On Friday Walter and I drove out to the Shark Valley visitors center in the Everglades. We got there about 2 hours before the next guided tour so glanced around for alligators (there were none) and drove a little ways to the Big Cypress Preserve where we watched a film about the cypress forest ecosystem. There were no alligators there either. Back at Shark Valley we went on the guided tour and learned all about the "river of grass" and saw a bunch of blue herons and other birds. Also we saw some baby alligators that were about 12" long. Depending on the season apparently there can just be tons of alligators everywhere, but not now--there were hardly any.
Then we went to a Miccosukee restaurant nearby and ate frybread burgers and a sample of alligator. Alligator is no good to eat but the burger was. Also behind the restaurant was a big alligator so I did get to see one (oh we saw a dead one on the side of the road too).
We headed back to Walter's apartment to clean up and then went out for some drinks with his sister and some of her teacher friends. We walked a ways back to the apartment and saw many interesting and bustling bars along the way.