GPS = Goofy Pickey Service

We have had such a love-hate relationship with our Garmin GPS. Only 2 days into our New England trip, “maggie”--that's the name we gave the unit's voice—stopped talking to us, the car drove in circles, and signs flashed that it had lost its satellites. Busted. And we were on the New Jeresey Turnpike.

We have had much better luck with the replacement unit. Until today. Today our unit suddenly lost its voice. We had to pay special attention to every word at the top of the screen. Later we checked the settings, only to discover the voice was “not available.” Admitedly the car is more peaceful without that GPS nagging us. However, the vocal directions did preview turns and we needed that feature.

Later.......

A bit down the road we turned on the unit again, and, happily enough, the voice was back. This time, however, the voice was Africanus. Sounded like German (or Greek) to me. Anyway, after going back to the settings and changing the Voice to English, Maggie was back.

It is interesting how the unit cannot find certain addresses. It sent us on a route to our host in Miami that left us on a street that did not connect to her apartment. It is a flawed system, but definitely better than not having one.

The Other 5 Percent

Today we drove into the Bal Harbour Mall and discovered how the very wealthy live. Parking was $4 an hour UNLESS the ticket was validated by a purchase. Didn't sound that hard. However, the shops were Versasce, Neiman-Marcus, Saks 5^th Avenue, and other upscale stores. All of the stores had a small stock artfully and tastefully displayed and couches and arm chairs for the shoppers. In contrast to the Aventura Mall there was no loud rock music or screeching golf carts transporting disabled shoppers. It was quiet, classy with koi filled pools and waterfalls. The one restaurant was definitely in the $$ category, and so we were not going to validate our parking by a $15 sandwich. Chuck scored by buying a cup of tea while I “shopped” in Saks. Saks was more approachable because it had many departments and I would be slightly more invisible. Interesting. No price tags showing: I would have to pick up an item and search. I found a pair of cork, wedgie thongs for $390 that were shoes I might wear in Medford. Most of the clothes I saw (and couldn't afford) I wouldn't be comfortable flaunting back in Oregon.

The best of Miami Beach

Our best times were the long walk along the beach in front of the exclusive highrise condos and hotels. In the metro area, we found a mall-like street called Lincoln Road that was a great place to grab a chair and people watch. Chuck especially enjoyed the beautiful women of all colors who seemed to be in a competition to see how much cleavage they could show. On our way to the 17^th street garage, we stopped at a bar and had a beer in their outside patio. A perfect end to a day in Miami.