Paris1972-Versailles2003

Let me get back at you and update this memorable post of the good old days of my life in Florida USA or more specific going shopping in Miami at the Dolphin Mall !! I am bringing back this post because I recently spoked with a cousin who is just arriving to live in Miami (another cousin !) , and she went to the Dolphin with her kids and love it. One of the nice places me and my family did was going to the malls to shop and a drink or two, and the Dolphin Mall was one of my favorite hangouts when lived closed by in Silver Lakes, Miramar, Broward County but worked in Miami, Miami-Dade County. Last visited it when came back for a family visit in 2009 ! Now going back oh well …memories forever.

The Dolphin Mall (11401 N.W. 12 Street) is a shopping center actually today’s Sweetwater, Miami-Dade County,  west of the city of Miami. Bordering the now call Ronald Reagan Turnpike toll road on the west , and the junction with the Dolphin Expressway or State Road 836  that takes you all the way to the McArthur Causeway into Miami Beach at  5th Street and right into the Beach!! You really need to pinpoints the places there as there are about 7 different towns with the name Miami on it . This mall opened on March 2001, and just a couple years later we left for good….

Of course, I always drove a car there… 8,500 free parking spaces including a state of the art parking garage, featuring a convenient race track layout for easy-access shopping. The Dolphin Mall is located from Miami Airport (10.5 km) Coral Gables (13.5 km) Coconut Grove (15.1 km) ,and Little Havana (16.8 km).  And last check the hours are open 7 days a week. Opening hours may vary from week to week. In general, the shopping center opens at 10h or 11h and closes at 20h (8 pm). For public transports you need to verify but last I know ,the Dolphin Mall is accessible via bus line 7. If you go to the Dolphin Mall on weekends, take bus 238 from Miami Airport. It will take you directly and non-stop to the Dolphin Mall. 

Dolphin Mall has more than 250 stores and a wide selection of discounted brands making it one of the most popular and busiest malls in Miami area. It is the largest mall in city of Miami metro area , and the second-largest mall in Miami-Dade County. The Mall is separated into three major universes:

Ramblas: built in the form of a village square with restaurants and entertainment

Playa: designed to remind South Beach, there are stores for clothing, accessories and home decor.

Moda: which refers to Collins Avenue and Bal Harbor with its chic and refined atmosphere.

The Dolphin Mall brings together shops for clothes, video games, toys, cosmetics, etc., as well as restaurants, a 19-screen cinema, a children’s play center, an arcade and a bowling alley.  Experience life with an exciting mix of entertainment venues such as CineBistro, Dave and Buster’s and Bowlero Miami. Crave life with more than 30 diverse dining options in the Food Court, and 19 sit-down restaurants. 

My favorites there were the JC Penney store,( no longer there) , and Burlington, plus the cinema, the outdoor live music events under the Florida sky, just sublime. come to shop or come to party is all there. Gap, Banana Republic, the Borders Book store (no longer there 2009 picture), FYE Entertainment (no longer there 2009 picture) , Sbarro’s,  The Cheesecake Factory, and TGIFridays, for food eating, a great place for the whole family. Below my dear late wife Martine and my boys.

The official Dolphin Mall : https://shopdolphinmall.com/

The Miami and the Beaches area tourist office on the Dolphin Mall: https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/thing-to-do/shopping/dolphin-mall/2874

There you go folks, it is becoming a must to visit to all comers in the Miami metro area for some serious shopping in a grand location. Things have change a lot since I left it in 2003, and even more since 2009, but according to local family still a place to be. Hope you enjoy the shopping at the  Dolphin Mall Sweetwater...

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

And since I was in markets, why not take you over the pond or ocean the Atlantic for memories of old that never fade away!  As said we love the markets and this is not just a new found thing, we go way back as a family our first experience happened in Daytona Beach Florida USA !  This is a sentimental post for us but will tell you a bit about the flea market at Daytona Beach. And I am updating text and link from an older post in my blog.

Wow I had read that the Daytona Flea Market is ranked one of the top five markets in the USA and top 10 in the world! The market boasts hundreds of vendors, a top notch farmer’s market, specialty stores, antiques, and two indoor shopping malls!!! It has grown indeed over the years.  I have been coming here since living in nearby Ormond by the Sea and going to the University in Daytona Beach, the city I got married and my oldest son was born at Halifax Hospital, and baptized at St Brendan’s Catholic Church in Ormond by the Sea!  Memories galore of a wonderful place of fast speed and fast oh well everything in season. I have done some older post on these stories ,but not on the market.

My experiences here goes back to 1977!  And ended in 2003 when I left Florida for France! Already a French citizen since 2000 ! However, all my adult young history was base around here first alone, then with my parents, then with my wife and later my older boy and then visited with the twins before departing Florida. A one stop shopping and cultural experience recommended to all. Memories of always ! Yet hardly a photo left as I guess the old saying living and visiting are not the same thing holds true. The picture is with my visiting paternal grandfather Manolo! The one who raise me with grandma Candita since birth to 10 when left Cuba, and my parents to the left !

The Daytona Flea Market is another that makes a proper event out of the market. At least once a month it offers either an arts and crafts fair or the Classic Car Cruise-In. Daytona Flea Market features stalls stretching over 3 miles and there is plenty of shopping to be had. It is worth getting to this market earlier on in the day, for ease of parking as well as sourcing the best items. The  Daytona Flea Market is not the place to hit for specific antiques, but instead is a haven for all things second-hand and curious. Sellers are there to clear their tables, so barter away for some awesome bargains! Located at 1425 Tomoka Farms Rd, Daytona Beach, FL and open Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 9 am to 5pm or 9h to 17h year round.

The official flea and market of Daytona Beach : https://daytonafleamarket.com/

The city of Daytona Beach on the flea market : https://www.daytonabeach.com/things-to-do/shopping/flea-markets/

The Florida tourist board on the flea market of Daytona Beach : https://www.visitflorida.com/listing/daytona-flea-%26-farmers-market/17063/

There you go folks, a wonderful memory lane post . Hope you have enjoy the Daytona flea market as I , and have the opportunity to see it , or me eventually. Thanks for allowing me to share them in my blog.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!