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Coffee of the day: South Beach, Miami – USA

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Coffee of the day: South Beach, Miami - USA

As much as I love coffee my system can’t handle the bucket sized brewed coffee that is served in the USA. So I was happy to discover that there is this Cuban coffee drinking culture in Miami, where quality over quantity reigns. All over Miami you can find Cuban run places that serve espresso and café con leche (Spanish: “coffee with milk”).

The cafes I went to are little bars or hole-in-the-wall type places. You wont find any fancy cups here telling you that you are about to enjoy this beverage. I found the café con leche to have the right ratio of coffee to milk.

Further Reading: Cuban coffee 101

CouchSurfing Review

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CouchSurfing.org While planning my trip to the United States I discovered that hostels aren’t available in every big city, so finding budget accommodation was proving to be difficult. I had previously signed up to CouchSurfing.org but I had not used it, so it seemed like a perfect time to try it out.

Finding A Couch To Surf

Once you create a profile (I’m at nomadicnotes) you can select if you are going to be a host or surfer.

The site is easy to use. Go to “Couch Surf” and select your city and couchsurfing requirements. CouchSurfing is the biggest site of its kind so there are plenty of profiles in the system.

My CouchSurfing Experience

I had my first couchsurfing experience in Boston. I sent out a few emails to prospective hosts and I got an email back promptly from another CouchSurfing newbie who was looking to host.

My host met me at the metro station and walked me back to the house. She lives in a nice old house with a another housemate, and I got a comfortable couch that was built for sleeping on.


My Couch.

After dropping my bags off at the house we went for lunch and a tour of the neighbourhood. My host lives in Jamaica Plain, which is a bohemian enclave in Boston which I had never heard of, and probably would not have visited if I hadn’t happened to have been couch surfing there.

I had two days in Boston and I was given a list of recommended things to see and places to eat. My host deducted from my profile that I like coffee, so she made sure there was coffee in the house for me (she is a tea drinker).


Stovetop coffee from the thoughtful host.

On my last night we had a home made dinner with her boyfriend and his sister.

It seems I could not have found a better host for my first couchsurfing experience. I know that not every couchsurfing experience turns out well so I got off to a good start.

CouchSurfing Thoughts

CouchSurfing is an excellent way to meet local people and see other parts of the city from a locals perspective.

CouchSurfing is also great for saving money on accommodation. Finding availability and suitable hosts seems to be the main drawback for me. I had beginners luck getting a great host first time. I since tried finding a couch in other cities and had no luck at all. Therefore I wouldn’t budget a trip thinking that would get couches every where I went. It would probably work better if you have a flexible schedule and plan in advance.

Overall though my experience with CouchSurfing was positive and I will definitely be using surfing couches again in the future.

Have you tried couchsurfing yet?

Notes on Miami: The Capital of the Americas

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Going To Miami

It wasn’t my original plan to visit Miami on this trip to the USA. I was planning to road trip from Chicago back to Newport, RI, where I have based myself. It turns out that there is hardly a hostel between Chicago and Newport, so my accommodation budget was facing a blowout of epic proportions.

Instead I found a cheap flight to Miami – where budget accommodation is plentiful – so this detour was a no-brainer. As soon as I got off the plane and sucked in a breath of that sub-tropical air I knew I had made the right choice.

Miami Beach

South Beach

Rows of neon lit Art Deco hotels is the world famous image of Miami, and they can be found on South Beach. I knew Miami was famous for Art Deco, but I thought it might have been a dozen or so key buildings that survived the wrecker’s ball. South Beach in fact has over 700 Art Deco buildings, making it the undisputed Art Deco capital of the world.

Collins Ave Art Deco Hotels
Collins Ave Art Deco Hotels – South Beach Miami

South Beach seems to be the place to stay in Miami. I stayed the the Jazz on South Beach Hostel, which is one of the best hostels I have stayed at in the US. There are plenty of accommodation options in South Beach and it is easy to walk around. If you tire of walking there is a 25 cent local bus that runs a loop around South Beach. Then of course there is the beach, which is of the white sand and warm water variety.

Downtown Miami

South Beach is part of the Barrier Island of Miami Beach, and downtown Miami is on the mainland.


View Larger Map

The downtown area looks as though it’s going through an urban renewal. It is mostly made up of new apartment blocks and the financial district, and there is not much in the way of shops there yet.

Freedom Tower
Freedom Tower – One of the few remaining old buildings of Downtown Miami.

Biscayne Bay

Of course you don’t come to Miami for its downtown. It the beaches and waterways that make Miami famous.

Separating Miami and Miami Beach is Biscayne Bay. This waterway is sprinkled with man made islands and super yachts. I took a cruise of Biscayne Bay, which takes you past the homes of the rich and famous and gives you a better feel for the geography of Miami.

Al Capone's Former Mansion
Al Capone’s Former Mansion.

This is the Miami I had in my mind’s eye. Perhaps my perception of Miami was influenced by Will Smith.

¿Hablas inglés?

One thing you will notice about Miami is that Spanish is spoken everywhere. The Organization of American States may be headquartered in Washington, DC, but surely Miami is the true capital of the Americas. All of the nations of the Western Hemisphere are represented here. Walking around and listening to the accents from the region made me want to head south. I don’t have time to do that on this trip, but I will come back to Miami again to use it as a hub for Caribbean and Central American travels. If you can’t travel to Latin America, Miami is the next best thing.

Trip Notes: Thanks to Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Island Queen Cruises.