Day 1 - Travel to Miami

Our flight was very early at 7:30am and we had a driver picking us up at five. We set our alarms for four so we could have some coffee and get the last minute stuff packed.  We both have not flown since before the pandemic so we were pretty excited.  
The airport was very quiet in the early morning hours.  Chris and I breezed through the TSA pre-check with not a soul in line with us.  We grabbed a bagel to eat since we had some time before the flight.  We did not want to eat it on the plane since we wanted to keep our masks on as much as possible.  
The flight went about as perfect as it could be.  We left on time and even arrived early.  The luck continued as both our bags were among the first five on the baggage carousel.  The vacation vibe is strong already!  
We grabbed a taxi to the hotel since it was cheaper than Uber.  Our driver was quite the character.  We was making jokes and telling stories.  We didn’t really follow his train of thought too well but I just laughed when he did.  Chris and I both joked about it later.  I think it was something along the lines of one woman being too much and I think he was calling me boss and princess.  
We stayed once again at the JW Marriott Marquis.  Chris has status with Marriott so we were upgraded to a suite.  It wasn’t ready so we decided to walk to Bayside Marketplace to grab some lunch.  The place we ate in 2019 was now a Sugar Factory so we looked for something else.  Chris spotted a lobster roll place and that is hard to say no to.  We both ordered Connecticut style which is our favorite.  While we waited for our order, I noticed ODB or Other Daiquiri Bar was right next door.  I suggested we order some mojitos and get our vacation started.  They were pretty strong and tasty beverages and we enjoyed toasting to our vacation while sitting watching the boats and the birds.  Our lobster rolls were very good and it was the perfect quick lunch.  
We walked back to our hotel enjoying the warm weather that we overdressed for.  It was in the eighties and the the last forecast we saw said 73.  We popped into CVS because we forgot water bottles and wanted to get some Valentine’s treats for the crew.  Our room was ready when we returned to the hotel.  
The suite was huge.  It was the biggest room I think I’ve ever stayed in.  There was a living room area, half bath, big bedroom, and a gigantic bathroom.  It is a gorgeous room but the only downside is it is right behind the elevators so you do hear the noise when they are moving.
After a little nap, we went for another walk before dinner.  We walked to the Bayside Marketplace and back.  It was perfect timing as our plan was to eat at Boulud Sud in our hotel for dinner.  We sat in the bar area and took advantage of their happy hour menu.  We started with a On the Boulevard and two dips, hummus and babaganoush.  We have eaten our share of both the items and we ranked it pretty high on our list.  Next, we tried ham croquettes and patatas bravas.  We switched drinks at this point and both ordered Tinto de Verano which was like sangria.  Both dishes were very good although surprisingly I said the bravas could have been a tad spicier.  We still wanted a little bit more and everything was so yummy we tried the falafel and the garlic shrimp.  The falafel was very moist and had a ton of herbs.   Chris loved the shrimp.  It was much lighter than how our local Spanish restaurant serves them.  This was very citrus forward but very good.  We both enjoyed our meal and cocktails and would gladly eat here again.
We decided it was a good idea to go back to our room to watch some television and go to bed early.  Our early start definitely caught up to us!  We went to sleep after a very enjoyable day in Miami and excited for our cruise to start tomorrow.