March/April 1998
Updated as of April 27, 1998
I am now enjoying Miami Beach (South Beach to be exact). I like it here a lot, just as I did when I visited in Nov. I love the vibe of this area. there's a lot of energy and fun. Great beaches for the day, restaurants, nightclubs, etc for the evening. I have come to the conclusion that I was born to live here in a condo on the beach and drive a convertible Mercedes. I think that I may like it because it reminds me of parts of Los Angeles. Ocean Drive is THE place to be on a Friday night. Washington Ave also has its share of fun as well. I don't recommend driving in Miami Beach, as parking is almost impossible. There is a free shuttle that takes you down Washington from 5th to 17th. Other than that, there is good public transportation that will serve your needs. However, the internet access at the Miami/Miami Beach public libraries is VERY VERY slow on the rare occasion that the system is actually working. Don't waste your time using it.
I am still travelling with one of the
same people. Chris stayed for 2 days and left for Tennessee to meet a friend (and find Elvis) and Taka left after 4 days
for St Augustine. Darren and I will stay here for a few more days and then
probably go in different directions also. That's okay....it’s part of the fun of travelling (meeting people, hanging out, learning about where they're from, parting ways, and then meeting up again in the future).
Updated as of April 21, 1998
Next stop on the Florida leg of my USA Tour was St Augustine. It is American's oldest city, founded in 1565. I spent 4 days there. There is so much to see and do!!!! The city was a Spanish
settlement, so most of the buildings are Spanish style. there also is an old
fort that you can tour. Parking is a mess in St Augustine, so it is best to
just rent a bike and peddle along.
While I was in St Augustine, I met up with 3 people to travel with. Don, from
Atlanta, and Peter and Carl, 2 brothers travelling the states from
Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. We loaded up Don's van and headed off to see
Mickey Mouse.
Next stop was Orlando. We stayed in a campground in Kissimmee, which is
actually closer to DisneyWorld than Orlando. We went to the Magic Kingdom,
my first time to Disneyworld, the Magic Kingdom. After having been to Disneyland in California, I thought it would be cool to see what the other one was like.
Well, I was impressed. It was much bigger than the one on Anaheim. We did
a lot of the standard rides (Space Mountain, Small World, Splash Mountain,
Pirates of the Caribbean), and also did the Alien Encounters ride. All of
it was great. I wish we would have had time (and money)to also go to EPCOT.
From there, we headed down to the Florida Keys. We camped at Big Pine Key
for a couple of days, at the Bahia Honda State Park. We just kind of relaxed
on the beach and chilled out. We saw many of the endangered species, the
Key Deer, as they searched through our trash and ate any and all food that
was left out at night.
Next, we headed to Key West. The others only stayed for one day. Don
headed back to St Augustine to meet up with his mom, and then they headed
back to Atlanta. The Brits were off to New Orleans. I had a lot of fun
travelling with all 3 of them.
Key West..ahhhh..what more do I need to say...It's the same beautiful, tropical
Island it was when I was there in November. However, I could not find anyplace
on the Island that has public internet access. Not even the public library!!!!! (so, I am WAY behind on my email). So, what did I do in Key West??? Just the usual..watched the sunset, enjoyed the beach, rode bikes around the island, etc. I even saw a (legal) Drag Race right down Duval St. Actually, when I give it more thought, I realize that it was kind of nice not having internet access anyplace.
In Key West, I did meet up with some others to travel with. I am, for now,
travelling with Chris, Darren (Australians) and Taka (from Japan).
Updated as of April 20, 1998
I am now touring Florida. I have been to Tallahassee, St Augustine, Orlando,
Big Pine Key, Key West, and am now in Miami Beach.
I stopped in Tallahassee on the way to St Augustine,. It is the capital of
Florida. It is different than I expected. It is very woodsy. It is a small
city, but very nice. I saw the State Capital and some of the other
monuments.
Updated as of April 4, 1998
I am now in New Orleans again. I love this
place. it is addictive. There is a lot to do and see. I love hanging out at
Jackson Square on the weekends watching the street performers (mimes, jugglers,
artists, musicians). I love doing Karaoke at the Cat's Meow. I (kind of) like
learning more about southern history. I don't like, however, being called a
"Yankee" (southerners still use for anyone that is not from the
South. The correct usage was for anyone that is from what
was called a "free" (meaning no slaves) state). Some southerners also think that
the Civil War was really the War of Northern Aggression. Go figure.
Updated as of March 28, 1998
I spent some of March enjoying the white sand beaches of South Mississippi.
I was in the Biloxi/Gulfport area. There are miles and miles of beautiful beaches
that open onto the Gulf of Mexico. It is a very nice area and also has "southern
charm". By that, I mean that it is not all condos on the beach. There are some
old Southern mansions across the main road from the beach that give it a quaint
feeling. It's very nice here. It's all very different for me, as I have never
been to this part of the country before.