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With acknowledgements to
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The most popular US State for the British in recent years has been Florida, and as we have travelled quite extensively in Florida, I will restrict my review of the U.S.A. to this one very popular destination. This part of the States juts so far south it nearly reaches the tropics. Almost 400 miles long and some 130 miles wide, this sun-drenched peninsular is so fringed by offshore islands, that its total coastline is practically trebled. The climate has enticed everyone, from multi-millionaires to pensioners on a tight budget and refugees fleeing the arctic winters of Canada and the United States.
Of course one of the main attractions has been the proliferation of theme parks by the King of them all, Disney! Orlando and Kissimmee are the main centres for tourists with young families who flock to Disney World, and if this is NOT your scene, then avoid Easter, the English Summer school holidays, and from a purely weather point of view, late August through to November. There is quite a lot of the year left when you can enjoy all that Florida has to offer without being swamped by squalling kids, hordes of wrinklies escaping the Winter blues (quite literally!!) from the North and the threat of being blown inside out in the hurricane season! There is also a lot more to see and do in Florida than Disney. Sea-World with its spectacular display by killer whales is a must, as is Universal Studios. My advice for both is go early, and go round the opposite way to the main stream of visitors. That way you will reach at least a third if not half of the attractions before the main hordes arrive and the large queues build up. Allow at least a day for each, don`t try to see too much at one go, and take advantage of the refreshment bars, it`ll be hot, and most likely humid, so pace yourself. Another very worthwhile attraction is the Kennedy Space centre. Take the Red Bus Tour which includes the gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building (520ft), a huge Saturn rocket and Mission Control. The IMAX films shown on five-storey high screens is the ultimate in 3D effects, and you really do feel that you are part of the action, with the special specs. you wear. One of the lesser publicised attractions but nevertheless well worth a visit, (and extend this to include an evening out), is Church Street Station in downtown Orlando. Arrive at some of the bars about 6 pm and pay $3 for a special beaker and have it filled as many times as you like for 10 cents a go with beer until 8 o`clock! Whilst taking in all around you, appreciate the jazz and other live music that is to be enjoyed at this very lively location. The place absolutely buzzes with atmosphere, and there are examples there of Old Time Music Hall, Can-Can girls on the bar tops, Jazz Bands, and rock and roll tribute bands and generally something to please everybody. Further south around Fort Lauderdale, take the opportunity to travel the inland waterways aboard an old Paddle Steamer, and admire the huge mansions that line the water routes. Here, everyone travels by boat of some description or another. I rather liked the story told to us aboard the steamer of a millionaire who acquired a waterside property so that he could admire the view. He spent upwards of $8 million to do this and then acquired an enormous yacht to supplement this which he then moored in front of his vast property. However, it was so large it completely blocked his view!!
Fort Lauderdale is also a good jumping-off point to explore the Everglades. Unfortunately the “glades” are decreasing annually with increased development and unless urgent steps are taken soon, there is a danger the whole ecological balance will be irreparably damaged. Whilst we were there we took an air-boat drive, which is truly exhilarating as the craft skims over the reeds and the shallow open waters at about 25 knots. We were told by our driver that 20 years ago it was some 25 to 30 miles from his home to the nearest store for supplies. Now the stores are right on his doorstep and it only takes about 5 minutes because of the developments during this time. He said that at election time all the politicians promised to do something to protect the Everglades, but after each election, nothing ever happened and he rarely, if ever, saw them again!! Until the next election! It is a sobering thought that just 70-80 years ago all this land was a wilderness with tiny pockets of population struggling to make a living. Now, just about everywhere you look it is one vast urban sprawl. For a more relaxing holiday, with less commercialisation, I would strongly recommend the Gulf West coast, from Tarpon Springs ( north of Clearwater) down the string of islands to the south as far as Fort Myers. Madeira Beach is pretty much central to this area and is very handy to visit Clearwater, Tampa, St.Petersburg and Sarasota. The beaches are fantastic: silver white fine sand with clear deep blue sea, and sunsets to die for each evening. We found that the Holiday Inn on Treasure Island offered the best panoramic view being one of the tallest buildings around at about 9 floors, and with a completely different sunset each night! The food was good too! As I said in my introduction, the U.S.A. is definitely one place at least where you should pre-book your hire car before you leave home. Be wary of fly/drive deals. Usually only the very basic insurance is included in the price and to get proper protection will involve the outlay of several hundred dollars at the airport on arrival. You will get a better deal by booking BEFORE you go, but it is VERY IMPORTANT that you have full insurance cover to avoid being made bankrupt in the event of an accident. SEE TIPS AND ADVICE FOR MORE COMPLETE COVER. The Americans are very litigious people, and will sue for damages at a drop of a hat, or as is more likely, at the mere mention of a car-shunt! Watch out too for petrol (gas) prices. The price displayed is BEFORE State tax which in Florida averages around 7%, so as in the shops this tax has to be added to the price you see on the tag or sale sign. Nevertheless they only pay a third of what we do, but they still complain at the high cost! One of the myths we found was that clothes were supposed to be cheap in the States. They may well be at the special Shopping Outlets, such as at Ellenton near Bradenton (turning off Route 75) that here we would call, Factory Shops, but generally speaking, their clothes were all more expensive than in England and the only real bargains we found were CD`s at the same price in $`s as we would pay in £`s, and of course petrol(gas)! January/February is a really good time to go to Florida, although in a lot of resorts this is high season and charges for accommodation reflect this. But it`s not too hot, it is generally dry and far removed from the hurricane season. I was surprised to find the Americans were so observant of the speed limit, at all times. We rarely saw anyone “putting the pedal to the metal”! If it said 25 miles per hour or 35 miles an hour then that is what the traffic all travelled at, there were no slow coaches either. Of course if you`re caught speeding at either road works or a School Area (where it is reduced to 15 mph) then any fine is doubled or trebled, so it must work as a deterrent. Watch out too for School buses with their extending arms and strobe lights. It is absolutely forbidden to overtake these when the bus is stopped and these are showing!!! The way urban sprawl seems to “waste” so much land astonished me. A Bank or Burger Bar would be situated slap bang in the middle of an enormous plot, with perhaps as much as 50-100 yards each side to its next-door neighbour. It meant that although most of the land from Clearwater to Sarasota is built on, none of it is as crowded as development is here. I always think the test of a destination for a holiday is whether you would go back there again. Well, yes please, I would, and I would like to make it soon, there`s an awful lot more to see. The trouble is I have yet to see much of the other 49 States! |