The first time I traveled alone was to visit my cousins in Las Vegas. That was four years ago and I knew I wanted to continue solo traveling. Well, fast-forward to 2021 during a Pandemic. The excitement of a solo trip went in a small file in my mind, and it didn’t open back up until this year. I guess it’s true what they say: “If you don’t use it, then you’ll lose it.” In this blog, you will read about my trip and what I did. I tried to be as thorough as possible.
I recently went on a solo trip to Miami, and you can only imagine the emotions before the big move: excitement, joy, nervousness, wonder, curiosity. I’m an overthinker, so a lot of thoughts went through my head, like where should I go? What areas should I avoid? But most of those thoughts went away once I got there and sat in my hotel room. I say my hotel room because everyone knows the hustle and bustle of a travel day. It was at that point I was ready to explore.
Day One
I flew into Miami. I arrived at my hotel. It was The Gabriel Miami, Curio Collection by Hilton, located in downtown Miami. It was a luxury-style hotel, so this was new for me. It was EXCITED.
I wanted a view of the bay, so I’m glad that the hotel honored what I paid for on Travelocity. My room was beautiful on the 11th floor with a balcony. I had a perfect view of the bay and to catch the sunrise on the horizon. (Just know that I spent a lot of time on that balcony viewing the sky and writing.)
So I looked around to get situated and eventually went for a walk to get something to eat at the Natura Eatery. I can’t recall the bowl that I got, but it was fresh and delicious.
Day Two
My first full day in Miami and I wanted it to be an explore day. I also wanted to be fancy and order room service for breakfast. I was also feeling lazy. It was an acai bowl with a side of applewood smoked bacon, orange juice, and water. My bowl was delicious and refreshing, and my bacon was cooked well and crunchy.
My first area to check out was Wynwood, and I immediately noticed the graffiti and street art on every corner. After parking on the street, I went to the Wynwood Walls. This place consisted of some of the world’s greatest graffiti and street artists to demonstrate their artistry. It was really nice.
This was found on a building next to the Walls. 
I asked someone to take this photo.
As I was walking around Wynwood, I turned a corner and I noticed the Selfie Museum. I loves me a good selfie and taking pictures, so this was right up my alley. I went to a similar one in Las Vegas last month. Both the Las Vegas and Miami museums reflect the culture and environment of the area it resides. Since it was just me, the workers offered me a selfie stick tripod to take my photos and videos. I knew I had one at home, so this was perfect. Miami’s Selfie Museum was fluorescent, colorful, and had lots of backgrounds to choose from.
Pink or yellow? 
Did you take a bath today?
Afterward, I drove back to downtown Miami and went to Bayside Marketplace for lunch. This was by the cruise ships and boat tours. I loved it because it was full of music, vendors from many different cultures, shops, and FOOD! I also wanted to be by the water.
Bayside Marketplace 
I ate at the Mambo Cafe. Not gonna lie, I had to wait a little while for my food, which I didn’t mind because I was seated in a good place to people-watch. Plus, there was a bar right next to it, so I had some music to dance to in my seat. Once my food came, OOOHHHHH man! Fried fish with lime rice, black beans, plantains, and a mango margarita. The fish was big, bone-in but seasoned well with a nice crunch. The black beans were seasoned so well and its juice was thick. The rice and plantains were delicious. It was DIVINE!
Once I left Bayside, I drove around South Beach to see what it looked like. I wasn’t staying there, so I was curious. I could definitely see why people liked this area. People were everywhere, music, fancy cars, etc. The sun was going down at this point, so the sunset had south beach looking radiant.
After a day of driving around I headed back to the hotel, I ended up chilling at the pool for a few hours. The pool was clean and warm. It wasn’t full of people, so it was perfect.
I wanted something simple for dinner, so pizza was it. I walked on over to the New York Pizza. I loved how big the slices were! I had a simple pepperoni pizza 🙂
Day Three
This was my second, and last, full day in Miami. So, I wanted it to be a relaxing and chill day with breakfast, window shopping, and a massage… but I ended up driving around some more lol.
I wanted to go and get breakfast this time, so I made reservations (the night before) to Little Hen. I loved this restaurant! It was exactly how it’s pictured on Instagram. It’s picturesque and full of beautiful flowers, great customer service. It was the perfect place for brunch with your family and friends. I’m not a heavy breakfast-eater, so I usually go for fruit, waffles, oatmeal, cereal, etc. I ended up with a fruit plate, banana bread, a side of applewood smoked bacon, and a cafe latte (not pictured). The food was great.
Afterward, I walked around and checked out the area. The restaurant was located in Midtown. The area looked nice, full of residential areas, LOTS OF RESTAURANTS, and shops. My next stop was the Miami Design District. This was a place full of upscale shops, like Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, etc. I didn’t want to get out to walk around, so I drove around it a few times. I liked what I saw!
Then, I drove to the Aventura Mall, which was about 25 minutes away from where I was. I like this mall! It had two floors full of shops and food, with a third floor being a movie theatre. What I thought was interesting was the cell phone charging areas, only because my phone was about to die *LOL* They are very secure stations where you can lock it up and charge it for free.
I didn’t do much shopping, but I loved walking around.
I had a massage appointment, so I went back to the hotel. It was amaaaazing. They even gave me a cup of hot ginger tea afterward.
For an early dinner, I went back to the Bayside Marketplace. I didn’t have a place in mind, so I ended up at The Knife Parrilla Argentina. This was an all-you-can-eat, Argentinean-style buffet full of delicious food. I thought the food was great, full of flavor. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the dishes I tried, but I do remember trying a little bit of everything. My favorite was the tiramisu… that I DO remember.
After dinner, I walked around the area and shopped for souvenirs. Once I was done, I got back to my car and thought to myself, Hmmm I don’t know if I want to go back to the hotel yet. I think I want to drive around some more! So, that’s what I did! Drove in the opposite direction, into Brickell.
Driving around Brickell made me feel like I was around the middle to high-class living area *LOL* It was full of tall, beautiful buildings and I loved looking at them. When the sun sets, the ray of sun ricochets off of them perfectly. I did end up eating in that area the next day. I’ll talk about that below.
Afterward, I went back to my hotel and prepared myself for the next day.
Day Four
This was the day that I flew home 🙁 I chose to wake up early enough to catch the sunrise. I knew that I wanted to catch the sunrise at least once on this trip. Man, it didn’t disappoint me 🙂 I was in awe, and it inspired me to write in my journal outside.
I checked out early and headed to B. Bistro + Bakery before going to the airport. This was an upscale cafe, living in downtown Brickell. If you’re an egg-person, then know that a lot of the breakfast options have eggs in them, which I didn’t know beforehand.
I’m not a fan of eggs because my body doesn’t agree with them. However, I ended up getting a breakfast of eggs by mistake. (It was due to the wording of the dish’s title. Don’t judge me and don’t worry, I didn’t eat it all *LOL*) They were the smoked salmon scramble, with sourdough bread and avocados on the side. I also had a cafe latte. The food and my coffee came out piping hot, which I liked a lot. The eggs were seasoned well from the few bites I ate and my avocado slices paired well with the sourdough bread. My latte was delicious.
Final Thoughts: What did I learn about Miami?
The benefits of a solo trip will make you want to go on solo trips more often. You learn more about yourself. Being alone sharpens the skill of listening to your intuition. You feel like you’re stepping into another world. You get to see how you can navigate a trip on your own. You give yourself a chance to be brave. The benefits are endless.
If I would’ve stayed in South Beach, I would’ve experienced what many tourists do in South Beach without the overall picture of what Miami was about. (No shade intended to those who like South Beach!) Because I stayed downtown, I was able to see that the city of Miami is truly artistic. I was able to see art on almost every block, whether graffiti of a basketball player or support of the oppression that’s happening in Cuba… or just beautiful ART. I was able to see it in the scenery of some of the restaurants and how picturesque they are. The presentation of the food was important, even in the hotel that I was staying.
Since the majority of the population was Latino or Hispanic, most of the workers were bilingual. It was beautiful to see a waiter speak to me in English and then speak Spanish at the next table. The structures of the buildings were able to catch the ray of the sun setting so beautifully, especially when I drove around South Beach and Brickell.
My solo trip to Miami was worth it. I had a great time driving around, looking at some of the sites, and interacting with the people. Almost every person I encountered was so friendly and nice, which made me feel welcomed.
Whether it be a solo trip or with family and/or friends, whether I stay downtown or in South Beach, I plan to make another trip back to Miami. Not anytime soon though because it was a bit expensive 🙂
Have you ever been to Miami? If so, what was your favorite part of the trip? Where did you stay? What did you do?
If you have any questions, just let me know. Take care!
~Live Laugh Love!
