KJ & GG.... A Tale of Lincoln Road Miami Beach

KJ finished putting on her sneakers - GG wouldn't take you anywhere in sandals - grabbed the bag with the munchies and "I'm ready to go" she said. Down the stairs - GG didn't like elevators - thru the Mirage Condo lobby, saying hello to the folks working there ..building security.. valet .. "They're so nice" KJ told GG when they were outside and crossing Collins Ave. - looking both ways two times (GG has a lot of 'rules') and down the block to Harding Ave, and "Here comes the bus!" "My first bus ride" KJ told GG, as she put the dollar fare into the machine next to the driver.

The bus is crowded and at first they're sitting up front on the 'sideways' seats. An old lady was yelling that someone was trying to take her stuff (A big plastic bag full of ..what? KJ wondered.. from the looks of the old lady, and the bag, who'd want the stuff?? Spanish, Russian, French,Yiddish, Italian... all these languages KJ listened to, and even English both "British" English, GG said, and "American" English. Then GG said "There's a seat by the back door..we can look forward, and watch people get off". GG is a 'people watcher' and KJ thought: "So am I" And so many different people to watch: people who looked like they'd been shopping, people sleeping, reading, texting (and even talking on cell phones), people who looked like they were coming home from work tired looking..and going to work with a look saying "I want to go anywhere else", Black (not really black - mostly brown - people, white - really not white, but every other color you can think of - people, 'yellow' people - you know -Asians - (or, as GG, jokingly, with no intention of being not politically correct, said: " Maybe really jaundiced white people" (GG believes you need humor to get thru this adventure called life and too many folk take life too seriously, even if it is very serious, but some things just aren't .. makes sense??)), but KJ didn't know what jaundiced was, and when she asked, the question went unanswered because GG, even in a quiet place has trouble hearing - here on this noisy bus - traffic, horns, sirens, voices - it was a one way conversation, but KJ didn't mind - she knew by the expressions on GG's face what he meant most of the time.

And then the bus got to South Beach and off KJ and GG are to go explore Lincoln Road.

KJ and GG love walking around - the street allows only people walking, and sitting on benches by fountains, or at restaurant outside tables - wow what great people watching again.

As they go past every kind of store you can imagine: Walgreens, jewelry, electronics, you know , sell Ipods, MP3s, laptops, DVDs, all that stuff, and dresses, tee shirt stores, umbrellas (not needed today thought KJ - just a sunny blue sky - post cards - you name it, they sell it on Lincoln Road. GG tells KJ "Remember this: every single store you go past - doesn't matter what it sells - every single store, and the people who work in them, have just one goal, one reason for being there, and that is to separate you and your money - always, every time".







And one of the stores did just that: McDonalds where KJ and GG bought fries and took out slices of Jewish rye bread from the munchie bag, and made a delicious french fry with ketchup on Jewish rye sandwich... wow.. deeelicious...

As they walked off their sandwich, they came to a Jewish Temple, and GG tried to open the door, but it seemed like it was locked, and then it opened, and a Latino looking guy asked GG what he wanted and GG told him they'd like to look inside, but the guy said "You can't" and started closing the door, and GG asked "Why not??" And the Latino looking guy answered "It's only for people who belong here". GG started to say: "But we do belong here - I'm 50% Jewish and KJ is 12 1/2% (along with Cherokee, English, German, Polish, Irish,...)" but the door was shut - the Latino looking guy didn't care what we were. "Anyway, whoever heard of a Latino Jew in Miami Beach" GG said, then added, "And whoever would think a freckled-face girl like you, KJ, would be Jewish, and Cherokee Indian among other things, so who knows". KJ thought "GG

says 'Indian', meaning Native-American, or to our Mormon ward, Lamanite, not India 'Indian'.

KJ wonders if GG does this on purpose.. "have to ask Mom".

And then time to head home - KJ and GG find a bus that's going to go north on Collins Ave and let them off right in front of home, and that bus is crowded, and noisy, and interesting and when they get off, their adventure to Lincoln Road is added to life's experiences and, memories.

.........