Off to a good start

I had to go through one of those TSA full body scanners for the first time today, and while the guard was walking me through it I asked him if this was the new machine that everybody hates. He was not amused.

A few brief observations from the flight:

• Drinking coffee is counterproductive both towards sleeping on the plane and keeping a new shirt unstained during turbulence.
• The view out the window is really kind of special during sunset when you're near the cloud level. From above you can see red light shining through the thin clouds in contrast against the puffy grey clouds and it looks kind of like lava on a volcano; from below it looks like someone's shining red lights on a ceiling.
• Reruns of "The Office" are just as entertaining with the sound on as with the sound off. That is to say, not very entertaining.

I'll hesitate to make a judgement about Miami overall, but my first impressions are pretty mixed. The airport seems fine and the area near the hotel is nice, but a lot of what's between seemed a bit sketchy. I really can't tell what's going on in this city. There seems to be a pattern of four, short, spaced out buildings that repeats itself from the airport until the Coconut Grove area: lawyer, cosmetic surgeon/salon, mysterious unmarked building, auto services, lawyer, cosmetic surgeon/salon, mysterious unmarked building, auto services...

You'll know you've reached Coconut Grove when you reach the KRFS headquarters, and the hotel I'm staying at is just two streets over from there. There are dozens of nice looking shops and restaurants clustered around the hotel too, though tonight there's barely anyone out. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it's Sunday, but it's still feels a bit off kilter because it's apparent how lively this area can get. The atmosphere is borderline post-apocalyptic in that sense, albeit much more cheerful.

I'll do more work in exploring the hotel and neighborhood over the coming week. Updates to come.