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.

Tough Living At The Beach! :-)

Here's how the patrons of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel get to enjoy a day at the beach. Not a big beach but certainly a luxurious one!

Sand Castles Par Excellence

At the southern edge of Brickell Key the Mandarin Oriental Hotel has had a magnificent sand castle constructed by master builder, Victor Leong. Here's his website.

Sunday Morning Walk

A young Latina had this colourful bird and didn't me mind snapping a few photos.



I love the contrast between dark and light, as well as the various angles in this photo.

Sunday Morning in Miami

After yesterday's fun activity at Miami Beach, I decided to get back into my daily routine of going for a walk around Brickell Key. I was bounding with energy. The colours seemed more vibrant, the sun brighter, the warm breezes more pleasant, the dogs friendlier . . .

I love the rich contrast of colours of this shiny blue building with the dark green palm trees out front.

Simple elegance.

I'll never grow tired of this vista, shot from just out front of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. And never again can I watch another episode of CSI Miami without instantly recognizing the various towers of Brickell.

You have no idea how much I'd LOVE to go out on a boat in Miami. Oh well, a goal for a future trip!

This panorama consists of 12 individual shots.

Free Trip to Downtown Miami

Click on either of the photos and note the hitchhiker on the back of the boat!

More Closeups of an Iguana

Baby Blue Heron

Most everyone walking around Brickell Key walks on the wide sidewalk. Sometimes I opt to walking along an outer ledge, that's about 1.5 feet wide. From there I can see some things that others cannot. Case in point is this little blue heron that I saw today. Like that adult one you've seen before, this bird was on its own. Perhaps that's standard practice for these beautiful birds?

Friendly Iguanas

Much to my astonishment, a Latin woman was feeding the iguanas of Brickell Key. I have no idea how fast these little (and not so little) guys can move so I've stayed my distance. But they came right up to her and she gave them some grapes. She told me that she has counted 17 in total, ranging from great-grandparents to great-grandchildren!

Their lack of fear around her enabled me to get much closer than I have been able to in the past. There was a young woman from Dallas with a camera who was as fascinated by them as I am.

My Favourite Blue Heron

Maybe someone will definitively tell me whether this is a boy or a girl. But s/he is definitely my buddy, coming back every few days and allowing me to take photos like these.

Brickell Key has a series of large rocks placed all around its exposed ocean side. They will add much longevity to the seawall but have the unintended consequence of acting as a garbage receptacle for everything that washes up on them.

Walk with Mi Amigo

This afternoon I took my visiting Argentinian friend, Adrian, out for a walk around Brickell Key. He was as much in awe of it as the first time I saw it!


Birthday party for a rich kid!


A classic Miami scene!

Afternoon Light

For a number of reasons, I couldn't go out on my daily walk in the morning, so I did it instead in the afternoon. There were less people, but more dogs. At the Mandarin Oriental Hotel they were setting up some sort of multimedia system on their mini-beach, likely for a visiting convention.

Blue on Blue

The beautiful blue heron was back this afternoon, all by himself as per usual.

Closest Iguana Photos Yet

My buddies, the iguanas, were once again suntanning on the big bush at the entrance to Brickell Key. There was one particularly close to the walkway so I was able to slowly move my camera within 18" of him. In their own way, they are sort of cute, aren't they?!

Pampered Dogs on Brickell Key

There are lots & lots of dogs walked daily on Brickell Key. While some people treat their dogs as DOGS, others clearly have been afflicted with "Replacement Child Syndrome". Note the feet of these two pampered pooches: