I took a long weekend trip to Miami and had this wonderful idea: why not have one of my buddies, Amy (who happens to be a news producer), guest blog for me? This way, my blog gets updated, I look like I am working hard while on vacation, and you (our valuable blog reader) get some fine travel tips – enjoy!

Amy's Blog

Amy Cohen

The Crew:

Kim- you all know her

Katie – originally from New Mexico but now living in Philly working on her PhD in bio engineering

Diane – morning anchor at Fox 23 in Albany, NY and the organizer of the trip

Amelie- despite the name she's German, not French and is not only a medical doctor but a PhD too

and Myself, Amy – a producer up at News 12 Westchester in New York

First of all, I have to start out by saying how honored I am to be contributing to Kim's blog. At this moment we're all sitting poolside, enjoying our final few hours soaking up the sun…it's definitely not going to be fun going back to reality. Our weekend getaway to Miami has been in a word an adventure.

It got off to a bit of stormy start…but we never for a moment let it put a damper on our trip.

Kind of fitting, but it all began when a tropical depression decided to follow our favorite meteorologist Kim into Miami. Her plane wasn't allowed to land and she got to spend some time hovering over the Bahamas instead. But Kim eventually arrived in South Beach with a smile on her face.

Day two, the sun is shining as we wake up to start our day. We're taking a road trip to Key Largo to go snorkeling! About one minute after we arrive in the Keys…a dark cloud moves in and it proceeds to rain or should I say pour for the entire day! But despite the stormy seas…we still went on our snorkeling excursion.

For some of us (Kim and myself) battling sea sickness and others, (myself again and Katie) nerves because I've never been snorkeling before…and I have to say being out in the middle of the ocean in the middle of a storm is just a little intimidating! But, we all persevered and experienced something that we never have before. And I'm happy to report the remainder of the trip has been filled with nothing but relaxation, rest, good friends and fun.

Before I sign off to relish the rest of my time here…I'll pass along a few travel tips if you ever find yourself in Miami…a cab ride from the airport to South Beach costs $32, (not $35 as one driver tried to con Kim) and definitely don't pay $40 something for a shuttle bus.

A trip to Miami wouldn't be compete without a meal at Barton G….a restaurant with the most outrageous food presentations…guaranteed to be one of the most unique meals you've ever had! And finally, if you find yourself thirsty in your hotel room, you may want to think twice before grabbing that bottle of Evian from the mini bar. I learned the hard way, with taxes included it will cost you a whopping $5.25!

I'll end with a quote dedicated to the new "Golden Girls" but inspired by the original "Golden Girls"…"Thank you for being a friend."