Scenes from Miami

I think that CSI:Miami is a rather silly show. Fun to watch, yes, but the storylines are rather simplistic. What I love though is the filming. Never before on television have I seen such lush, vibrant colour. I'm guessing they must run it through some sort of computerized process.

Having lived down there for 2 months not too long ago, I'm very familiar with many of the buildings, especially the exceptionally colourful ones in the Brickell area, which sits directly south of downtown. Here are some screen captures from a recent episode.

Memories of Miami

I like watching CSI: Miami. The acting isn't particularly good. The stories are often far fetched. But I do still like it. The eye candy is quite spectacular! Take a look at these screen captures:



The scene transition segments often feature aerial shots of the beautiful neighbourhood of Brickell. I'm VERY familiar with this area because it's where I stayed for 2 months earlier this year when I stayed in the 39th Floor condo of my friend, Chris. The red arrows indicate the precise location of his suite.

I'd be the first one to say that this area is quite spectacular but even it doesn't look as spectacular as is presented on this show. I'm convinced that they must be running the footage through some sort of computerized enhancement process that enriches the colours much more than they actually appear to the human eye.

P.S. There's another kind of "eye candy" I like on the show too but that's for another day! ;-)

My Very Own Sony-Ericsson Tennis Tournament!

Next door to where I'm staying the annual Sony-Ericsson Open is still ongoing. Just below my friend's place are the tennis courts of the Conrad Hilton hotel. Playing this morning were a pair of men & women. Quite good too. The woman on the left in the foreground was actually exceptional ... and I'm not just talking about her well toned & tanned legs!!! :-)

Experimental Animation

I wanted to see whether GIF Animations would work here in this blog. So I put 4 successive frames together into one GIF file and uploaded it. The quality is poor, so as to keep the file size down, but this scene has often been scene in CSI Miami:

A Better Way To Start The Day

I had ran out of milk yesterday, so I needed to get some for my morning coffee. I woke up around 7:40am and watched some morning news on TV. Down here I generally flip between:

• NBC's Today Show - I must confess that I've long been in love with Ann Curry!
• MSNBC's Imus in the Morning - Don Imus has a very checkered past but he avoids being politically correct, something which I admire
• FOX News "Fox & Friends" - I appreciate a point of view unseen in Canada. The only downside is Brian Kilmeade, who I find most annoying.

I wasn't sure when my local Publix grocery store opened so I checked their website and was pleasantly surprised to discover that they're open between 7am - 11pm every day. Seeing this, I immediately got dressed and headed downstairs.

My first stop was the nearby Post Office, where I sent off a number of postcards. I like the staff there very much. They're much more friendly than any Canadian post office! Sorry nachtwache, but I believe this to be true. Canadian postal outlet staff are often fine though.

Rather than heading directly to the supermarket, I took a circuitous route along the water. Over to my left was Key Biscayne, where a major tennis tournament has just started. I'm thinking of going tomorrow. The rays of the sun were already warm, though a swift breeze was keeping things pleasant.

I then went past the lovely St. Jude Catholic Church. A few blocks later I was at the Publix. As always, I bought more than I set out to but it wasn't too much to carry home.

Upon my return I discovered that there were two packages waiting for my friend, Chris (aka Señor Online Shopper Extraordinaire). I was eating an apple while I waited for the building staff to find them. A pretty woman working behind the desk said she'd love one. Turns out I had just bought 6 new ones! So I brought her and one of the cleaning ladies a manzana (apple en espanol!).

This morning outing was a GREAT way to start the day and a practice I really need to get into, both here in Miami and back home in Vancouver.

Interestng Art

You'll see this piece of art on the side of a building when you get onto I-95 at 8th Street in Brickell. I think it's supposed to be the State of Florida turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise but I'm not sure. I like it though!

A Different Perspective Of Brickell

Here's a "compressed" shot of Brickell, looking almost directly south

Tall and Skinny

One is man-made, the other made by nature. I'll let you figure out which.

Monday Sunset

It occurred to me that I'm not going to be down here forever so I'm posting photos like this so that I can remember such scenes in the future!

Assorted Brickell Images

On my walk back to the apt. I captured these images:

What Goes Up, Must Come Down!

Okay, what's more correct to say is that before something new can go up, something old generally needs to be torn down. But I prefer the other heading!


For the Vancouverites reading this, this building looks very similar to our old library, which was converted into CTV and the HMV store at the NE corner of Robson & Burrard.

Brickell Construction

I know I've posted photos of these buildings before but I still can't get over how much construction is going on in the Brickell neighbourhood.

Miami Financial District Architecture

I love the contrast of palm trees and colourful, shiny buildings.

Miami River Panorama

Here's my attempt to capture an 8-image panorama of the Miami River. On the left side is the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown, then the Miami River feeding in from Biscayne Bay, and then the neighbourhood of Brickell.

Afternoon Walk

As I work for myself, I try to go for a walk every day. It breaks up the day and tends to keep me sane. Today I went out for 2 walks!

These cement trucks are lining up for just one construction project! It's a small indication of just how much construction is occurring here in Miami right now.

This is a silhouette of a monument that appears on the east side of the US-1 bridge that connects Brickell with downtown Miami.

Here are 4 cranes working downtown. In the foreground is the Miami Metromover.

I believe that the red "M" in the foreground stands for "Metro" but that's currently just a theory!

Here's a scene of all the construction going on in Brickell, shot from the north bank of the Miami River.

Iguana Bush

Imagine walking along, glancing a nice green plant covered with flowers and suddenly ... you notice something more than flowers on the plant! In fact, there are lizards all over it!!! This is what happened to me this morning when I was leaving Brickell Key. A quick glance and you won't spot them, as their skin blends very well with the leaves of the plant.




Which one of these should I name after my mom?!?

Life in Miami

Yesterday I finally completed a photo travelogue of my mom's trip across America: Seattle, Chicago, and South Florida. I sent it out to a number of friends. Since then I've been getting e-mails back, many of them making countless jokes about the perceived glamorous, easy lifestyle down here.

While I'm confident there are some down here in Miami that are ridiculously wealthy and have little to no real concerns. But I ain't one of them! Yes, it's nice to wake up to an incredible view and have a gentle warm breeze most every day. But other than that, my daily life really isn't a whole lot different than working out of my home office back in Vancouver.

One thing for sure though, it didn't snow here last night like it reportedly did back home!

Here are some photos I took this afternoon:

Some Photos from the Last Day of February

I've long said that you need to view old people and little kids in exactly the same way: "Give them projects or they'll tire you out!" Well, though I'll never consider my mom "old", the fact is that with her we did a LOT of stuff since leaving Vancouver on Feb. 6th. And now that both she and my friend, Chris, are gone, my mind & body have collapsed in unison. I was sooooooooooo exhausted today. But I did take a walk, to my [usual] Brickell Key, but today I also ventured downtown. Here are some images from my journey:

This is a Blue Heron that may be the same one I've seen on Brickell Key before.

This is the First Presbyterian Church of Miami. Inside, it isn't that ornate but I do like exterior shapes & colours.

This reminded me of a scene from CSI Miami. This draw bridge, on US-1, opened up to let a yacht get out to the ocean.

Here's a shot looking back south, showing the financial district in the background.

This fascinating statue sits on this bridge. I have yet to learn of its significance. The ornately decorated column reminded me of totem poles from the Pacific Northwest.

I'm generally not too impressed with downtown Miami. It's mostly quite seedy, a reminder of more prosperity in times past. I'm guessing that Miami faced the same fate as many American cities: The wealthier residents flocked to the suburbs. Many new buildings are now being built downtown but it'll take years for any positive changes to occur.

This is the rectory of a magnificent Catholic church downtown. I plan to go back and take some photos of the elegant interior.

The Wonderful Architecture of Miami

If you happen to ever watch CSI Miami, you've scene countless glimpses of the glorious architecture around this city. I am lucky enough to live in an area that is full of vibrant colours and shapes and endless interesting designs. Here's a small sampling: