Visiting the Biltmore

 

On our last day in Miami we visited the famous Biltmore-Miami hotel which offers tours on Sundays http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_Gables_Biltm 

           

It is one of the “jazz era” hotels built by the renowned New York architects Schultze and Weaver who also built the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York among several others. During its heyday there were special trains named “Biltmore Special” that brought northeastern guests to the hotel.

                                  

Quite a few years ago we visited Miami and went to Coral Gables. We couldn’t help noticing this tall structure that we were drawn to, but we were quickly turned back by a security guy in a suit and tie. That was during the time that the Biltmore was empty and in disrepair, but fortunately it has been saved and now operates as a hotel once again and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. Only three percent of historical buildings qualify for that designation.

       

We had a knowledgeable guide and were very fortunate that on the day we were there the 15th floor suite was unoccupied.  The guide had carded elevator access to the three bedroom suite on the fifteenth floor. The views to the south looking over the golf course and to the north towards Miami were spectacular. No point in asking the nightly rate of the suite!

                               

 

		Miami Biltmore at Coral Gables VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Zoo Miami

 

We spent Saturday at Zoo Miami adjacent to our RV park, Larry and Penny Thompson Park. Zoo Miami has grown over the years and the loop is three miles around. We decided to rent a four wheel Safari Cycle which would offer sun/rain protection and give us a place to store our stuff. 

        

                                                                                                                                                  The highlight of the day was seeing Irene feed a giraffe (click to play video).

Irene Feeds giraffe

The chimps and gorillas were also quite entertaining.  The primates liked to swing along the rope between trees.     

                            

      

And of course, the king of the jungle looked down on everyone from his “throne”!

                     

But we thought the strangest looking creature was the okapi, native to a rain forest in the Congo.  While its legs look like a zebra’s, it is most closely related to the giraffe.  How do you like those “socks”?

                     

Biking Key Biscayne

 

Key Biscayne is a great place to ride and the name is very familiar from the Richard Nixon era. Indeed, Nixon’s helipad still exists on the island. We parked at Key Biscayne village and rode north to Crandon Park. We were puzzled by the enormous parking lot until we learned that Crandon was formerly the location of the Miami Zoo. There was a nice beach there that we rode along, and we had a good view of downtown Miami.

              

              

We rode back to the village and had a really pleasant lunch at Sushi Siam restaurant. The air conditioning felt really good and we re-hydrated ourselves on the ice water. The dragon roll and masaman curry were great.

After lunch we headed south to Cape Florida State Park where we checked out the light house. As we left Key Biscayne we stopped for another view of the Miami skyline.  All in all it was a great day of biking.

                                                           

                     

South Beach (without the Diet)

 

On Thursday we went to Miami Beach to South Pointe Park to bike and check out the famous art deco hotels.  South Pointe Park is located where the ship channel enters the Atlantic Ocean, so it is a good place to see cruise ships.

                

                

Some of the art deco hotels we saw include the Savoy, the Barbizon, the Bentley, the Park Central, the Beacon, the Colony, and the Cardozo.

                

                

We also saw the Versace mansion where Gianni Versace was shot to death on the front steps. We ended our ride with a late lunch at Monty’s overlooking the cruise ship channel.

                

Miami Nice

We had a great visit in Miami having good weather and staying on the go the entire time. On Wednesday (1/26) we went to the Coconut Grove area and visited the Fairchild Tropical Gardens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Tropical_Botanic_Garden, one of the world’s best tropical gardens featuring palms, cycads, flowering trees and shrubs, vines and fruit trees.  
               
We arrived in the morning and spent a couple of hours in the garden and took the guided tram tour.  A number of sculptures adorn the gardens including  “Icon” (below) and other flower sculptures by Will Ryman
 
                 
                               
Then we biked Old Cutler Road about four miles into Coconut Grove
                 
where we had lunch at the Jaguar Restaurant which we had seen reviewed on a Miami public TV program called “Check Please South Florida.” The Jaguar is known for its cerviche dishes, but we chose the ahi tuna sandwich and chicken and cheese quesadillas.
    
After lunch we continued biking north and came upon a big marina, and to our surprise we also found there the Miami City Hall. Frankly, the building looked like an airport terminal. We asked a local, and sure enough this building originally was the Pan Am Clipper Ship Terminal where flying boats provided service to South America.
               
               
The marina office had old photographs of the terminal and the flying boats.
                  
     
We biked back to Fairchild and spent more time in the gardens and saw the three glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly including “End of DayTower.”                                
                                        

Key West Sights

 

Looking through our photos from Key West, it became apparent that we needed one last post for a few “Key West sights” – those things that distinctly say KEY WEST!

                 

                                                             

                

 

                 

                                      

    

          

                      

Sandcastle on the beach at the Casa Marina Hotel

Centennial of Overseas Railroad to Key West

 

A nice serendipity of our visit to Key West this year is that it coincided with the centennial celebration of the arrival in Key West of Flagler’s Overseas Railroad.  The Key West Extension of the railroad from Miami was fraught with a multitude of challenges including a couple of significant hurricanes, but it still was finished a year ahead of expectations.  Prior to the railroad, travel to Key West was by boat only, and the arrival of the train was welcomed enthusiastically. 

                                    

Key West History Museum (formerly the Custom House)

The centennial celebration, recalling this enthusiasm, began with a parade followed by a ceremony on the steps of the Key West History Museum (the former Customs House) at which “Henry Flagler” (an impersonator) addressed the crowd.  After a ribbon cutting, the museum opened for their new exhibit “Flagler’s Speedway to Sunshine,” an excellent exhibit featuring a re-created Florida East Coast railcar, a replica of a section of the Seven Mile Bridge, vintage footage of the journey from the Middle Keys to Key West and a film recounting Flagler’s story and the arrival of the first train.  We especially enjoyed the film showing the train arriving in 1912.

                 

                 

                 

                                   

“Henry Flagler” cuts ribbon to open the museum’s centennial exhibit.

After the 1935 hurricane the railroad was closed because there was so much damage to the tracks, but the railroad bed and bridges were converted to a highway.  All of the old railroad bridges were replaced  by 1980, but sections of many of these old bridges are maintained as fishing bridges.  Also, the bridge to Pigeon Key where we bicycled in Marathon (see Jan. 10 post – En Route to Key West) is a section of the old original Seven Mile Bridge converted from the railroad bridge.  Part of it is also seen in the photo below, taken through our windshield as we drove north approaching Marathon.