Fort Lauderdale murals

Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)
Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.
I always love it when I stumble across artwork out in public.

These murals are about a block or so away from Fort Lauderdale Beach not far from the intersection of A1A and Sunrise Boulevard.

To find them, look for the Primanti Brothers pizza place on A1A and wander around the shops and parking lots behind there.

Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)
Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.
Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)
Mural in Fort Lauderdale near the beach.

Ocean Drive in South Beach

Ocean Drive in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)
Ocean Drive in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)
The art deco facades on Ocean Drive bring back memories of Miami Vice.

I didn’t see any TV cops cruising down the street in a Ferrari on my most recent visit but I always enjoy strolling through the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida.

Murals of Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood

Mural art in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)
Mural art in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com)
What was an industrial and warehouse section of Miami north of downtown is now largely covered with colorful murals.

The best known section of this is the Wynwood Walls, which is surrounded by shops, restaurants and bars.

I spent some time just a few blocks away and found myself wandering by myself around an area that was off the beaten path near a construction site and yet still had plenty of amazing art work to explore.

Mission Espada on San Antonio’s south side

The missions of San Antonio, Texas, including Mission Espada, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the National Park Service.
- photo by Joe Alexander
The missions of San Antonio, Texas, including Mission Espada, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the National Park Service.
– photo by Joe Alexander
I stopped by Mission Espada on a cloudy, almost foggy morning in January.

Mission Espada on its current site in San Antonio was built beginning in 1745 and completed in 1756, according to the National Park Service.

The Mission is on San Antonio’s south side just outside Loop 410 on Espada Road (Roosevelt Road exit from Loop 410).

It is the farthest south of the missions in San Antonio and is about two miles from Mission San Juan.

Official site: National Park Service: Mission Espada

Paint Jam at Essex Modern City

Artists work on the outside wall during Essex Paint Jam Volume 4 on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Essex Modern City in San Antonio.
Artists work on the outside wall during Essex Paint Jam Volume 4 on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at Essex Modern City in San Antonio.
The walls of Essex Modern City received an update on Saturday, Jan. 6.

The Essex Paint Jam Volume 4 attracted some of the area’s top local muralists back to Essex Modern City on the near East Side not far from downtown San Antonio and just a little ways south of the Alamodome.

Murals in Essex Modern City in San Antonio

Closeup of a mural at Essex Modern City in San Antonio.
Closeup of a mural at Essex Modern City in San Antonio.
Some of San Antonio’s top muralists gathered at Essex Modern City on Saturday, Jan. 6, for Paint Jam 4.

While new work was going up, there were plenty of existing paintings to attract local art fans on the walls of the former manufacturing building near downtown.

Fall colors in Zion National Park

This is one of the first views you have from the Zion National Park visitor's center near Springdale, Utah.<br>(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved)
This is one of the first views you have from the Zion National Park visitor’s center near Springdale, Utah.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved)
I made it into southwestern Utah and Zion National Park the week before Thanksgiving.

I was probably a week or two late to see the peak of the leaves changing colors, but there was still a lot of bright yellow in the trees. That made a vivid contrast to the red and tan striations of the rocky terrain in the park.

Road from Las Vegas to Zion National Park

As you get close to Zion National Park, the landscape gives you an idea of what lies ahead. This is in southern Utah not far from the park. - photo by Joe Alexander
As you get close to Zion National Park, the landscape gives you an idea of what lies ahead. This is in southern Utah not far from the park.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved)
It takes a little more than two hours to drive from Las Vegas to Zion National Park.

Most of that drive takes you northeast up Interstate 15 through eastern Nevada, a sliver of northwestern Arizona and finally into the southwestern corner of Utah.

You never know what weather you’ll get when you book your vacation a few weeks out but I was fortunate to make the drive on a clear and sunny November day.

There were no traffic issues until I tried to park at the Zion National Park visitor’s center. I guess you need to get there early but I rolled in after 1 p.m. and the parking lot was completely full.

Flamingo Las Vegas

It wouldn't be a stay at the Flamingo Las Vegas without checking out the real flamingos in the Wildlife Habitat. - photo by Joe Alexander
It wouldn’t be a stay at the Flamingo Las Vegas without checking out the real flamingos in the Wildlife Habitat.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved)
The Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on the Strip was my home base in the days leading up to the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas.

Amidst the crowds and hubbub of the international gathering of sports fans and gamblers, the Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo offered a place to find a little peace and quiet.

Maybe my last look at the Mirage Las Vegas

View of the Mirage Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip as seen from my room at the Flamingo. - photo by Joe Alexander
View of the Mirage Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip as seen from my room at the Flamingo.
(photo property of JoesWorldTour.com – all rights reserved)
The Mirage Hotel and Casino will reportedly begin its conversion into a Hard Rock beginning in 2024. That had me thinking this might be my last chance to visit the Mirage in its current form.

I remember back when you could walk into the south entrance to the Mirage from the Strip and see tigers walking around in glassed-in area right next to the hallway. That is the same spot where Diablo’s Cantina is now.