Extended Layover Adventure: Miami

More extended layover love!  This post is a follow-up to my earlier post on the extended layover.

This past Thanksgiving, I signed up for an airline credit card (Delta Amex - more on this in an upcoming post!) and after a few laborious hours of internet searching bought a one-way ticket to Port-au-Prince, Haiti (more on this in an upcoming post as well!).

I finagled my flight to have a 50-hour weekend layover in Miami, which is possibly the best city in America to spend a weekend in.  I lived in Miami for 2 years before moving to New Orleans, so I was able to stay with friends and not pay for lodging or transportation which, in a city as potentially expensive as Miami, was a huge help to my budget.

The view from my friend's apartment in Little Havana.  Marlins Stadium with downtown in the background.

My first day in Miami was disappointingly stormy.  Instead of beach time, my friend and I headed into the neighborhood of Doral for arepas.  We tried a new restaurant that puts an American twist on arepas, stuffing the corn pockets with combinations like chicken salad and avocado instead of the traditional white cheese.  

Mmmm arepas and plantains!

That night, I met up with some friends and we went to a party in Brickell, the trendy downtown area of Miami.  A common misconception of Miami is that the city itself is on the beach -- it's not, Downtown Miami sits on the Bay of Biscayne, but there's no beach.  You have to cross over the causeway (fancy word for bridge) to get to South Beach or North Beach which makes it inconvenient to not have a car in this city. 

Going out in Miami is an expensive and very late activity.  Drinks cost around $10 each and the best dance spots don't get busy until around 1 am.  Clubs typically charge a cover, which can sometimes be avoided by going with a large group of ladies (sorry, guys!) or through a promoter.  There's often deals that can get you a party bus, open bar, and entrance to a club for around $40 per person - which is MUCH cheaper than normal.  Club promoters will often walk South Beach and, although their interactions may seem sketchy, are worth talking to if you're planning a night out.

The next day, the weather cleared up and we were able to hit the beach for a few hours!  We went to South Beach and ate lunch at my favorite SoBe restaurant, La Sandwicherie.  I ordered the prosciutto and brie sandwich with extra cornichons and extra dressing.  They make their own dressing and it is amazing!  I wish I'd checked a bag so I could've bought a bottle to bring home!

Friends!  And South Beach

Downtown Miami from the causeway

That night, I went out in Wynwood, a neighborhood that has changed considerably since I lived in Miami.  Wynwood is most known for the "Wynwood Walls" urban art exhibit and as the location of Miami's monthly Art Walk.  The area is full of murals, art galleries, and a growing bar scene.  

Before he went to Ohio..

The next morning, I packed my bags, said "adios" to the 305, and headed to Fort Lauderdale Airport for my flight to Haiti!  

Extended Layover Adventures: Denver!

As a follow-up to my most recent post, I thought I'd give y'all a peek into the awesomeness of the extended layover with a (very) late post about my trip to Denver this summer.

First of all, DENVER IS AWESOME.  It's located smack-dab in the middle of the USA which makes it pretty darn convenient to fly into from anywhere in the lower 48.  It's the hub of Frontier Airlines and Continental routes through there as well.  

Image from: http://www.denver-den.airports-guides.com/den_airport_maps.html

I took a 54 hour extended layover there on my way home to NOLA from visiting my parents in Oregon.  Since the majority of Frontier flights route through Denver, it was pretty easy for me to find a cheap 1-way ticket that allowed me spend the weekend at no extra cost in the Mile High City.  I stayed with my friend Drew, who I've known since I was 4, which made the entire trip even cheaper!

We spent my first day just enjoying everything that Denver has to offer.  Even without a car, it's easy to get around the city because of the widespread implementation of the B-Cycle, reasonably-priced rental bicycles with hubs all throughout the city.  We biked to the capitol building and got fresh brewed coffee at Thump (as an Oregonian, I was born and bred to be a coffee snob but the brews at Thump deserve an A+).

Thump!

Me at the Capitol Building

As one of the fastest growing cities in the US, Denver has quite a few growing scenes - the foodie scene, music scene, and micro-brew scene are a few.  That night, we went to a free block party / concert that was put on by a local brewery.

The next day, I checked an item off my bucket list: we visited Rocky Mountain National Park!

After living in flat (and I mean, FLAT... the highest point in Miami is a garbage dump) places for the last 3 years, I'm now astounded by the natural beauty of any mountain.  However, the beauty of the Rockies in the summer blew my mind.  Not to mention that the thin air makes the sky look extra blue!

Look at that sky!!!

We spent an entire day in the park, driving the windy roads to different view points then getting out and exploring.  At the highest elevation, I started to experience altitude sickness.  It started out as just getting winded and being a little dizzy, but turned into full-on disorientation by the time we reached the summit. As we browsed the gift shop I got separated from my friends... and then couldn't remember what they looked like!  Afraid I wouldn't recognize them, I wandered around and just looked hard at peoples' faces for them to recognize me -- and hoped they were the right people!  After about 10 minutes, this strategy was successful and I was forced to sit for a while and drink water. 

We made it!

At one viewpoint, we saw some of the famed wildlife - a marmot!  It was not friendly and chased us away from its rock.  

Marmot!

#nofilter -- for real the sky is THAT blue.

 After a full day of driving, we stopped for dinner in Longmont, Colorado at Oskar Blues Brewery and enjoyed fried food and some freshly tapped Dale's Pale Ale.   The perfect ending to a great day!

The next day, I took the Super Shuttle to the airport (it's very convenient!) and flew home!  Successful free trip :-)

What's your favorite thing to do in Denver?  Have you been to the Rocky Mountains in the summer?  Did you get altitude sickness?  

Travel Tip: The Extended Layover

I wanted to share with y'all one of the best discoveries I've made since moving back to the US: the extended layover.  

Unlike Miami, New Orleans isn't exactly a travel hub and as a result I've traveled much less frequently since moving here.  As tickets are now generally more expensive, I now spend a lot more time researching ticket prices and trends before I buy.  Thus, the discovery of the extended layover.

Yes, it's already the premise of the Anthony Bourdain show "The Layover" and the New York Times column -- but what I didn't realize was that this actually works in real life!  Since 2014 I've taken 2 trips with built-in extended layovers, essentially building a free mini-trip into my itinerary.  The tickets are usually the same price as any other ticket but allow you to spend a day (or a few) in a new place!

When I plan a trip, I try to keep my dates flexible to a certain extent in order to get the best ticket prices.  For example, if I have a week from work for a holiday, I will look at flying out on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday but returning only on the following Saturday.  This way, I can consider not only price trends but also layover cities before booking.  

For the most part, I use Kayak and the Google ITA software to compare prices. I almost always search for one way flights first, to see if an extended layover is possible. 

If an extended layover flight exists for the trip, it will show up on the search results. On Kayak, update the sort settings to "Duration: Longest to Shortest" and click "show details" to check out your options!  

Below is a screen shot of an "extended layover" flight from New Orleans to London.  This flight includes a 22-hour layover in Istanbul for the same price as flights with a normal layover time.  

Using this strategy, I was able to spend a weekend in Colorado on my way home from visiting my parents in Oregon and a weekend on Miami when I flew to Haiti.  

Have you ever taken an extended layover flight?  Where did you go?  What did you do?