{"id":62128,"date":"2013-05-20T18:27:04","date_gmt":"2013-05-20T16:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/?p=62128"},"modified":"2025-05-21T23:27:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T21:27:28","slug":"road-trip-through-florida-my-diary-part-2-welcome-2-miami-departure-for-key-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/?p=62128&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Road Trip through Florida \u2013 My Diary \u2013 Part 2: Welcome 2 Miami & Departure for Key West"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 1, 2013 \u2013 Rental Car Center, Miami Airport<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It was already a little after 8 p.m. when we left the airport parking garage with our rental car, packed to the roof, and drove straight into the darkness of Miami.<\/p>\n

\n

Our first time in Miami\u2014and we hit Friday evening rush hour right away… *HELP!!!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Even though I\u2019ve had my driver\u2019s license for quite a while and driving itself isn\u2019t much of a challenge for me anymore, this situation was a little different. The car was new to me, the GPS had just been switched on five minutes ago, the city was completely unfamiliar, and it was already dark outside. Not exactly the most comfortable starting point. All I wished for was to make it safely to the hotel, because I planned to figure everything out the next day\u2014calmly, in daylight, and without pressure.<\/p>\n

\"miami-bei-nacht\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From the parking garage, we went straight onto the highway \u2014 and right at that on-ramp, there were five lanes and it was rush hour. I tried to trust the GPS and let it guide me through the urban jungle, but that was easier said than done. Suddenly, there was a construction zone that wasn\u2019t marked on our navigation system. Which exit was I supposed to take? Was it the one we just passed? But that one was closed off due to the construction\u2026 and bam \u2014 we had taken the wrong exit and found ourselves at our first SunPass toll booth, which we would be seeing quite a few more times over the next three weeks.<\/p>\n

\"miami-bei-nacht-2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A slight panic set in, as there were several possible lanes at this exit. One for prepaid customers, marked \u201cSunPass Only,\u201d and another that had to be used for cash payments. Since we hadn\u2019t really looked into the toll system in Florida beforehand, I instinctively went for the cash lane and, as far as I remember, only had to cough up a dollar.<\/p>\n

After a little drive through the area \u2013 it was already dark, so not exactly ideal for sightseeing \u2013 the GPS thankfully led us back onto the highway and, after about five miles, finally to the correct exit that would take us to our hotel. At last, the long-awaited \u201cHoliday Inn Express\u201d sign came into view \u2013 and right next to it, a McDonald’s. That couldn’t be real. The first sin of the trip, right on the very first night, was within reach.<\/p>\n

Was that the entrance to the hotel? Too late<\/em> \u2013 didn\u2019t see it in time. Damn…<\/em> So I just took the next one right behind it. That should surely get me to the hotel parking lot too. Well\u2026 never celebrate too soon. It did take us close to the hotel, very close in fact, but then high curbs brought our journey to an abrupt halt just before the parking lot we had longed for.<\/p>\n

Where even were we? Upon closer inspection, we realized we had ended up in the parking lot of a business located right next to the hotel. So\u2026 kind of close, but still far. After turning around and heading back to the main road at McDonald’s, we finally made it through the proper entrance and up to the hotel. We had made it. No accidents. Okay, we got a little lost \u2013 but who cares. We were finally there.<\/p>\n

\"miamihotel\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I think it was around 9 p.m. when our journey finally reached its destination for the day. We got out of the car, and immediately the smell of burgers hit us, since the drive-thru windows weren\u2019t more than 20 meters away. Time to suppress temptation and resist the scent.<\/p>\n

The three of us \u2013 Melly, Mary, and I \u2013 unloaded the car while Kathy went into the hotel to check in. Once she signaled that she had secured the coveted key card, we moved like a weary caravan with our suitcases and trolleys into the hotel.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t say for sure, but I think I caught a surprised look from the receptionist behind the front desk as I disappeared into the elevator with the three ladies. Once we got to the room, we were pleasantly surprised at how spacious it was \u2013 especially the two beds.<\/p>\n

Three women and one man in a hotel room. What might sound like every man\u2019s dream wasn\u2019t even worth a second thought after a day like that \u2013 no energy left for any porn-worthy fantasies.<\/p>\n

\"miami-holidayinn-zimmer\"<\/a>We were all exhausted \u2013 and looked the part.
Oops, the sink and bathroom mirror were right there in the room. That was a first \u2013 not just for me.<\/p>\n

\n

Next up was the all-important question: who sleeps where, with whom, and where does everyone park their suitcase\u2014with enough space to spread out, of course.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Since Melly and Mary are best friends, it was immediately clear that they’d share a bed. \u201cWe\u2019ll take this one!\u201d they said, pointing straight at the bed near the door. \u201cOkay, Kathy, guess that means we\u2019ll take this one by the window then.\u201d
Now you\u2019re probably wondering, \u201cWait, you shared a bed with Kathy?\u201d
Yes, I shared a bed with Kathy!!! Just because you share a bed with a woman doesn’t mean there are any romantic intentions involved. Over the next three weeks, Kathy and I became a well-oiled team\u2014more like good friends, or like brother and sister when it came to sharing a bed. So, all cool!<\/p>\n

With the bed situation sorted, we dug out our adapters and finally plugged in our energy-hungry phones. Since it was already the middle of the night back in Germany, there wasn\u2019t much chatting going on with friends via Facebook or WhatsApp. But the main thing was: the phones were coming back to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s up for McDonald\u2019s?\u201d \u2013 There it was. The dreaded question I had feared would be asked today. And worst of all, it came from my own mouth.
\u201cYeah, not a bad idea,\u201d said Melly and Kathy, \u201cwe\u2019re kinda hungry again too. Just something small, of course!\u201d
Sure. \u201cSomething small.\u201d At McDonald\u2019s. Who believes that?
Mary, on the other hand, decided to go take a shower already, so the three of us snuck out alone.<\/p>\n

Just a few hours in the States and already experiencing something totally foreign to us: a burger joint called McDonald\u2019s.
And then, we saw something we didn\u2019t know from Germany\u2014something called a McFlurry Oreo<\/em>.
That night, fate took its course. I tried this dessert, with its soft vanilla ice cream and little cookie bits\u2014and it became a constant companion for the rest of the trip. No matter what I did, we somehow ended up at McDonald\u2019s nearly every single day over the next three weeks.
Why this obsession took hold, I\u2019ll explain another time. The obsession wasn\u2019t there yet\u2014but it would come.<\/p>\n

Once we were sort of full and had settled down a bit, we headed back to the hotel. Mary was already gone\u2014off in dreamland. After everyone had finally taken that much-anticipated shower, the room grew quiet and dark, with only the occasional glow of a phone screen lighting up the blackness of the night.<\/p>\n

March 2, 2013 \u2013 Holiday Inn Express, Miami<\/strong>\"holidayinn-miami\"<\/a>Ausblick aus unserem Hotelzimmer<\/p>\n

\n

A Typical American Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Our first morning in the U.S. had arrived. We were woken not by warming sunrays, but by the light slipping in through the window \u2013 not that any rays could\u2019ve fought their way through the thick cloud cover anyway. Somehow, we had pictured Florida\u2019s weather a bit differently. Instead of the Sunshine State, it looked more like \u201cIt\u2019s Raining Men.\u201d But hey \u2013 it was just Day 1 of 21, and weather-wise, anything could still happen. At least it was noticeably warmer than back in Germany.<\/p>\n

This morning also marked our first attempt at coordinating and scheduling bathroom time. Luckily, the hotel had Wi-Fi, so everyone had something to do while waiting for their turn. By 8:30 a.m., we were all fresh and ready to experience our very first American breakfast.<\/p>\n

The \u201cExpress\u201d in Holiday Inn Express<\/em> really says it all. The breakfast was pretty minimalistic and managed by one single hotel employee. Around 90% of the offerings were pre-packaged convenience food. Perfect opportunity to paint a picture of this classic American breakfast setup: There was coffee, a pancake machine (super funny \u2013 just push a button and two perfectly formed pancakes slide out on a conveyor belt), bagels, toast, cream cheese, jam, yogurt, instant juice, cornflakes, and a few other small things. At least there was a bowl with apples and bananas on the counter \u2013 the only remotely healthy-looking option.<\/p>\n

But where were the cold cuts, the ham, the slices of regular cheese?! And let\u2019s not even talk about crusty wholegrain bread \u2013 Americans love<\/em> their soft white toast. Or rather, most of them probably don\u2019t even know anything else.<\/p>\n

It was our very first morning in the U.S., and we were treated to a rather adventurous breakfast. And I mean that quite literally \u2013 it was a fascinating experience to see what exactly was served. It goes without saying that this \u201cfascination\u201d would soon wear off over the next few weeks, as this was far from the last time we\u2019d be served breakfast like this.<\/p>\n

Most important of all \u2013 and this remained a constant throughout the entire trip \u2013 was the coffee for Kathy and me. For Melly and Mary, however, it was all about the \u201cchai.\u201d They loved their tea.<\/p>\n

By the end of the trip, I couldn\u2019t bear to hear the word \u201cchai\u201d anymore. Especially the sentence Mary repeated to Melly almost daily: \u201cI\u2019m going to make myself a chai \u2013 do you want one too, Melly?\u201d<\/em> At the start of the trip, I had no clue what they were talking about. Now, I wish I still didn\u2019t \u2013 it was just way overused.<\/p>\n

With our bellies full, we packed up our stuff, used a photo I\u2019d taken the night before to help reorganize the trunk, and finally hit the road in daylight \u2013 heading for the Florida Keys.<\/p>\n

\"floridakeys\"<\/a>Our stage today \u2013 From Miami to Key West<\/h5>\n
\n

Just arrived in Florida, and we’re already heading to the famous „Keys.“<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That morning, the temperature was around 64 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 19\u00b0C), and it looked like light drizzle was in the air. Not quite the sunny weather we had hoped for, but still a good 18 to 19 degrees warmer than in Germany. At 9:30 AM, we hit an almost deserted highway, encountering only the occasional car. Let\u2019s not forget\u2014it was Saturday. What a stark contrast to the hectic, crowded traffic we had experienced here just the night before. But at least it gave me the chance to get to know the car better without stress. Seating arrangements in the SUV (a Chrysler Equinox) were now, let\u2019s say, officially settled. I was in the captain\u2019s chair\u2014uh, I mean the driver\u2019s seat (*loool), Kathy was riding shotgun, and Hanni and Nanni\u2014better known as Melly and Mary\u2014were in the child seats in the back. Since the two of them are best friends, they absolutely wanted to sit together, which of course was only possible on the back seat, where they ended up being separated the entire ride by Kathy\u2019s suitcase. A light drizzle began to dot the windshield, dashing any hope for sunshine\u2014quite literally. The drive down South Dixie Highway 55 first led us out of civilization after about 45 minutes, and then took us along a long, fenced-off, straight and rather desolate stretch of road through alligator territory, heading toward the northern part of the Florida Keys. Along the way, large signs constantly warned us not to stop\u2014or worse, get out of the car\u2014as swampy wetlands loomed just beyond the fence. We took that very seriously, and all bathroom breaks had to be postponed. I certainly didn\u2019t want to offer my little guy as lunch for a hungry gator. Then suddenly, we saw lots of water\u2014and our journey across the Florida Keys had officially begun.<\/p>\n

\"florida-keys3\"<\/a>
\nTo avoid spoiling the fun for future visitors driving across the Keys, I have to mention that for most of the journey to Key West, we never really felt like we were traveling along a narrow chain of islands. Quite often, there was no water visible to the left or right. It felt more like driving on solid mainland. And just when you got used to that feeling, a long bridge would suddenly appear, and you’d be rewarded with a breathtaking panorama over the Atlantic and endless stretches of turquoise water. It\u2019s exactly these moments that make the drive across the Keys so special after all.<\/p>\n

\"floridakeys7\"<\/a>\"floridakeys6\"<\/a>\"florida-keys\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Visiting an American supermarket shatters all known expectations: „Size Does Matter!“<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As we drove through Key Largo, the time had come \u2014 and we all instantly agreed: it was finally time to check out our first American supermarket. We needed drinks, fruit, cookies \u2014 basically everything you need to survive.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., there are three major supermarket chains: Publix<\/strong>, Winn-Dixie<\/strong>, and Walmart<\/strong>. Our first visit was to a Winn-Dixie, and looking back on the three weeks, we can say that overall, the selection doesn’t differ much between the chains.<\/p>\n

What’s far more interesting is comparing an American supermarket to a German one \u2014 that\u2019s where things get fascinating. In the U.S., almost everything comes in maxi<\/strong> or mega<\/strong> packs. Small sizes simply don\u2019t exist here. The motto is: \u201cSize does matter.\u201d<\/strong> The classic six-pack? Already outdated \u2014 now it’s all about the twelve-pack. After all, why settle for 6 cans when you can get 12?<\/p>\n

After about 25 minutes, we were all loaded up with bags and trotted back to the car. The survival pack was restocked for everyone.<\/p>\n

\"supermarkt\"<\/a>\"supermarktoreo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We were back on the road. Traveling along the Overseas Highway, we drew closer and closer to our next destination: Key West. The weather gradually improved, and the sun began peeking through the clouds more often\u2014ready to greet us in proper style.<\/p>\n

\n

A warm hello from the legendary Seven Mile Bridge. And what a hello it was…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When we reached the town of Marathon halfway along the route, we were thrilled to catch sight of one of the most iconic landmarks of this journey: the Seven Mile Bridge.<\/p>\n

\"sevenmilebridge2\"<\/a>\"floridakeys4\"<\/a>\"floridakeys5\"<\/a>\"sevenmilebidge\"<\/a>
\nIt is the longest bridge on the Overseas Highway, which connects the islands with each other. It stretches nearly 11 kilometers and lies between the islands of Vaca Key within the city limits of Marathon. The bridge gained fame through films such as True Lies<\/em>, 2 Fast 2 Furious<\/em>, and the James Bond movie Licence to Kill<\/em>. A little bit of education never hurts, right? *smile
After a quick photo stop \u2013 which you simply have to make here \u2013 we continued straight across the bridge.<\/p>\n

\"sevenmilebridge\"<\/a>\"sevenmilebidge3\"<\/a>\"sevenmilebidge2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The destination was no longer far. The mood in the car was good, the weather was improving, and everyone was excited for the upcoming three weeks. Then, after about 40 minutes, we finally saw the sign for Key West. Incredible how much traffic suddenly picked up again\u2014it didn\u2019t feel like we were on an island at all, but rather in a small American town somewhere on the mainland, maybe on the coast at best. Our hotel, just a mile away, was only briefly delayed by a stop at Wendy\u2019s\u2014to take care of some business and satisfy our hunger\u2014before we finally pulled into the parking lot in front of the reception shortly after 3 PM.<\/p>\n

How the story continues, how we spent the evening and night in Key West, and how our trip back over the Florida Keys into the Everglades went\u2026 you\u2019ll find out in the next part of my travel diary.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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March 1, 2013 \u2013 Rental Car Center, Miami Airport It was already a little after 8 p.m. when we left the airport parking garage with our rental car, packed to the roof, and drove straight into the darkness of Miami. Our first time in Miami\u2014and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1256,1299],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-stories","category-road-trip-across-florida"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.misterunique.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/floridakeysgruppe_hd.jpg?fit=1208%2C806&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6UJkf-ga4","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62128"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62130,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62128\/revisions\/62130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}