of that on this trip. We'd get dropped of at an island, and then do pretty much only "tourist" kind of stuff while we were there. The only contact we ever had with locals was when they were hosting or serving us as visitors. I never felt like I was anything other than an outsider, and never got to know and understand the subtleties and nuances of each place. Especially considering the fact that we were never at a given place for more than a few hours before moving on. And while it's nice to have all the amenities provided for you at the beach (towels, people bringing you drinks, chairs and cabanas), it also takes away from the feeling of escape and isolation that I like the most about being near the ocean. It's kind of hard to have a peaceful moment, when you are surrounded by hundreds of other people on the same beach and waitresses coming by to take your drink order ever few minutes.
Having said all of that, I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining or that I didn't love this trip. It was, after all, a bachelor party for Anuj, and for that purpose, I think it was about as much as anyone could've asked for. I had an awesome time and I think it was worth every bit of effort and money put into planning. If I were taking a vacation with a gf or wife, then of course I would want things to be much different - but this cruise was the perfect setting for 11 guys to party and celebrate together, and I would do it all over again the same way in a heartbeat.
In closing, I know I say this every time I get back from a trip with the boys, but I always value these opportunities more and more as we all get older. Life continues to change constantly, and over time it only gets harder to stay in touch with your friends. In a matter of a few months, some more of us will be moving away from Chicago, a couple of the guys will be getting married (no, not to each other), and people continue on with their lives in different directions. I can't say enough about just how much I appreciate getting to spend that week with the 10 other brothers on this trip. Pirates forever!
