Basketball season is in full swing and nothing delights our family more! The Miami Heat had a Saturday home game in November so why not head the 3 hours to root on our team! The thing is that November is a busy month and that particular weekend, we were only free of commitments on that Saturday. That meant a 1 day trip to the 305! The drive there is filled with anticipation, it’s that late night drive home that really stinks! But long drive aside, we were eager to cheer our favorite team on as they play the New Orleans Pelicans!
I had the car filled with snacks, pillows and drinks as we head towards Alligator Alley. Thankfully traffic was not too terrible. Even though it was an evening game, we planned on having an entertaining day at Bayside Marketplace. This outdoor shopping center is on Biscayne Bay and is across the street from the American Airlines Arena.
We easily find parking at Bayside in the parking garage. After the drive, we are all hungry. Bella loves eating at Hard Rock and it was gorgeous outside. It was one of those rare Florida days where it’s not humid and you can eat a meal outside without sweating! I live for those days! We began with the Jumbo Combo which has a bit of everything. There were wings, chicken tenders, spring rolls and bruschetta. I don’t know what magic The Hard Rock sprinkles on their bruschetta but it is perfection! And I just can not resist it! Then we all shared sliders. My favorite is their whiskey bacon jam sliders, oh my goodness that jam is the best!
Like I said before, it was a beautiful day out! So we found a Groupon for Island Queen Cruises. They offer a variety of boat excursions. We chose the Millionaire’s Row Sightseeing Cruise. It was 90 minutes long. The boat we were on was 2 floors with a roof on the second floor. I mention this because on a sweltering Florida day, this is crucial! There were bathrooms on board that were clean. And there was also a small bar and snack area. The guide had a wonderful sense of humor and gave all the information about the houses in both English and Spanish. We were able to see Mark Cuban’s yacht, Jennifer Lopez’s house, homes that were in movies and so much more! I really enjoyed the cruise and it was a nice break to rest our legs as we had an afternoon of shopping planned before the game.
We were now well fed and our feet were rested, let’s get our shopping on! We enjoy Bayside because of the variety of the shops there. There are chains that you see at your local mall such as Champs, Disney Store, Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works but there are also local shops offering jewelry, clothes and other goods. They also have a large selection of restaurants, many of which have incredible views of the water and serve true Spanish cuisine.
With our shopping bags placed in the car, we walked over to the Arena. I love this part! All the fans are excited and lining up to enter The Heat’s House. It’s such a fun energy! Now we are the nerdy family that likes to watch the players practice and warm up before the game, so that is where you will find us. While others are checking out the newest merchandise or grabbing their beer, we are already settled in our seats and supporting our team! Don’t worry, later we grab those things! It was an awesome game! And we were thrilled to take the win! No offense New Orleans, we’ll be visiting your arena in just a couple weeks when you’re not playing the Heat! And we may even root for the Pelicans that day!
Now the frustrating drive out of downtown begins! This time was the worst we had seen the traffic ever! But we finally escaped and were on Alligator Alley. After what seemed like a never ending drive, we pulled into our house around 2:30am! We were beyond exhausted but it was worth it to cheer on our team!
