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kmpls
I just saw your post on the travel board.
I'm from Ft. Laud., and umwife lives there now. ?I'm actually still debating whether I'll be going home that weekend, actually. ?Why are you guys interested in going? ?Are you driving? ?Do you really want to head that far south? ?Tampa is about a 5 hr drive.
I already forgot your questions you posted. ?But, feel free to ask me. ?I'm sure umwife will chime in, too.?
OK, Edit. ?I misread what you said about Tampa. ?You're looking for a FL city, right? ?And want one you haven't been to?
You can go to the Keys from Ft. Laud. ?It's about 4 hrs to Key West, but about 2 to the northern Keys. ?I wouldn't recommend doing a day trip from there.
Why do you say possibly Ft. Laud. but no Miami? ?The cities basically share a border, so if you tell me why you don't think you'd like Miami, I can tell you more if you'd like Ft. Laud.?
Re: kmpls
We are looking for a last minute beach vacation.
Best prices so far seem to be Ft Lauderdale or possibly Ft Myers. We have been to Ft Myers and love it! But have never been to Ft Lauderdale.
I guess we were avoiding Miami for 2 reasons - I hate the airport and 2 I have heard nothing but bad things about South Beach. (and we want to be on the beach.)
I would like to see South Beach for a day but probably not stay there.
I don't know much about Ft Lauderdale but it seems like it might be fun since we could maybe drive to the keys and also check out Miami.
Is it going to be too cold for the beach? It seems borderline 70-80......
I actually really like South Beach. ?Not the nighttime party scene, but the daytime boutiques and cafes. ?I think it has more to do than Ft. Laud's beach unless all you're interested in is sand and sun. ?In that case, both are ok.
I'd say whatever the weather channel is saying is your best bet. ?I've been in ski jackets on Thanksgiving, and I've been in tank tops. ?There's no way to tell you what "average" is there. ?I still love the beach when it's cool, but I also don't go for tanning purposes. ?I happen to really like windy whipped up ocean days.
From what you've mentioned, I'd say go for it if the price is right. ?You can easily go to South Beach and sightseeing in Miami for a day (although, I'll warn you that driving in S FL is enough to make me want to skip seeing things!). ?The northern Keys are a couple hours away although I don't really think they're worth going to on a daytrip. ?It's not all that different than Ft. Laud/Miami. ?The middle keys and south are more fun, especially Key West. ?But, you'd really want to stay there overnight if you went.
If you want to not really drive, you can get most of the same experiences in Ft. Laud. ?Las Olas has all the trendy boutiques and is about a mile from the beach. ?You can also go to places like the Bonnet House if you want a little of old Florida. ?Miami has Vizcaya and Flagler house which are better known, but Bonnet House is great for something close (season 8 I think of the amazing race ended there).?
The best advice I can give for tourists is to get a daypass on the water taxi. ?It's actually pretty cheap, and it drops you off at most places you'd want to go to. ?Plus, you'd be on the intercoastal and new river all day. ?Without having to pay some tourboat operator.?
The Ft. Laud. airport is newly refurbished. ?I still get a kick out of it. ?It really is the gayest airport I've been to. ?Even the music for the baggage carousels makes me giggle. ?I really try not to use that descriptor, but it's the one that pops into my head everytime.
Where does the water taxi take you?
Would we need or want a rental car?
Augh. I wish I had planned this weeks ago - I almost tempted to go to Duluth for the weekend instead.
Thanks for all the help - regardless of where we end up going!
I need to get a passport so, we can really travel!
You may feel like you should need a passport for S FL
?I know I'm always in culture shock down there.
It's not really a walkable place, and public transport is almost nonexistant. ?If you want to see Miami or the Keys or the Everglades, you really need a car. ?If you just want to be at a hotel walking to and from the beach, you won't need it.
http://www.watertaxi.com/FortLauderdale/FLLHome.Asp
It is for tourists, but I'd say it's definitely worth it.
If I end up going, we'll have to meet up. ?My parents live fairly close to the beach, and I plan on stealing their car
?
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HaHa! We were in Miami last yr after our flight got delayed (Thanks American Airlines!
) on our way back from Puerto Rico - so, I know what you are talking about with Culture Shock! Miami was more cultural than Puerto Rico which struck me as odd.
Thanks for all your help! I got 10 times more info from you than I ever would on the travel board.
It would be funny if 2 current snowbirds met up in sunny Florida!
Let me know if you have more specific questions. ?Although it's been 10 years since I've lived down there, and a fair amount has changed, I can still probably answer most questions.
I remember going from Miami to PR. ?I spoke more spanish in the Miami airport. ?I thought it was hilarious; I have to admit my parents weren't too thrilled about that, though.
And I resent the snowbird comment! ?There's no snow here yet.?
Lucky you w/no snow! We have had just flurries but it has been freezing rain, sleet, flurries, etc all this week. Yuck.