Marc Anthony performs at Formula 1

Editor’s Note: Joanne Davis is our guest Miami editor while Lois Whitman-Hess is enjoying summer in Provincetown. She will return in the fall.

I’m excited to share some of my favorite activities for around the year and around Miami and Miami Beach. Whether you are a sports fanatic or not, Hard Rock Stadium is a must visit. And how do you decide on the best options and water venues for Jet Skis? Being surrounded by water, there’s a wealth of great seafood options and if you are more of a show food person, there are more excellent choices

Hard Rock Stadium

Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens. It’s the home field for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami’s Hurricanes. It’s also the venue for the Miami Open tennis tournament, the Orange Bowl, Formula 1 and so much more including yes – the Eras Tour. Hard Rock Stadium is a role model for NFL stadiums that only operate for the NFL, not year-round experiences.

Friends and family have joined me at three favorite events spanning October to May.

Dolphins

The first time we attended, the New England Patriots were visiting the Miami Dolphins and we loved that the Dolphins trounced the Grumpy Lobster Boat Captain’s team. (To digress, 72-year-old Coach Belichick is now dating a 24-year-old. Mama Mia!)  On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, we had a ton of fun booing the Patriots and cheering the Dolphins.

The head Tomato and me at the Dolphins game

We loved sitting at the Club level with wide weather protected seats and just a few steps away from food and beverages in the air-conditioned high-end “food court.” Although the foot long hot dogs and popcorn were yummy, and the Shula’s burgers were fresh, how many football games have freshly shucked oysters? Tickets are already selling fast for the 2024-2025 season. And if you were hoping to see the Kansas City Chiefs come to Hard Rock for a little Taylor Swift spotting, maybe next year. GET DOLPHINS TICKETS.

Orange Bowl

With family visiting for New Year’s, we decided to go to the Orange Bowl. We knew the ins-and-outs of scheduling our Lyft, leaving before the end to avoid the crunch of traffic, and carrying our phones and essentials in our Hard Rock clear plastic bag.  We were rooting for the Florida State Seminoles but the Georgia Bulldogs beat them 63-3, yes you read that upset correctly. Too long a story to report here. Despite the uneven game, we loved the pageantry of more college players on the team than the pros have and their big enthusiastic bands and buying souvenirs – oh and having freshly shucked oysters again. Thursday, January 9, 2025, will be here in six months so start thinking about tickets for the Orange Bowl now.

Formula 1

We recently attended Formula 1 – none of us had ever been to a Grand Prix before and were excited to hear the vroom of the engines on the sparkling sleek cars. Hard Rock Stadium looked very different from football games because of the intricate additions to make the racetrack surround the stadium. Max Verstappen, a multiple-time winner was expected to win but was upset by 24-year-old Lando Norris who had huge cheering sections all over the track.

The shops had hats and shirts from all the teams. One of my guests was tempted to buy a Mercedes hat but for $125 she passed – although the color was cute. The caps at the event have become like Birkin bags. You buy the limited editions Ferrari for $$$ and sell for $3,500. Check Google shopping.

For F1 itself, you can view 2025 packages here.

Water Sports

We are so lucky that our condo has front row views of the ocean. We can look down and see the ocean and the green, yellow, or red flags on the lifeguard stands to double check how rough or calm the ocean is.

My first visitors who wanted to Jet Ski had perfectly calm and clear water so they opted for the ocean experience. In between the W Hotel and the 1 Hotel is our closet Bouyah Water sports center.  And it’s great. The gal who runs it on the sandy beach calls it “the best office in the world.”

See what a good time Greg and Courtney had?

My next visitors who wanted to Jet Ski came during a rough ocean period. No problem, they went to the intercoastal.

Scott and Bianca on the intercoastal

My third visitors had mixed weather but opted for the ocean. Here they are taking the test to get their boater’s license.

Gives you a sense of calm that the operators treat safety seriously. And the boat license is good for two months.

The great staff helps you get on the Ski – especially helpful if the water is a bit rough as it was during their visit.

Seafood

Stiltsville is a historical area in Biscayne Bay. In the 1930’s “Crawfish Eddie Walker” build the first shack on stilts above the water. You can visit it by boat, but you can’t dine there.

You can, however, dine at Stiltsville Fish Bar.

My guests from New England felt right at home as Stiltsville feels like a New England Fish Bar.

One of their features is you can select your personal fish from the catch of the day in the bathtubs packed with ice at the entrance. The peel and eat red shrimp, grilled mango salad, grilled whole fish and the fried chicken are yummy and fun. The monitors over the bar show not regular programming but dramatic images of surfing. (To digress: Inspired me to go to Tahiti for the 2024 Olympics surfing competition.)

Have a look at one of the restaurant chefs showing off the fish and Scott looking happy.

There are so many other favorites I have and will share in the next column.

Show Food

Leila and Corey enjoy drinks at Java

 If you’d like to see a bit of a show with your dinner, go to Jaya.

Conveniently located at the Setai, one of the best hotels on the beach, I usually dine at Ocean Grill as it’s more my chill speed.

But when guests visit and want a show, Jaya is fun. Great design where you are indoors and outdoors at the same time. One of my guests was thrilled he could smoke there – like we were in a foreign country. There are acrobatics shows – kind of like a little Cirque du Soleil – and pretty tasty Asian food.

Have a look and see some of the group enjoying dishes like Peking duck for one, tuna tacos, Dim Sum dumplings, wok lobster, and even great simple grilled dishes.

If you want a calmer experience at Jaya, the Sunday brunch with string quartet is pretty sweet.

So, here’s to sports, sea skis, sea food and show food. Salute, Skoal, Sante!