My newly published paper has been garnering interest of late, having swept much of the awards circuit this year. The most recent and by far most generous was the Evangelos S. Gragoudas award, which gained me entry to the exclusive Macula Society meeting this year. Despite the cash award, I was unwilling to shell out for the pricey Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo where the conference was held, and opted instead for a Travelodge in Florida City some 30 miles south of Miami. My trip began inauspiciously, however. With my laptop in the shop and my tablet charger left in our Charleston hotel, I had to borrow my co-fellow’s laptop. And just when I thought things couldn’t be worse, I overslept again, and had to speed to RDU to barely make my flight, only to realize that I had forgotten my cell phone also. After an annoying hour-long wait at Hertz and almost having to take a 12-person van due to the shortage of rental cars, my luck turned around and I was given a snazzy ride for the road. My GPS rental also turned out to have cell phone service and unlimited WiFi hotspot functionality, which made me feel better by the time I settled into my hotel Wednesday night. The meeting itself ran daily from 7am to 1pm, which gave me a chance to explore around. I spent Thursday afternoon in Miami beach, where I enjoyed a refreshing ceviche on the grass while watching the police handcuff a guy on the nearby sidewalk. From the Art Deco Welcome Center, I purchased a self-guided walking tour, which led me through the neighborhood to appreciate the unique architectural elements – curved corners, vertical lines, eyebrows over windows, and “rule of threes” – that characterized the Art Deco movement. Dinner at famous Joe’s Stone Crab included five large stone crab claws with nothing else needed. Lunch on Friday was fish and chips at the Fish House in Key Largo, where the fish of the day turned out to be dolphin. I spent the afternoon catching up on papers and reviews before the evening gala on the beach, where I sat next to Dr. Gragoudas himself and received much unsolicited life/career advice. The meeting also gave me a chance to discuss research with our NEI collaborators and chat about scheduling with future UCD colleagues. After my award talk on Saturday, which has been well-rehearsed by now, I drove to Little Havana to immerse in the Cuban atmosphere, passing cigar shops and intense games of dominoes at Maximo Gomez Park, before getting lunch at Versailles with arroz con pollo, followed by an order of chicharonnes from El Palacio de los Jugos for the flight back. Feeling refreshed after coming home, I wonder if my lack of cell phone access these few days did more good than harm?