I am off on another American Airlines (www.aa.com) flight - lots cancelled on the east coast due to snow and crap weather. My flight out of Grand Rapids thru Chicago O'Hare goes well, I get into Miami with no wheelchair, have to use a "loaner" like Jim Carey in The Mask. It was so degrading to get pushed through the airport by one of the skycaps, by no fault of his own. Nothing like a folding frame from a grocery store to make you feel like a real man. The next morning the delivery company gets my chair from Chicago finally at 7 am but failed to get a hold of me until 11am to drop it off at my hotel. I was inventing horrific ways to dispose of this chair before they bellhop took it back down to the delivery person.

Next morning I spend some time writing on my wonderful balcony at the Shore Club (www.shoreclub.com) in South Beach Miami overlooking the ocean. Then decide to go get some lunch and meet up with some friends. On the way out of the hotel, I notice all the beautiful cars-- Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, Lamborghini. Just then, a black Rolls Royce convertible pulls into the drive and it is Hulk Hogan and his daughter, Brooke. Hulk claims the car to be his wife's and they are out for a drive. I, of course, get my picture taken with him for the memory books and realize that this man is larger in person than he looks on TV. After that star struck moment, I head over to the Delano Hotel for some lunch with friends and some serious people watching.

Later that night was a incredible sushi dinner at Nobu (www.noburestaurants.com)in the Shore Club. Lots of wine and laughs over killer food. Yet again staring at the fantastically overpriced exotics in the driveway -- the people too. The restrooms are a bit of an adventure, though. Everything in the restaurant was very accessible and the adjoining clubs, but the restrooms are a roll and an elevator ride away.

The Shore Club is a beautiful, contemporary hotel right on the ocean in South Beach. This place is very accessible and quite accommodating. There idea of handicap equipment leaves a little to be desired. After 3 different maids bringing up a "shower chair" I was left with the best they had. A hard plastic shower bench with no back was there idea of the best they could come up with. After all the hassle and worrying if it would work everything ended up working well after all. The room had an amazing view of the ocean and the city of both balconies. The room itself is quite accessible as well as the bathroom, just don't try to get out to the balcony without some effort. The 3 inch sand guard on the sliding doors makes for an interesting time.

The next couple days were spent lounging in the room enjoying room service and movies on the 42" LCD on my wall.

The flight out was nothing like the one in. The first plane I got on for the first part of my flight was a 767. I had never been on one that big so this was new. The first class cabin was set up with 3 pairs of seats and 2 aisles. So, to my dismay, my chair didn't fit. After a short crawl to my seat I jump up and get comfy. Well, not really jump, but you get the idea. After a nice long chat with a lady sitting next to me, I arrived in Chicago's O'Hare Airport. My chair made it this time because I begged the flight attendant to put it in the first class cabinet. This time I also opted for the isle chair to get me off the plane.

After a 3 hour layover I get back on a plane to Grand Rapids. After that it is home and sleep to recover from a relatively short trip.