Miami - Sunday 6th July

Wimbledon Men's Final Day!

No breakfast available at the hotel again today. Apparently the baker didn't show, but I think maybe he doesn't do weekends and this is a lie. Hmmm. I'm actually praying for a little rain as I don't want to have to drink beer at 10am. Luckily the pub I intend to watch the tennis in does breakfast: tea and scrambled eggs on toast would be perfect. The guy behind the bar tries to insist I get "fries with that". Is he mad? I give him my most English "Don't be so ridiculous", and scrambled eggs on toast, no fries, duly arrives.

At every rain break I dip out and take some pictures I've missed out on during my stay. Having Marshall* means I can motor about very quickly. On the last break I go record shopping at 'FYE' (For Your Entertainment I think). I get PvD 'Cream Ibiza', Gabriel & Dresden 'Toolroom Knights', a present for one of you lucky people, a Y4K by General Midi I haven't got (yeah!) and Razorlight. The last 3 are used as it's 2 for 3 on used CDs. The whole lot comes to £27 - OMG!

I go to a different bar to watch the last set of the tennis, an Irish bar, which is actually very nice and enjoy the end of what has been one of the best games of tennis (and longest) I've ever seen. I hope it's down-loadable via iPlayer when I get back.

4.30pm - time to take Marshall* back. I feel sad and it's hard to imagine that I won't be with him for the rest of my holiday. Jacks not even there and I quickly snap a photo of M as the door to the shop closes. I walk from 5th to 11th with my head very low. Sniff...

I decide to eat in the 11 street diner. It was shipped in from Milwaukee apparently and is really great inside. Very similar to the one on the A40(M), past Hanger Lane near to the Art Deco Tesco (old Hoover Building from the 30's); and very near where my Granny used to live in Northolt.

I have a lovely Salad Nicoise and read the paper cover to cover. Time is a funny thing I muse. At home I seem to have none of it. I can't remember the last time I read the whole paper. And yet here I have too much. I actually have to fill it here else I'd be bored.

On that note at 7, I decide to go to the cinema for my final Miami event. I'm under orders from Edd not to see Wall.E so I go and see Hancock. It's actually OK, though the plot is a tad thin and predictable. It gets an all American applause at the end but I don't join in - maybe my US inspired over-excitement is fading?


Pack, Pack, Pack.
3 alarms set
Mum on standby to call in the morning.
I have to be at the airport at 8am... Off to destination two tomorrow.

*The Mean Machine, or M&M (Eminem), became Marshall after he got me home from the Dexter Day heat exhaustion journey. What a trooper.