Miami & The Keys..Where to go? NGC

[John Ulrich]

I've never explored Miami or the Keys other then jumping off a cruise ship for a few hours.  Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.   ;-T

[smdl]

I strongly recommend checking out the Dry Tortugas.   Book early if you want to take the Ferry,  though,  as it sells out well in advance (months).

Cheers,
Shaun

[GearheadGrrrl]

If you're riding, by all means ride out to Key West!

[Pasta Hog]

I live near Miami. Possibly the worst place on earth to ride a motorcycle, apart from Manhattan.

There really isn't much in Miami, unless you like touristy beaches. If that appeals to you, visit South Beach. The Keys are also touristy, and the locals hate tourists. They are linked by a long road with two to four lanes, and you will probably run into delays, especially on weekends. The road is flat and pretty straight, but you do get to see the ocean. Lots of drunks and stoners in the Keys.

There are no curves or hills here. No one here can drive, so you have to be careful. They are very aggressive. Traffic is horrible. People are rude. You may have a hard time making yourself understood if you don't speak Spanish. Be careful where you go. A lot of the city is ghetto, and not the safe, picturesque kind. If you get in an accident in the ghetto, do not stop until you're out, or you stand a good chance of getting a beating.

I don't really understand why people visit. If you have a choice between Miami and the Keys, pick the Keys.

[John Ulrich]

Thanks,  I'll be in a car.

[creaky99]

I strongly recommend checking out the Dry Tortugas.   Book early if you want to take the Ferry,  though,  as it sells out well in advance (months).

Cheers,
Shaun

I'll second this one. Wife & I visited there several years ago, we still talk about it.

[pyoungbl]

John, we have camped in Key West a couple times and always enjoyed the stay.  In addition to Dry Tortugas (good recommendation), there are a few museums to visit in Key West but the most fun is simply walking the streets and stopping in the bars.  Heck, any bar that does not have a door in the doorway can't be all bad!  I'd recommend staying at least a week in Key West if only to make up for the drive from Homestead south.

Peter Y.

[ibis1]

I've never explored Miami or the Keys other then jumping off a cruise ship for a few hours.  Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.   ;-T

John, What time of year are you visiting and for how long? :BEER:

[boatdetective]

Pastahog nailed it. Miami is an angry city. Cocunut grove is bearable, but small.  The road down to Key West can be horrendous. I think the real focus of the Keys is to get out on the water. Boat ride, charter flats fishing, nature tour- all of that. You want to experience the green water through polarized lenses and the pink sunsets on the water.

[Wayne Orwig]

Last fall I started at Tybee Island in Georgia, and rode the entire Georgia and Florida coast. Florida has a lot of coastline.
On the bike, Miami sucked.
Key West is interesting, and a bit odd.
Tampa is interesting, I took the Yuengling Brewery tour of course, and spent some time in Ybor City. No plans to go back to Miami.

[ibis1]

Pastahog nailed it. Miami is an angry city. Cocunut grove is bearable, but small.  The road down to Key West can be horrendous. I think the real focus of the Keys is to get out on the water. Boat ride, charter flats fishing, nature tour- all of that. You want to experience the green water through polarized lenses and the pink sunsets on the water.

Miami is not unlike any major large US city. It has nice areas and bad areas and everything in between. It's not for everyone, which no city is. There are lots of things going on year around. October through Feburary offer very nice weather, when a lot of the country is freezing cold and buried in snow. There are lots of areas less than an hour from Miami with things to do, depending on what you like. A well planned trip can be very enjoyable. :BEER:

[RogerGuzzi]

I have been to the Keys every year for the past several years. Biking is a bust - long boring roads. Busy traffic at times. I go for the diving and stay near Islamorada or near Key Largo. It's cheaper and more laid back (less tourist if that's possible) than Key West. Key West is good for a couple of days, but the noise and crowds wear thin fast. And you need to book hotels way in advance if you're going in high season.

[bassa99]

Sunday afternoon at Alabama Jacks in Downtown Card Sound is a must any time I head to the Keys. Watch out for the dancing girls.

[Pasta Hog]

I should also add that Miami has really gone downhill over the last 5 years. The traffic is much worse than it was a short time ago. They keep building condos on top of each other, and the taxpayer-funded busywork on the roads has torn up our highways. Our mass transit system is useless and tiny.

Between NE 167th Street (several miles north of downtown) and the south end of I-95, the city is ghetto or borderline ghetto. The downtown area is nothing like Manhattan or any other real city. There is nothing to see or do. The locals leave at night, unless they are too poor to live anywhere else.

Coconut Grove is dead. People who lack the industry to go someplace more interesting still show up, but it's not like it once was. It used to be impossible to get through it on a weekend, but now the traffic is lighter because everyone is on the Beach. The Coconut Grove Playhouse has been closed for a long time. Restaurants in the Grove go bust frequently. The crowds aren't big enough to keep them going.

People who haven't been here during the last few years may not understand the current situation.

Also, there is no culture here. Not even Latin culture; that amazes me. The museums are not worth a walk across the street. If you want to hear live music, your best bet is to drive to Ft. Lauderdale, where there are some good jazz clubs.

The Thai restaurants are very good, though.

Forget Cuban food. Cubans are prosperous, so they don't work in kitchens all that much these days. They hire Salvadorans who can't cook!

[pressureangle]

All that above. Incredibly wild traffic, rude drivers, coked-up porsche pilots and fearful foreigners all trying to use roads that would confuse an astronaut.

But places to go!

South Beach, but don't bother to get out of the car. Just pass through. I prefer daytime for the architecture, but at night you get all the neon.
Coconut Grove, check local events. Sometimes you get a free concert in the park.
Coral Castle, if you like weird stuff built by weird people.

Key West, of course. The Caribbean Club from "Key Largo" is still in Key Largo as in the movie. The Shipwreck Museum is pretty cool, the Hemingway House is nice if you like Hemingway or cats with too many toes. Any bed and breakfast in KW is worth the money. We stay at The Banyan resort. Dry Tortugas and Ft. Jefferson must be seen.

And the best part, the food.
In South Beach, try Puerto Sagua. Better, go to Hialeah and try Molina's; best Cuban restaurant anywhere, ever. http://www.molinasranchrestaurant.com/
On your way to the Keys, stop in Homestead at El Toro Taco; best Mexican restaurant, anywhere, ever. http://www.eltorotacomexicanrestaurant.com/

God forbid, don't take US 1 to the Keys, from Homestead take Card Sound Road which runs east of US1 and is much more scenic and has no frickin' RVs and delivery trucks on it. It adds about 5 miles to the trip and they're worth seeing. Once in the Keys there's nothing not worth seeing. Seriously. Bahia Honda is consistently voted in the top 5 beaches in the world. The Tiki Bar in Islamorada is the biggest motorcycle spot in the keys. On the other side of the bridge is Whale Harbor; enormous all-you-can-eat for a good price seafood, all fresh. http://whaleharborrestaurant.com/

That should all last you about a month. :)

[Bill Hagan]

John, we have camped in Key West a couple times and always enjoyed the stay.  In addition to Dry Tortugas (good recommendation), there are a few museums to visit in Key West but the most fun is simply walking the streets and stopping in the bars.  Heck, any bar that does not have a door in the doorway can't be all bad!  I'd recommend staying at least a week in Key West if only to make up for the drive from Homestead south.

Peter Y.

****

Any bed and breakfast in KW is worth the money. We stay at The Banyan resort. Dry Tortugas and Ft. Jefferson must be seen.

****

My parents lived in Key West for many years -- in that two-story conch house on Fleming across from Fausto's, for those who know Old Town.

In some respects, the best thing that could happen to Key West would be for ... oh, never mind; that would be wrong to say.    >:(

I tell Kathi not to look back after hitting the city-limits sign lest she turn into a pillar of salt!  :o  The place could make Sodom and Gomorrah seem tame.  Sad, IMO, in many respects.   :'(

Now, all of that said, I know of few activities on this planet more pleasant than sipping a G&T on a Key West patio -- OFF of the main drags -- in the late afternoon and evening sunlight.  It can be a relaxing delight. 

But, as Peter Y says, one must stay a bit in Key West to get past the "Is this all there is" feeling that comes after that long (and often traffic-maddening drive.  I also concur with ps's comment about B&B's there.  Several days of doing nothing -- especially not taking part on the late-night bar scene -- will relax you in an amazing way.

I should also add that you should do your best to avoid ever driving to Key West on a Friday afternoon.  The weekenders heading to the keys and the afternoon sun could suck the fun out of you for days.  Ditto the reverse on a Sunday.

'Course, John, for a Minnesota boy, with skin no doubt as pale as a cloistered Irish nun, better make sure you are careful in that sun!   ;D

Best,

Bill

P.S.  Years ago, my then-16 YO son nearly collapsed when the young woman next to us on the beach sat up and undid her bathing-suit top.  I, of course, looked the other way.   ;)

[dilligaf]

Back in the day, a good time ago-back in the 80ies I worked several jobs in Key West and Miami. Had my bicycle, Marion had her 911 and in Key West we had the sailboat.  Haven't been back and from the sounds of the above post not all that sure I want to. But, we had a very good time and in Miami I have no idea how much we missed because we didn't speak Spanish. There is a whole lot more to the Keys than US-1.  I suspect if we were to visit we would still have a very good time and we still don't speak Spanish. If you have the time fly out to Fort Jefferson or take the ferry. Remember Dr. Mudd?  Didn't know there was a ferry.  I'd fly.  Most likely the only time you will fly on a seaplane.  ;D
Matt

[fotoguzzi]

When ya going? talk to Bones, he goes every year and is leaving again in a couple weeks via convertible..

[rocker59]

I'd like to see Key West one time.

I was invited to spend Christmas week there about 20 years ago, but didn't accept the offer.  Should have.

I know I'd hate the crowds, but it would be fun to see.

Heck, most everything east of The Mississippi is too crowded for me.   :BEER:

[dilligaf]

Ya know, I've a few health issues that should be taken care of min the next few weeks and think I'll load up the Miata with my brother and our camping gear and go.  I think it will be fun but I think we will stay away from Miami.  ~;  :BEER:
Matt 

[trippah]

If you have never done it, swimming with the dolphins on Islamoradora (sp?) can be fun.  I stayed at Marathon Key  for a week a few xmas's ago and it was fun (I love ocean fish food) and fond the driving a bore and key West fun for a short stay.  All in all, I'd love to return , mostly because fresh of the boat sea food is part of my idea of Heaven. ;D   Have fun.

[gary martin]

The Green Parrot in Key West.   ;-T

[Shorty]

Grab a couple novels by Tim Dorsey and Randy Wayne White. While fiction, they both offer good descriptions of back-road Florida historical places and roadside attractions.

[John Ulrich]

When ya going? talk to Bones, he goes every year and is leaving again in a couple weeks via convertible..

Email sent!   Earl & Dianne will be there the weekend before me.
Bill...LMAO!   We stopped off a cruise ship a decade ago for an afternoon.  I'm older and maybe wiser then to want to pub crawl there in the middle of the night!
Probably hang in Marathon for a few of nights as a "base" then head back to Miami for a night and catch a plane to the next stop.....Atlanta to see a pal'sl new penthouse on Peachtree.

[Guzzistajohn]

I spent Christmas in Key West one time, maybe 1995. I was pretty fun. We spent one afternoon out on a peer behind a swanky hotel where some women were swimming and sunbathing topless. My buddy Chris and I had about a dozen Myers and Cokes each and decided we'd better get back to the KOA ;D Chris said "I'll get the drinks" later I thanked him and he told me he had just put a room number on our bill. I was suprised at the number of gay people on Key West (not that there's anything wrong with that) It was worth the drive.

[samfrank]

We've been to KW at least a dozen times but not in over ten years, at least. Had some serious fun there but those days are gone. I remember some really fine restaurants there. As far as the Gay population, they swarmed to KW back in the late 70's and 80's. It was a place they could live in the open and not be discriminated against. Once the cruise ships started docking there more and more and multitude of Tee shirt shops opening up many moved up to Fort Lauderdale.

[blackcat]

The last time I was in KW was 1974.....sounds like it changed a bit since then as it sure was sleepy and not too populated back then.

[Pasta Hog]

If you stay on the Turnpike you can pretty much bypass Miami. Or you can take 27 straight to Krome Avenue, which is somewhat less boring than the big highways.

If you take that route, you can visit the Knaus Berry Farm in Redland and pass twenty amusing minutes at Robert is Here. The farm is run by Mennonites, and they have a great bakery. The cinnamon rolls are worth standing in line for. Robert is Here is just plain bizarre. They sell different kinds of honey, and they have animals out back. I once witnessed an attempted rape by a large tortoise. Until that day, I had no idea they could yell.

http://www.robertishere.com/

Key West is fun for 2-3 days. Less, if you don't like bars. See the Hemingway house. Then go to Captain Tony's and feel superior to the other tourists because it's the "real" Sloppy Joe's.

Do NOT pee outdoors. The cops make a lot of money off of that.

Fishing is good if the weather cooperates. Fishing on the flats is less aggravation than going out in the ocean. Smaller fish, but also smaller waves.

Florida is carry-friendly, so don't try to get macho with anybody.

[Thunderbutt]

John- if you are in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area this weekend,  Dania Beach is hosting the 9th annual Vintage Motorcycle Show on Saturday, 1/31/15. its going to be in a city park located at 300 NE 2nd St, Dania Beach.  This years marquee is the Harley Sportster but there will be other makes and models there too.   Several of us are going to ride down from the St. Pete/Clearwater area. 

Jerry

[dilligaf]

"Florida is carry-friendly, so don't try to get macho with anybody."

That's right.  They shoot you for shits and giggles in Florida. I'd forgotten about that.  A very good reason to stay away.  ::(
Matt