#ThankYouMiami How-To: Staying Fit With Your Pet

As winter approaches, it is our duty as Miami-ans to find new, innovative ways to stay fit. After all, its almost a requirement for residency to maintain a bikini body year-round. The good news is that the weather cooled down this week, finally making it pleasant to go for a run outdoors. This afternoon I did a 6-mile jog from my place to the South Pointe Pier. It was glorious.

During my run, I saw a ton of people jogging with their pets and I got majorly jealous. I've been contemplating bringing home a dog or a cat to keep me company since my move. Unfortunately, my frequent travels and hectic work schedule have been two major and valid deterrents. Nevertheless, in moments of weakness I still hopefully peruse local adoption listings and sites like PuppySpot that connect responsible breeders with people like me that are searching for a new pet.

#ThankYouMiami for New Food Finds - Stiltsville Fish Bar

Before I begin today's post, I want to say #thankyoumiami. Thank you for believing in this blog and thank you for following along on our Miami journey. Thank you also for nominating us a second year in a row as Best Local Blogger in the South Florida Blogger Awards. Writing new posts is fun because you make it fun by allowing us to entertain you with our silly stories and our news about our beautiful coastal community. You smart, you loyal, we appreciate you. (And we'll love you forever if you vote for us!) And now, for our regularly scheduled programming...

When it comes to landmarks, nothing is more Miami than Stiltsville. Its seven weathered, wooden houses are beacons of "a rascally mischievous past". In its heyday, Stiltsville was a utopia for the seafaring bon vivant, a place with its own rules. Today the remaining structures are off-limits to most of us, but they are a friendly and familiar face in the middle of Biscayne Bay.

Since I moved to Miami in 2006, I have passed Stiltsville numerous times—on the way out to snorkel at Fowey Rocks, to sail in open water, and to dive the Miami Wreck Trek. But, until this past August, I had never set foot there. My first visit was everything I dreamed it would be. There were boats, there were babes, there was booze, and there was a buffet of fresh seafood. The occasion? The long-awaited arrival of Stiltsville Fish Bar to Sunset Harbour.

#ThankYouMiamiGoesToCA - Sister Roadtrip to Joshua Tree

Miami has many things but it severely lacks two: my sisters. My younger siblings Carla and Lucy, who are twins, live spread out across the country. Carla is in Boston studying her Master's and working towards becoming a dentist. Lucy is in San Francisco applying her passion and smarts for mechanical engineering with Sail Drone. I am here in Miami building a career as an environmental professional and writer.

The twins and I are almost six years apart in age so we haven't always been the best of friends. However, as we've gotten older, our age difference has become less significant and we've grown closer, making our geographical distance feel infinite. This past summer we decided to do something about it by planning our first ever sisters trip. It consisted of a road trip from San Francisco, stopping briefly in Los Angeles, and ending in Joshua Tree National Park where we rented this mid-century hiking and camping cabin on AirBnB.

The three of us have very different personalities, but we're all adventurous and silly. (The combination led to some really interesting scenarios.) In my first YouTube video since my Rivas, Nicaragua trip in June 2014, I share the story of our sister bonding in Joshua Tree. Where do you think we should take our talents to next?

#ThankYouMiami How-To: Luxury Living with Sobe Villas

The Miami skyline is awe-inspiring in its colored beginnings—the high-rise condos that comprise it rose from the ashes of tumultuous times—and in its promise of a dream life. A Miami life is a good life. Nothing symbolizes our lifestyle quite like a luxury home with its clean lines, natural materials, and stunning views. Given how rapidly our city is developing and our high volume of seasonal residents, it is no surprise there are many properties that are sitting pretty amidst that skyline, waiting for us to capitalize on them and make them our bon vivant HQ.

Sobe Villas is the South Beach-based rental agency ready to make all of our luxury living dreams happen in the 305, whether you're a visitor looking for a taste of the Miami lifestyle or a local in need of a memorable staycation. They have access to a carefully curated inventory of Miami villa rentals and Miami condo rentals that look straight out of Ballers. I've flipped through the options and I've coveted them without abandon. I've even daydreamed what my time would look like in each one. After all, this is Miami so you've got to have a different luxury property for every occasion.

Below I share three of my favorite properties currently listed on Sobe Villas and my vision for relishing each one. Which of the three is your favorite? What other properties did you find listed that you would like to enjoy?

#ThankYouMiami for Miami Spice (Part 2)

First and foremost, I hope that you all stayed dry and safe during Hurricane Irma earlier this week. It was a helluva storm but we were lucky that, save for most of our tree canopy and our power lines, we were spared of her worst. On my end, I was lucky to have found shelter with a friend in Brickell, whose apartment lost water for two hours and A/C toward the end. My apartment is perfectly okay and finally had its electricity restored as a birthday present to me today.

I am sure like me you are itching to get back to normalcy. If you still don't have A/C or, like me, have an empty fridge after having to throw everything away, going out to dinner is the best way to get back into your daily routine. Plus, the circumstances basically beg for it. Lucky for you, Celeste and I continued making our rounds of the Miami Spice participating restaurants and found four more menus for your consideration. (In case you missed it, here are our first four Miami Spice recommendations.) This is why you need to prioritize them before September ends: