I have never been to Miami Beach before, so on a recent trip to catch a Cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale, we decided to spend a couple of days at Miami Beach instead of near the cruise ship’s homeport of Port Everglades.   Most of my knowledge of Miami Beach comes from Miami Vice, Dexter and a host of other crime-dramas, so needless to say we didn’t really want to stay out too late, but that’s difficult to do in a city that never sleeps.

We did a lot of walking and also some shopping in this beautiful coastal resort city.  The weather wasn’t as nice as it should have been so we didn’t get to take advantage of the beach.  And really, two days is not enough to spend here either.  I’m sure we’ll spend some more days here in the future, just waiting for CSI: Miami to solve all the crime first.

A beautiful pathway divides the glorious beach with glittering Ocean Avenue

Pedestrians take full advantage of Ocean Avenue being shut down to vehicles,

The house that Versace built

Despite the weather being somewhat below seasonal, that didn’t stop girls clad in bikinis from updating their Facebook profile pictures.

A stucco creates an interesting background for a portrait

Alligator skewer? Only in Florida

In Miami, even the mannequins have been surgically enhanced

Deserted bicycle turned urban art

Where the magic happens–Ocean Avenue at night.