I woke up Saturday night with a big-time rheumatoid arthritis flare in my hands and wrists. Not unexpected what with the hassles of moving. Stress often brings on flares, even when all the medication protocols are in place and primo.
C'est la vie.
So I've had a few days off the bikes. Still there was lots to do. We hit Home Depot for new lighting for the condo's closets. New fans and entry lighting were ordered last week and are coming in this week. The electrician comes Thursday to install them all.
And then there was Calle Ocho on Sunday. It is a huge street event celebrating Hispanic culture. It's held on SW 8th Street (Calle Ocho). That's just a few blocks from us. Calle Ocho is 24 blocks of music stages, food vendors, and people dancing. The variety of music at the different stages is interesting and fun. The food is delicious. And the crowds are enormous.
Today it was back to moving tasks. This time finding a dentist for us and a vet for the cat. Check. Did that and have appointments for Wednesday. Not being on the bikes gave me a new appreciation, too, for Brickell's growth. Just a couple of blocks east of us,
CitiCentre, a 1 billion dollar residential/commercial center is being built. As expected, that area is non-stop building activity with legions of cement trucks, bulldozers, and hard-hat types covering the area like locusts. Taking a 180 from all this activity, what you see is a half dozen cranes from a half dozen
other construction sites. They say Miami wants to be known as the Manhattan of the South. Looks like they are serious about it, too.
I'm happy with all the building. It makes biking challenging in some places, but those buildings are bringing more folks with more bikes. And more folks who are moving here because you can walk to everything you need. But just as the buildings are going up everywhere, there is progress on improvements to sidewalks, bike routes, and such. It's all slouching forward with the adolescent awkwardness of most urban progress. It will be interesting to watch.
