South Beach… not what but used to be

I used to love to get on my motorcycle and rides to South Beach.  The colors, energy, excitement ambience and people were off the chart. 

Deco Drive

Take a look at one of my previous motorcycle rides to South Beach when things were happening.

South Beach as I remember it

Photos of South Beach taken previously

South Beach since Covid

I have visited South Beach a number of times since the start of Covid and I am here to say South Beach is NOT what it used to be.  Even the Harley Davidson ride has changed.  No longer can I cruise Ocean Drive with my GOPro and park my bike near the Ocean to take a few shots.  

No longer is my favorite BAR and entertainment spot Mangos open.  The town is a ghost town.  Many of the hotels are shut down either permanently or for the long term.  The restaurants are not hopping with a buzz of “you have to heat here.”  Gone are the attractive maitre d’s to lure you into their expensive restaurants.  Gone are the fancy cars and HOT motorcycles cruising up and down the drive.  It’s all gone.  

I had expected during the tail end of Spring Break there would still be some excitement to be had.  Nope.  

Perhaps Brickell Avenue is the new place to go.  What do you think?

The attached video is a video I took on a previous ride to South Beach when things were fun and exciting there.  Enjoy!

My new buddies from Arizona

I did have the privilege to meet a very nice family all the way from Arizona. They looked like motorcycle guys. They were enjoying the sun and asked me to come over and take their photos. They were so nice. Here they are:

Current images from South Beach

Images from my visit yesterday. Notice how empty the streets are.

Denver visit to Colorado - Emotional and meaningful

Time for me to start blogging again

For those of you who have read a few of or the select few who have read all my blogs, you may have noticed I stopped writing blogs almost a year ago. There are many reasons for this neglect.  I discovered very few people read my blogs or at the very minimum acknowledged they had read them.  If you have not read my blogs and this is your first one you will find that I am a very honest and transparent writer.  Transparent even to a flaw. Perhaps blogging for me is more about inter perception than blogging for external reasons, perhaps even like a personal journal.  I know it is healthy to sit down with pen and paper and write down your thoughts.  Perhaps this entry is for me and a select few may enjoy some of my thoughts here.  

If you want me to continue writing my blogs, a little encouragement may be necessary lol.

If you have not read some my my blogs here are a few of the more popular ones or maybe my favorites:

The Shy man with a Camera

https://tesphoto.squarespace.com/blog/2018/8/16/the-shy-man-behind-the-camera\

My Birthday Wish

https://tesphoto.squarespace.com/blog/2018/9/11/my-birthday-wish

Ten things you probably don’t know about me

https://tesphoto.squarespace.com/blog/2018/9/17/ten-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-me

The moment you find out your child is schizophrenic 

https://tesphoto.squarespace.com/blog/2018/9/21/the-moment-you-find-out-your-child-is-schizophrenic

Five things you probably don’t know about me

https://tesphoto.squarespace.com/blog/2018/10/14/5-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-me

View fullsize

N95 Mask, Face Shield and gloves soon to be worn on my trip

Day 1 -travel to Denver Colorado

Flight from Fort Lauderdale to Austin Texas

The Fort Lauderdale Airport seemed almost a ghost town when I arrived. My flight was on Spirit Arlines with a connection and layover in Austin Texas.  My round trip airline cost was less than $140.00.  I paid in advance for 1 checked bag which cost less than $40.00  When I made my reservation there was a COVID-19 disclaimer which required acknowledgment that I have NOT been sick nor in contact with anyone who has been sick for the last 14 days, and my temperature is NORMAL.  I was extremely surprised and was expecting a mandatory temperature check to get on the airline, but there were no checks at either the Fort Lauderdale Airport or the airport in Austin.  I was surprised and disappointed.

My flight to Auston from Fort Lauderdale was about 50% occupied and therefore there was moderately good spacing between guests.  Luckily I had an isle seat.  I wore an N-95 mask, face shield and gloves during my entire flights.  I noticed only a few other passengers had on shields and no one else had gloves on.  Surprised again.  Drinks and beverages were served for a $ on the plane.  Of course that meant you take your mask off to eat and drink.  Again, moderately surprised and disappointed.

Flight from Austin to Denver

The Austin airport was even more ghost town than Fort Lauderdale.  However my plane was at least 95% occupied with two rows of 3 each on the plane,  Same situation with masks, shields, and gloves.

Another disappointment:  not organized formal way to debark the plan with safety and social distancing.  When the plane landed, everyone stood up and crowded the isle in a rush to get out of the plane  Why did the airline allow this?  Organized departure by row would have given us all safety and social distancing

Denver International Airport-  Arrived at about 10:00 local time.  Again the airport was a ghost town.  So different the the hustle and bustle I was used to in this airport for the last 30 years or so.  Does anyone remember the old Stapleton International airport that preceded the Denver International Airport?

Stay tuned for my blogs on Days 2-6.