In my previous post, I expressed the belief that every great trip includes both a memorable habitation and a remarkable destination. Having paid Miami its due, or more precisely having submitted a modest down payment, my attention now turns to my Miami lodgings.
The hallmark of a great brand is consistency. Having stayed at several JW Marriotts in the past, for this trip I packed, along with my country club casual clothes (the stated dress code for my subsequent cruise which will be the subject of my next post), some pretty high expectations. The JW’s in Orlando, Ko Olina and Cancun all know how to set the bar very high. Not so high I couldn’t reach my Captain Morgan and Coke, thank goodness, but high nonetheless.
Somehow I knew this was going to be a great couple of days when I stumbled into the hotel at almost midnight bleary eyed and punch drunk after a long-delayed connecting flight. I asked at check in if there happened to be a Wells Fargo ATM nearby where I might obtain company for the lonesome George Washington crumpled up in the corner of my wallet. The desk clerk pointed me down the hall and after walking fifty feet or so, this is what I saw next to the ATM.
You know you are off to a great start when you desperately need an ATM and your hotel shares a building with your bank!
The next clue that I was obviously being rewarded for living such an exceptionally clean life (watch out for that bolt of lightning!) was this view when I entered my room. When you
feel like you have been rode hard and put away wet as we are wont to say in Texas, trust me, this is precisely what you are hoping to see! I am not ashamed to say I may have kissed the pillows and caressed the covers just a tad before crashing and burning like some seven year old’s first model airplane.
The next morning . . . at least I think it was still technically morning . . . I tore open the shutters and threw up the sash (must have been the airplane food from the night before) and what to my wondering eyes should appear but this gorgeous view from one of 
my two corner windows. I’m telling you, this clean living thing pays huge dividends. You really should try it. The grey skies did nothing to lessen the euphoria that I was now feeling. Life is good at the JW Marriott!
In my previous post, I alluded to a couple of grueling workouts in the Met2 Fitness Center, grueling being a relative term of course. Watching the pleasure craft and cigar boats meander down the canal does help to take your mind off your burning thighs and quivering buttocks (not the most attractive visual I readily admit).
Without a doubt the highlight of my stay was dinner at db Bistro Moderne. I know some of you read these posts to benefit from my mistakes, though they be rare as hen’s teeth, so here is a bit of sage advice. Some of my companions in the picture below ordered the steak and braised short ribs. Being from Texas and a little persnickety about my beef, I ordered the Scottish salmon which was quite succulent. Yet, I had to sit there the entire meal and listen to every last person who ordered the beef moaning and sighing like some 19 year old coed in a college production of “When Harry Met Sally” about the short ribs being the best they had ever experienced. I swear, I thought they were all going to lean back and light up cigarettes afterwards. Now I have to worry, until my next trip at least, that I missed out on the “better than sex” ribs of a lifetime.
In summary, here is a Terry Tidbit you can take right to the adjacent Wells Fargo bank. If you have a trip planned for Miami, let us book you into the JW Marriott Marquis, try the breakfast croissant at The Newsstand, have a light lunch at The Cheese Course and, for goodness sake, save lots of room for the braised ribs at db Bistro Moderne. If you do those four things, you will be the one at the corner table audibly moaning and sighing!
Travel By Terry 