Dade County Courthouse

One of my favorite buildings in Downtown Miami is the Dade County Courthouse. It's a nice touch of history amongst all the new office and condo buildings being built up in Miami. Although I work as a paralegal, I probably have only been in this building once. It was for jury duty the Monday after I graduated from the University of Miami back in December 2004. Maybe one day I'll get lucky and get to experience a trial here.

Coral Gables, Part 1

I love the Coral Gables area. If it wasn't so expensive, I would live there. There are so many beautiful, old looking houses and I just love how you drive down the streets with trees hanging over it. It's a nice area just to drive through on a lazy day. When I was in college at the University of Miami, I loved taking the back roads through the neighborhood and looking at the scenery. There are so many pretty sites to see, but this post focuses on two particular areas of Coral Gables which are my favorite sites.

There is a spot located at the corner of SW 57 Ave. and SW 8 St. which is affectionately referred to as the "Coral Gables Ruins." I call it the Coral Gables "fountain." You cannot drive past this spot on a weekend day without seeing a blushing bride, a happily engaged couple, or a beautiful quinceanera having pictures taken there. I even wanted to have my wedding ceremony there at one time, but then realized it might not be so classy having a strip club on the opposite side of 8th Street and parking could also be an issue in this area. Nevertheless, this would have to be my favorite spot in Coral Gables and I think the pictures will make you agree.







Another spot I like is the Granada Boulevard roundabout. I would always use this landmark as a point of reference when driving around in Coral Gables. From this intersection you can access the Biltmore Hotel and Venetian Pools (don't worry, those photos will soon come). I never really paid attention though to how beautiful and detailed it actually is until I pulled over to take this shot. I now realize after saying how beautiful the detailing is, I should get a closer shot for the next time so it can be truly appreciated.

Journey to Hialeah

At the risk of offending past or present Hialeah residents, I would just like to say that Hialeah drives me crazy. Other South Florida drivers may agree with me on that too! This has to be the one city in South Florida, maybe in the whole country, where Mapquest directions don't apply. Maybe it makes sense to people who actually live in the Hialeah area, but I don't understand how streets suddenly become avenues and how one street can be both W 49th Street and NW 103 Street. Lenin told me a story once where he Mapquested some directions to a home in Hialeah. When he arrived at the destination, he was told by the resident that the address he was looking for was actually on the other side of town. Nuts!

I usually take public transportation to get to work; but sometimes I drive in. I avoid the major expressways like the Palmetto and I-95 on the drive home and pass through Hialeah instead. Thank God I only have to use main roads so there is no fear of getting lost. Now, Hialeah is not my favorite city, but there are two sites that I always enjoy on that drive home, the big structure known as the "Entrance to Hialeah" and the Hialeah Water Plant. The entrance is so pretty and I love the old look of the plant.

Nope that's not a painting. That's a shot I took with some editing done. Cool, huh?

Week in Review

Well another week has gone by and I've tried to get as many pictures as I can. I walked around Downtown again during lunch, but I think I've seen everything there is to see there and take pictures of. I may try to hit up Bayside once more next week. Over the weekend I also ventured out into the Miami Lakes Main Street area and also stopped by Graham Park, where I took my engagement pictures last year. Here are some photos from the past week. Enjoy!

U.S. Federal Courthouse in Downtown Miami. I remember when this thing was being built. I thought it was the coolest looking courthouse I had seen.

To be honest, I have no idea what this old building is. It's located directly across from the American Airlines Arena. I loved its look so I took a couple photos. If anyone knows what this place is, it would be great to find out.

No, that "PERU" hasn't been photoshopped into the picture. If I could give an award for "Random Object of the Week," this would be the winner. I came across this shopping cart at the Riverwalk Metromover station. I found this so funny since my family is Peruvian.

This is the same station where I saw the shopping cart. I was messing with the contrast on the photo and thought this came out pretty cool. I wish it wasn't so cloudy so the sky would have come out bluer.

Graham Park in Miami Lakes. This park is so simple, yet so beautiful. As I mentioned, my engagement pictures were done here. Definitely a nice place for a picnic or to take your dog out to run around.

These little guys were enjoying the beautiful afternoon at Graham Park too!

Main Street Miami Lakes

Lenin and I went to a Greek festival on Saturday and had some amazing food. It was too crowded to be snapping photos but I did take this picture inside the church where the festival was held. I'm always amazed by these colored windows.

Some of the flower shots for the week!

Trouble is always nosy and sticking his big nose where it doesn't belong!

This little farm area is located in Miami Lakes. I hope these guys won't be eaten later on at one of the nearby restaurants!

A plant I came across in Downtown. The leaves had some nice colors.

Week in Review

I spent the past week or so taking my camera to work each day so I could take some shots around Downtown Miami during my lunch break. Hopefully starting this weekend I can head out to different locations in South Florida to get a nice variety going. Here are some of my favorite photos from the past week. Enjoy!

A co-worker's son was getting married over the past weekend, so a group of us at work chipped in for a fancy bottle of champagne for him! It was too fancy to drink.

This structure is located by the Dade County Courthouse (in the background).

This little flower was in an arrangement set-up in the building at work. How pretty!

For those of you familiar with the carousel at Bayside Marketplace. This is probably one of my favorite shots from this past week other than the Trouble one I submitted for the DPS weekly assignment.

The Hotel Intercontinental. Everyone I see this hotel I think about going to Downtown Miami with my family to see the fireworks show and the orange drop for New Year's Eve.

Dade County War Memorial in Bayfront Park. I didn't even know this little memorial existed until I started walking around downtown to take pictures.

The Torch of Friendship, which is dedicated in memory of JFK. The first time I found out about this torch was when I attended the Obama rally in Bicentennial Park in October.

The marina at Bayside Marketplace

This fountain, I guess you could call it a fountain, is located in Bayfront Park.

Bank of America tower. For those of you not familiar with this building, it lights up different colors each night. So when the Miami Heat are playing it's all red. At Christmas time, they put snowflakes on it and light it up in blue. It looks very cool from a distance. I took this shot from one of the Metromover stations.

If anyone has any suggestions of some good locations I should check out, let me know!