There are strong opinions across Britain
about what is suitable clothing for people of a certain age and physique when
riding a bicycle; the same discussions could be extended for riding a
motorcycle. Whenever the topic comes up, I always think of our journey into
town from Miami airport behind a lady of considerable proportions riding a
Harley Davidson. She was huge, and proud of it. The weather, as one might
expect in Florida during August, was beautifully warm and sunny. That clearly
influenced her decision to confine her lower garments to a simple G-String and
high-heels, allowing her ample tanned buttocks to droop low either side of the
seat. “Welcome to Miami” goes the song – that was the start of it.
Normally a meticulous researcher of our
destinations, our planning for Miami was non-existent. The visit resulted from
a brief conversation that as we had to change planes there in the way to
Belize, that we had both enjoyed Miami Vice as kids ourselves, and so we may as
well stay a week and have a look around. We had never taken the children to
America before, and it seemed worth stopping a while to experience the food and
anything else that we might enjoy together. So it wasn’t until we started to
flick through a guide book on the way, which stressed the hedonistic,
body-beautiful, anything-goes culture; that we questioned whether this was the
ideal family destination. The welcoming sight of our friend on the Harley was
very funny for the children, but a little more concerning for us.
We soon found that these were the crazy
thoughts of over-worried parents. Miami is stunning. The spectacular art deco
buildings lining the long South Beach make a beautiful scene. The American
concept of service and friendliness enabled us to take sand-coated children into
the most spectacular hotel foyers in the world for a quick pee. The shops on
Lincoln Road were outstanding for a casual wander, quite different to the
car-ridden stereotype of American malls. The appropriately named Books &
Books was such a lovely combination of books and café that we spent half a day
here, foolishly loading ourselves up with a huge pile of literature to carry
around for the next month.
And then there’s the Everglades. Just a
short ride out of town with one of the numerous tour groups takes us into a
spectacular area of natural wilderness. The organisation is excellent – off the
bus and onto the airboats, where the guides steer you through the water
channels pointing out the rather numerous grinning alligators swimming
alongside. This was followed by a remarkably interactive and entertaining talk
from one of the naturalists showing us the Alligators close up, as well as
scorpions and bullfrogs amongst various other slightly disconcerting creatures.
It hadn’t occurred to me before that eating
with kids in America was so easy. The boys (then 8 and 10) had wisely perused
the area through google maps in advance and sniffed out mega pizza across the
road and various burger joints. But nowhere is off limits and all food is a
child’s dream. The final day saw us in a traditional American diner for
breakfast, the children amazed that we could have pancakes with syrup for
breakfast, and by just how tall a pancake stack actually is!
Miami is so much more than a stopover to
somewhere else, the situation along the beach is stunning, the architecture
outstanding, and the people are welcoming. Definitely a destination to return
and explore more thoroughly.
