Florida Trip

So I was in Florida for a week. Here's what happened, in some excruciating detail:

Saturday the flight took off around 1 pm. Got to Miami, found my way to the rental car center, and picked up my more expensive than anticipated car, since the cost of insurance wasn’t covered in the quoted price, and, you know, insurance. Brown Toyota Corolla. Also prepaid gas, which wasn’t a bad idea, since the gas near the rental car center was stupidly (predictably) expensive. Drove about 15 minutes maybe to a place called Hudson House, a ridiculous place. The guy met me, but refused to show me to my room or anything – he talked to other guests, took phone calls, it was infuriating. Didn’t print out any info to check me in, and actually tried to sell me on the concept when I just wanted to get to bed. Showed me the bathroom – the curtain had fallen down in a pile. The room was a bed with a dresser, nothing else like A/C. I slept, I got up early, showered (the curtain fell and I kept showering ‘cause the place sucked) and left.

I drove about an hour to Biscayne National Park (NP), getting there around 8:15 am. Not yet open, but hung out, wandered about. Really nothing to do there that early. At 9 we departed on our boat filled with paddleboards. Nine of us, rest all couples, all NP collectors like me, and mostly from the north – Michigan and Wisconsin and such. On the trip out to Jones Lagoon we see dolphins slapping the mud and clouding the waters to confuse fish – a hunting technique apparently only seen in that spot. We get to the paddle location, it’s pretty, and I kneel or sit for the paddling (no luck with standing, too knock-kneed). Upside-down jellies, baby sharks, not much else. Not sure what I was expecting. Nice experience, though, friendly young tour guides. We get back to the NP HQ around 1 after approx. 2 hours of paddling. A slight redness on my knees from when I was sitting is currently a bit itchy. Get my magnet, and drive to Cubavana, a nice Cuban restaurant. Got pork with onions, with rice and black beans, and sweet plantains. Also got fried plantains for an appetizer, which were a bit odd. Get down to Everglades International Hostel, checked in by one of the two managers, a fellow with dreads who asks me about CA’s marijuana, who shows me around the place. I took a particular fancy to the pink-interiored gazebo, and the hammock. Took a siesta, ‘cause paddling and food, and then head to Walgreens to get some tea for the next couple days, before heading to Rosita’s right next to the Hostel, where I get some chicken nachos which were mighty tasty. Back in the gazebo a conversation with a French-born fellow, maybe 50(?), named Zoubir was a pleasant end to the evening, talking about history and politics.

Monday I woke up after an excruciating night – I think I may have had my first migraine, or perhaps it was my sinuses revolting against the change from cold California to subtropical Florida – my teeth were in agony, I couldn’t sleep. I got enough sleep, thankfully, and had gone to bed early enough, to feel rested, and drove out to the Coe visitor center at the Everglades’ southern entrance. Went to the Anhinga trail, and saw lots of nice wildlife, including anhingas and gators. Fish, turtles, nice conversation, and then went on to the Gumbo Limbo trail, which apart from lizards kind of sucked. Indeed, that was sort of the tone the first two days. When, as a HS Senior, I worked with SEAC on Cumberland Island / Tallahassee, I already saw gators, manatees, etc. Anhingas, frankly, were the best part. Drove through some rain to Flamingo, at the far end of the park, stopping to see a nest of wood storks. Saw manatees at Flamingo, and an osprey at Eco Pond. It was sort of a grey day. Back into the rain I went to the Pa-Hay-Oke boardwalk / platform, where you could gaze into the wilderness…I don’t know. It’s swamp. I’m glad it’s preserved, and I’m glad it’s a World Heritage Site, but I was pretty underwhelmed as I left the park. After a pitstop at the Hostel I drove to The Pit, a BBQ joint about 45 min away, and got gator (chewy and greasy, as foretold) and some mozzy sticks. The service sucked, few people, not a great dining experience. Drove back a different way, down the pike, and got the most cartoonishly tropical, gorgeous, orange and purple sunset ever. That night in the gazebo talked with a French girl, Aude, who was a PhD student in town for a conference, and a fellow Jason, another NP collector.

Awoke Tuesday and headed up to Shark Valley to do the tram tour and observation tower. I got there just after a tour left, so I had about an hour to kill looking around at the critters, like Flamingo there's not much of a visitor center. The tour was very good – lots of wildlife, better than the day before. Baby anhingas and baby gators were highlights. Guide talked about being licensed to extract Burmese pythons, which are a real menace, and we learned about the different ecosystems and vegetation. Got done around 2, and decided to see the historic art deco area of Miami. Drove from Shark Valley out to Lummus Park, Miami Beach, and wandered up and down Ocean Drive and Collins Ave. The beach itself was getting set up for some sort of event, but there were people on it. Took lots of pics of buildings, more my style instead of critters, and got a tasty appetizer platter of hummus, dolmas, eggplant, falafel, tabbouleh, etc. at Miami Mediterranean. Lots of locals, police, etc. eating there. Traffic back to the hostel was a bummer, and hung out in the gazebo listening to Led Zeppelin with the other hostel manager and a couple other guys before bed.

Wednesday, the last day of February, “checked out” (dropped stuff at counter) and headed down the road to Key West, about 2.5 hours’ drive. Got gas on the way, and near Key West stopped and got linner at Hogfish Grill. Conch chowder was unexpectedly a spicier red soup, like a Manhattan style, and the hogfish and chips was good, but the coleslaw was very weird. Went first to the “Little” Truman White House upon arriving at Key West. Took a nice tour, most of the objects are original. They kind of skipped over the nuclear weapons, though. Headed to my hostel / motel and checked in. Walked a few blocks to “the southernmost point of the continental United States” and queued to get my picture taken (It's not actually - but it is for the public). Then walked to Kermit’s, to get some key lime pie before going back to the hostel via Simonton St, and resting. It was still very early, so around 10 I went out to Duvall St, which was bustling, but about half the shops were closed. 

The next day I got up early and got breakfast at Ana’s, a couple blocks from my hostel (sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich with watermelon juice, to go, ‘cause I was in a rush due to a line for food). Got to the airport and found parking, signed my waiver, met more national park collectors, got my snorkel gear and a small cooler of bottled waters (both complimentary). There were two groups flying out at 10, due to demand, I suspect, created from the lack of a ferry. The seaplane can hold nine, or in our case ten, if a guy sits next to the pilot. More NP collectors, of course. We hit about 500 feet in elevation. Saw two shipwrecks on the way out. The plane landed on the water, which was cool, and we had about 2.5 hours on the island, part of which was closed due to seabirds (tons of frigate birds). Got my magnet – what a ridiculous place for a shop! – and toured the fort. Cool place, albeit a bit decrepit. There was a crew working on it, which always seems odd when you’re preserving ruins… Went around to the left (facing the fort entrance) to snorkel. My mustache made that more difficult than need be, and so I had to hold my nose as seawater seeped in. Made it about halfway around the moat walls (exterior, not interior) but my underwater camera failed after one or two shots and broke. Not a huge loss, nothing too spectacular, no rays or turtles like St John, but nice fish, coral, and sponges. The plane back takes off from the water, which is also cool, and I was the last to board, making it right on time. Drive back to the motel, and walk to Mo’s, a Haitian restaurant with incredibly amazing food. I got teriyaki wings to start, and then oxtail, both falling off the bone, with a side of red beans and rice, and veggies – everything cooked perfectly, deliciously, top 50 meals in my lifetime, and topped with a complimentary slice of pumpkin pie. Just run by a couple of laidback Haitian guys with Bluetooth earpieces in. Go up and down Duvall and Simonton again – this time early enough in the evening for things to be open, and buy a book, Devil on the Cross, by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, from a local bookstore (and a virgin mango daiquiri). A jerk from France kept turning off the A/C in the hostel, which made for a rough night. Not sure why I kept running into French people at these places...

Friday had been my “explore Key West” day, but of course much of that had already been done. So that morning I climbed the lighthouse first, then went kitty-corner across the street to the Hemingway home, one of the two official plans I’d made for the day. The tour was sort of pointless, but there are 54 cats, half of them polydactyl, on the property, so that’s neat. After seeing the house in depth from the pool to the writer’s room, I wandered over to Fort Zachary Taylor, the other only official stop. It was a neat little fort, I guess. Not too exciting, well maintained. Hard to compare having seen Ft. Jefferson the day before as the largest masonry-built structure in the western hemisphere. Stop in at the Eco Discovery Center, for the A/C, but there was actually a good little 20 min video on the Keys. By now it was around 2-ish, I head to Firefly, where I get some tasty duck wings (smothered in thick sauce – and actually legs) and a “Key West” Cobb salad, a bed a kale with tons of quality bleu cheese, with a hunk of fried chicken and southern pickles atop. Weird, but tasty. Good for the price. More time to kill, head to the Tennessee Williams Exhibit. His house is still privately owned, but it was a nice little exhibit, and discounted for having gone to Hemingway’s home in the morning. Unlike Hemingway, Williams’ homosexuality was openly discussed and presented. Recouped at the hostel afterwards. For the third night running I wandered up and down Duvall and Simonton, taking in the crowds.

Saturday, I got up earlier than expected, around 8, and checked out. Drove up to Miami, and got to Vizcaya after nearly 3.5/4 hours. Toured and explored it on my own, which was a good choice. Gorgeous, if a tad effete for my tastes. Great gardens, though – just the right size. Nice blend of Italianate style of house and local limestone and such. Gave it that worn feeling. There was a weird stone barge, though, which reminded me of Port Myron’s boat from The Prisoner. My final wildlife encounter came in the form of an iguana walking up to me. From Vizcaya headed to a nearby Portuguese restaurant, Old Lisbon, which had great food, but lousy service. I just got the Portuguese version of paella, which was very tasty, and a huge portion. Mussels, squid, clams, lobster, fish, and shrimp. Once sated from my repast I had a serious quandary – it was very early, and even if I wanted to be at the airport three hours early… But I had no desire to see more of Miami. Dropped my car off (after getting a bit lost due to horrible GoogleMaps directions). The flight departed at 9-ish, fell asleep after playing some plants vs zombies, and got my bag from the carousel around 1:30 am. I drove fast, but not too fast, to get home, taking 101 instead of 17, and parked right around 3:35 am.

So that's my trip! Three National Parks and a UNESCO World Heritage site, along with cool landmarks like Hemingway's house, and the Vizcaya mansion. In all I can sum up this Florida experience as: Generally good food, very warm, lots of water and swamps.

There you go.