Florida - Day 16 - the Miami area

Long Pine Key Campground, Everglades National Park

Thursday, 1 February 2023

Before we left the campground (at 6:45) this morning, we stopped for a couple of hours at the visitor center so I could use the generator (not allowed until 8:00 in the campground) to heat up my coffee.

The visitor center had some exhibits outside, and Dext and I walked around to take a look.

Florida Panther -
plaque enlarged below right.

The plaque on the panther statue.

Part of the International Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Designated a World Heritage Site.

Part of a display - this shows the bottom part of the "glad" in Everglades -
but I could barely get a photo because of low light levels and the size of the sign. 
Still I think it's neat, using different species found here in illustrating their name.
Text enlarged below.

I saw quite a few situations like
this - with the extra growth wrapped
around the original trunk - and
wondered if this were a Strangler Fig
at work.  They're native to this area.

Today's route, in general -
actually, the Everglades is way off the map, southwest of Miami.

slightly more particulars of today's route

We got on the road at 8:30.  Passing through Homestead, I saw a sign saying we just missed the Homestead Rodeo at the end of January.  And we passed Coral Castle, that I mentioned a few days ago.

I'd mapped out a route that I hoped would take me through at least some of the neighborhoods I've heard about all my life.  It turned out to be a whole lot of territory and all it really gave me was a flying glimpse at the lives people were leading here.  I'd need to spend a whole lot more time here to really be able to pick up the flavor of this place.  But here's where we went.

I took US-1 north into Miami, though I had been warned it would have bad traffic and not much to look at.  The traffic was bad, but I figured it was part of rush hour.  A sign said the Coconut Grove Arts Festival would be held in mid-February.  And I noticed that even the tattoo shops looked clean.

I heard on the radio that proposed bills in the Florida Legislature would reduce local control over growth and reduce restrictions on sprawl, both of which sound not very Republican to me.  They seem to be saying that developers get to make decisions about housing developments on their own, without reference to local government ordinances.  

Hialeah Race Track

We got here at 10:15, and Dext and I walked around.  I don't know if racing was scheduled for later today, but I do know the parking lot was nearly empty, which is what I'd hoped.

Racetrack Clubhouse

A different view to show some of its elegance.

I think this clubhouse was built in 1932, which explains the elegance.  The track added a flock of flamingos to the lake in the center of the track, and they thrived enough that the Audubon Society designated this a sanctuary for the flamingos.

They had horseracing and parimutuel betting (the first in the US) until 2001, when the state law changed to greatly decrease the track's advantage with competitors.  At that point, they closed the track altogether.  In 2009, the legislature changed its mind, and a new owner now holds quarter-horse races and, in a deal with the Seminole Tribe, has slot machines and a casino.

When we were walking around, I saw some interesting trees.

I thought this tree looked like an Umbrella Plant,
aka, a Schefflera.  See a closer view of the
leaves below.

And I saw an online photo that says
this might be an Australian
Umbrella Tree.

I didn't know they'd grow in the ground, but I guess it makes sense in this climate.  I've always liked them as houseplants.

There were several groups of big old trees like these.
Again, it looks to me like Strangler Fig on them,
but they don't seem unhealthy.

Back on the road

As we turned out of the park, I saw a billboard advertising a "Wine So Special It's Protected By the Devil."  Because of traffic I didn't have time to see which wine, but of course I was curious.  It's from a winery in Chile called Concha y Toro and the wine is called Casillero del Diablo (cellar of the Devil).  The name of the wine is paying homage to a rumor started by the owner back in 1883 that his wine cellar was protected by the Devil.  There's an interesting account of this story I found in Forbes magazine.   https://www.forbes.com/how-satan-saved-this-chilean-wine

Little Haiti

I drove through town, though I can't tell you whether the town was Hialeah or Miami - maybe both - and down Miami Avenue through an area known as Little Haiti.  I'd expected to find lots of shops with signs in Spanish or French and catering to things unique to Haiti.  But it was all fairly colorless.  Maybe I was just on the wrong street, though Miami Ave. was the dividing line between East and West streets, which makes it seem major to me.

I turned east and went across the Intracoastal Waterway to Miami Beach.  The road was named Arthur Godfrey Road, and I found an odd article from 10 years ago where the local council was debating whether to take his name off the road.  It was named for him back in his heyday as a radio and TV personality in the '50s (I remember him well), with some pointing out that he's no longer remembered particularly and his name isn't a draw for tourists.  But that was in 2014 and the name is still there.

Miami Beach/South Beach

I drove along Collins Ave/A1A which went along the waterway down to South Beach.  All along the way I saw houses fronting on the water (greatly elevated from it), with boats docked and outdoor furniture along the water.  It all looked very comfortable and extremely expensive.

Then the road swung away from the water and I saw lots of sidewalk restaurants and a lot of the Art Deco architecture this town is known for.  I passed the Art Deco Welcome Center, where you can pick up a walking tour of the local Art Deco buildings.

And they're certainly there - lovely buildings and very well preserved.  I couldn't take many photos because of the traffic (both cars and pedestrians), but here're a few examples.

The US Post Office in South Beach - 
this one's off the internet because I couldn't stop.

I drove south, turned north on another street, and then came south again along Ocean Drive, which is (no surprise) right next to the ocean.  There was a long oceanfront park and very large bike lanes along here; on the right were many Art Deco buildings.  These in the photos are nothing compared to others I saw, but maybe you can see that such examples are everywhere.  This looks like a very charming and very expensive town.

Miami

I went back to the mainland on the McArthur Causeway/A1A.  I passed Palm Island and Hibiscus Island on the way, I think with residences on both.  Traffic got stopped at my exit because of road construction, and while I waited I took this photo.

South Miami skyline

Miami itself has a population of 442,241, but the entire metro area combined has 6,138,000 residents, and since these skyscrapers are just part of what you might call downtown, you can see how extensive it is.

I drove along Biscayne Blvd along the water and came across an incredible building.

The One Thousand Museum

I have no idea why it's called that, because what's inside are luxury condos.

Lots of motorists honk their horns here, something I'm not used to any more.

At the corner of 1st St. and Miami Ave. I saw a small delivery robot crossing the street.  It was hard to see and I wondered how many of them get squashed in the crazy traffic of this town.

Little Havana

I passed through Little Havana, which was somewhat more colorful than what I saw in Little Haiti, but not near as much as I expected.  I'd imagine that if I was exploring these areas on foot I'd find a lot more than I could see today.

We were heading basically south-ish, becoming somewhat desperate for a place to stop and rest, and I happened on a nice park.  I had trouble parking in the small lot, but I was highly motivated to make it work because we all needed a break - it was 12:30 and we hadn't had lunch.  I took Dext around the park a bit and we stumbled on a nice dog park!  Very lucky, and he met several new dogs.  One of them was owned by a young woman who's serving in the Coast Guard, and she asked a lot of questions about living fulltime in an RV.

Coconut Grove

An hour later we took off again down to Coconut Grove, where I saw old trees and big old houses - a very rich area and very lovely.

Coral Gables

A few blocks away was Coral Gables, also big old trees, big old houses, a very rich and lovely area.  I passed the Merrick House, built in 1907 by the family that founded Coral Gables. 

Merrick House
I love that porch/veranda.

They offer tours now, and since they only charge $3 for seniors, it's someplace I'd love to visit when I come back with more time.  But today, I was already feeling really tired from all the driving.

I also drove by the Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel, which looked about as fancy as I'd expect it to.

An internet photo of the Biltmore,
but it's pretty much the view I had of it.

Back on the road

I still had many miles to go to get back to the Everglades, and at 2:15 I was back on US-1 so traffic was heavy.

I passed a billboard that said:

     We're just 75 years since the gas chambers.  

     So no, a billboard calling out Jew hate isn't an overreaction.

           - JewBelong

I read that JewBelong bought a digital billboard in Times Square that said "3,500 years of anti-semitism doesn't make it right."

Billboards with messages like these are going up in major cities around the country.  And in a US Senate hearing last year, the FBI director said 63% of all religiously motivated violence is based on anti-Semitism, although only 2.4% of the population is Jewish.

So no, it's not an overreaction.

At 3:30 I stopped to get gasoline ($3.49/gallon) and by 4:00 I was back at our campsite, absolutely bushed.

Because we couldn't run the AC overnight (no hookups, remember), I was trying to get us accustomed to the regular air temperature.  But even with all the windows and skylights and the door all wide open, it got up to 80° in the cabin, just in a short time.  So I started the generator and turned on the AC full blast and left everything open hoping to drive the heat out with the cold air.  It only worked marginally.