Florida Keys - Day 5 - (Tuesday) - Miami and vicinity

Today was a trip to Miami. We had scheduled to go on a water tour of the Biscayne Harbor and the Miami water front. We wanted to see where CSI Miami got all that footage of canals with buildings and homes. Well, we got to see some of it.
The first stop was at the Islamordia Restaurant and Bakery for breakfast. The chef/owner originally went to school for cake decoration and ended up in the Keys. Breakfast was great and the pastries looked even better. We ate breakfast here yesterday, so it rated pretty high to get a second visit.
In Miami, the tour take of from the the harbor behind the Bayside Marketplace. This happened to also be where the Hard Rock Cafe is located. We visited it a couple years ago when we were last in Miami.

The Island Queen Tour Boat (sister of the above Island Lady) took us out of the harbor and into the Atlantic side of Miami.

We traveled along the Port of Miami,

then passed Fisher Island (only access is by boat), around the tip of the Port (Dodge Island), past the Coast Guard Station, and under the MacArthur Causeway. From there we went around Star Island (home to the "Stars"),

Hibiscus and Palm Islands,

back under the MacArthur Causeway and back to the harbor.

We got a look at some of the South Beach area - reachable by boat or causeways.

On the way past Star Island we got a view of the Flagler Memorial which is located on a man made island in Biscayne Bay.

From here it was off for shopping at Saw Grass Mills Outlet Mall. Everything looks just a short ways away on a map. From the Bayside Marketplace to Saw Grass Mills Outlet Mall was about 45 miles. North to Ft. Lauderdale, then west to the edge of the Everglades Wildlife Management Area (gators). After spending a few hours and dollars at the mall (this time we did not have to buy another suitcase) we headed back to the Keys. Dinner was in Key Largo at The Fish House where we had an excellent dinner with great service. Then "home" to the hotel, ending another day in paradise.