TIW 2007 was pretty fun...

So, Miami was fun.  The second night I was there, the vendor threw a cocktail dinner by the spa pool (check out the Marriott website for the Doral Resort to see pics - amazing!)  It was nice but we got rained out so continued the socializing at the hotel restaurant/bar.  A fun but uneventful night...

The third night we went to dinner in South Beach.  We were supposed to go to a place called Yucca, which was recommended by TIW employee Doug Holbrook.  However, I wanted to eat somewhere on the beach so I dragged my fellow dinner companions (Howard Maxwell, Barry Coope (Thermo), Simon Morrell (Thermo), Joel Limardo, Jeff Miller (Dow), and Ryan Petruk (Syncrude)), to the beach and we ate at this restaurant on Ocean Drive.  It was crap!  I had lobster and it was underwhelming, followed by equally underwhelming panna cotta (nobody can beat Prego in Houston, Texas, on panna cotta!)

Anyway, so after dinner we went across the street (stepping over the 'street people', as Joel kept calling them,) to the beach!  Too bad it wasn't daytime because I couldn't see much in the dark.  I did take a few pictures of the skyline and will try to digitally enhance them so they look okay.  So anyway, I think the boys thought I was nuts because I took my shoes off and walked into the water (I couldn't come ALL THE WAY to Miami and not step in!)

After the beach we went back to the hotel and stayed up late at the hotel restaurant having some drinks and talking again.  It's so crazy, everyone from this vendor goes to the restaurant bar and opens a tab so it's a free-for-all (except for me, I was trying to take it easy!)

Night four there was the gala dinner on board this boat, the Sir Winston.  It was kind of cheesy and we never got out in open water, just Biscayne Bay.  Oh well.  The highlight was going into the pilot house to meet Captain Winston himself (and his sidekick Captain James, who based on his reaction, I made quite uncomfortable though I'm not sure why.)  After the cruise we got on the buses to go back to the hotel but a big group of us made the driver pull over and we got out and ate Indian food.  I don't remember the name of the restaurant and that's a shame because it was my first experience with Indian food and it was GOOD!  There were about 20 of us.  After that we all got in taxis and went - you guessed it - back to the hotel.  To the restaurant.  Again!

So that was my last night.  Too bad - I never saw the beach in the daytime, never went out to any clubs.  Maybe next time!  I left yesterday evening after sitting around all afternoon (the session ended early so people could go play golf, fish, etc. - but I didn't have time before my flight so I worked a bit and napped a bit.)

I think Miami could be a lot more fun if I hadn't been there on business!!!

After the beach