Miami Beach

It's really expensive. I suppose a lot of people know this already. But, as many can attest to, I don't typically belong to the demographic known as 'a lot of people.'

I get that a beach stay in a hotel is going to be expensive...no problem. What I was unprepared for was a doubling of prices for everything. I'm used to hamburgers costing $8 or $9. But, I'm not ready for the same quality burger to cost $18 or $19, or to have an 18% tip included on every meal, calculating that 18% on tax as well, something that neither the waiter nor the restaurant deserves as part of the tipping calculation.

It's also really hard to eat my normal fare of mostly vegan. With all the Cuban, Brazilian, Peruvian and Columbian communities in Miami Beach, there is an overwhelming amount of meat. And, yucca is considered a vegetable.

If someone happens to go there and wants a vegan meal, I recommend Black Sheep. It's not a vegan place, but, they have a quinoa, lentil and red curry dish that's vegan and excellent.

If you feel like you have to stay in Miami Beach and not just visit, I'd recommend an AirBnB in one of the North Beach neighborhoods. They're relatively quiet and they're located near stores so that you can moderate your expenditures on eating out. They're also really close to the beach since the island at the north end is pretty skinny...no more than four blocks away.

North Beach is also a good entree to get to the public beaches which are very multi-cultural....and, a bit crowded.