On Thursday, before attending the P&G Media Event, I met up with my friend Kim. This was our first time meeting in person, although we’ve known each other since the early days of blogging/online journaling for about 15 years! Here’s me and Kim (I’m on the right):

Kim was in town to attend a friend’s wedding in South Beach, so I picked her up at her hotel, and we headed off to find lunch at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. We had decided to check out the food trucks, but weren’t exactly sure where they parked, so we parked my car and took a walk ALL over Bayfront Park.

I actually had never been to the park during the daytime, and even then, I hadn’t been in maybe 4 or 5 years. It was a really relaxing place to walk around, take pictures, and chill out. Walking around Bayfront on such a beautiful day made me realize exactly why people decide to move to Miami. The serenity of looking out on the water, the cool ocean breeze, and the tropical setting all takes you away from everyday life and stress. It’s like an oasis right in the heart of Midtown Miami. So cool.

Finally, we found the food trucks. The two trucks at Bayfront that day were Sakaya Kitchen’s Dim Ssäm à gogo and the cleverly named Montaco truck visiting from Montauk, NY (get it? Montauk-o? ha ha!). Kim is vegetarian so she opted for one of the yummy veggie items on the Montaco menu, while I got the short rib spicy tater tots and kimchee eggrolls from Sakaya. No, I couldn’t finish it. It was way too much food. But, it was insanely delicious and I’m already thinking of the next time I can have the egg rolls again. They were just spicy enough and the ginger sauce was fabulous!

I’m so glad I could give Kim a little tour of Miami on her first real time visiting the city as well as share this fun experience with her. We sat, ate, and talked in this totally empty “seating area” right near where the trucks parked. I’m surprised no one else was eating there because it was such a great place to sit and chat, though it was kind of sunny out. Finally we were done eating and a little sleepy from the sun, we headed back to the car. I dropped Kim back off at her hotel so she could prepare for her friend’s wedding festivities, and before I knew it, it was time to get ready and head over to the P&G event that night.

Meeting old friends that I’ve known online is such a treat. It’s like seeing a friend who you haven’t seen in a long time, except it’s the first time you’ve met. Such an interesting feeling, but always a lot of fun.