i know, i know. i am so easily amused. but how often to you get to experience a bull ride? um, never. so, how convenient is it for some place to have a mechanical one that you can enjoy whenever your little heart desires to be thrown off something. in public. in a mildly embarrassing way (?). answer: pretty freaking convenient. and what’s even better is that it is at a place that serves food (i’m not quite sure whether it is better to eat before or after. but either way, you probably don’t want to eat too much). annnndddd what is even better than better is that it is in the village of gulfstream park and only a stone throw away from a casino (did you know that if it’s your first time there they give you $15 FREE to play with? what a steal! for the record, i walked out with $12.36. FREE MONEY!!!!). anyway, my friends and i had a blast. i even went on twice. because, apparently i wasn’t embarrassed enough the first time. the second time i took off both horns of the bull. too bad that doesn’t somehow win you free money too. although, it probably should. i think i’ll write a letter…
http://cadillacranchmiami.com/
i used to be a republican (don’t judge), and yet never shot a gun in my conservative days (wha? and i was so close to the nra in dc!). so, in my ‘independent’ state, i decided why not have a shot (dur hur) at it. and what better place than hallandale. and what better venue than big al’s gun range. the place kind of freaked me out from the outside. and then i walked in, and it freaked me out from the inside too. there was a dog that carried around a blankie. and he would come up to you like he wanted to play. but my recommendation is that you don’t touch the blankie. he does not intend for it to be a toy. he intends for it to serve as his actual security blanket. just some words from the wise. he could totally take a finger in a hot second. okay, onto the guns. there were a lot of them. i actually wasn’t able to take photos of the store (only the store, the range, however, was within limits). i wonder if it was because the owners didn’t want me to photograph the guns, or if it’s because they didn’t want to be seen in another ‘look-at-these-amazing-mullets-album.’ either way, the actual lesson that i took there was fabulous (although, i did not take the class from them, but from miami gun classes). david, the instructor, was french (which even he finds ironic). regardless, he was great. now, i’d like to take a moment for a quick note. most people would say (and did say) ‘why would i pay for a lesson? it’s not that hard to shoot a gun. they do it on tv all the time.’ if you are one of these people, you, more than anybody, need the lesson. because you are also going to be the person that puts your finger in front of the muzzle and gets it blown off. or tries to swing the gun around your finger and shoots you or someone else in the foot. the lesson was more than helpful. if anything, it was great to get some common sense reminders and remember that humans are prone to human error. and that error is usually really unfortunate when it involves a gun. so the more safety you learn, the better. after the lesson (which also can include a really interesting perspective on gun rights if you’re willing to be open-minded about it) you don some really awesome goggles and ear muffs and strut up to the range. and then you get a drawing of a bad guy on a white piece of paper to shoot at. your instructor gives you more techniques. and you shoot the crap out of that piece of paper. and it is thrilling. (after all the safety talk/darwin-award winning horror stories, you may be a little nervous, but you’ll get over it). and i’m not going to lie. i shoot like a pro. basically, i’m your huckleberry. and i cannot wait to get my permit and go again. thanks big al, whomever you are, for unlocking my first gun-range badge.
miami gun classes: http://www.miamigunclasses.com/home.html
big al’s gun range: http://www.bigalsguns.com/
welcome to hollwood. where dreams come true. okay - wrong hollywood, but this one is pretty magical too! it was actually created as one man’s ‘dream city’ - so you know it’s good. which then makes me wonder what kind of city i would build if i could have my own dream city and all the money in the world… but, i digress. hollywood beach really is for anyone. personally i like the colors. i love the beautiful beach houses built right on the boardwalk (which they spell/pronounce ‘broadwalk.’ which actually makes sense come to think of it). i like that i can get soft serve ice cream and stroll while taking in the soft sand, the blue/green of the water, the amazing ocean breeze, and all of the colorful umbrellas. i like that the people here love sea turtles and protect them, as a community effort. i love the little stores. i like that i can ride my beach bike up and down, up and down. or that i can roller blade. and that good food is so close by. i like seeing families. and people with a reasonable amount of clothes on. i like that you hear laughter instead of pumping club music. that you can actually hear the ocean breeze. that every one seems happy and smiling. okay, i’ll stop my love-fest now. we all know i love where i live - south beach - but hollywood is a great place to get away for a morning or afternoon. and it’s only a 30 minute drive down one of the greatest avenues in the world.
if you want a full day trip idea, read here: http://www.miami.com/hollywood-daytrip-article
