Driving from Florida Keys to Fort Lauderdale (Miami, Orlando: home, construction)

[sk071077]

I was on a job on big pine key which is a good 1/2 hour south of marathon I believe we used to go for any where from 3- 5 days at a time most of the time. I live in hollywood which is 1/2 hour south of ft.lauderdale airport so the overall distance is about the same. I used to take the turnpike and my average drive time was 3 hrs. Believe it or not at least 1 time I commuted there and back in 1 day. Left at 6 and got home around 11. One time I know I made the drive in 2 1/2 hours... but I averaged 90 mph.

I see enough rebel flags around in broward. Youd be fine in the keys. There are plenty of areas in miami and some in broward it wouldnt matter what you wear you dont want to go to. There are dangerous areas in south florida. The beach is generally safe but never leave things for people to steal because there is always a chance.

I personally think anyone who would wear a rebel flag shirt or put one on their truck or whatever is an ...hmmm.....lets just say I dont agree with what it symbolizes.

Enjoy your trip!

[Nolefan34]

sk071077>

I'm not condoning the rebel flag, but it is simply just a staple of the culture in the south. Its really no different than a Cuban hanging a flag from the rear-view mirror driving around Miami. Having lived in the south, I can tell you from first hand experience. Just because someone wears a rebel flag t-shirt or has bumper stickers on their truck doesn't mean they're racist or biggots. I've met plenty of people like that and they are some of the least racist people you'll meet. Granted there are plenty of racists too, but I'm just saying there is little connection between sporting a rebel flag and being a racist these days. So don't fault Tom. I'm sure he's a nice guy, he just grew up in a different culture where that is the norm as opposed to the exception.

By the way, there are parts of Miami-Dade where you will see lots of rebel flags. Drive through Homestead. That place is just as southern as Montgomery, Alabama. Also, Davie and Southwest Ranches you will see a good number of rebel flags on trucks.

[Danbo1957]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

Just because someone wears a rebel flag t-shirt or has bumper stickers on their truck doesn't mean they're racist or biggots.

Yes it does - the point of wearing the rebel flag t-shirt is to rub your racism in the faces of other people, knowing that you are safe to do so. Trying wearing that rebel flag t-shirt in any inner city black neighborhood - go ahead and yell to the mob encircling you that you're not racist...

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by StilltheSame

From the Keys to FLL - I would plan for 5 hours for a comfortable ride and a couple of stops. I would however considering spending the night in FLL - get a place by the beach - which is so different than the beaches in the Keys and then have a quick ride to the airport.

We will be spending 3 nights in Fort Lauderdale and going to FLL beach or Lauderdale by the Sea which looks pleasant from guide books, and also Miami Beach and the art deco historic district. Probably will not do the clubbing thing is Miami, my style of nightlife is more of a local neighorhood pub or sports bar not fancy discos and large dance floors. I have a feeling the Keys will be the highlight of our trip though just because of the island feeling. The Overseas Highway also is a legendary road and one of the iconic drives in America much like Route 66 or the Pacific Coast HIghway.

We thought about flying to Miami but my home airport has much cheaper as well as much more frequent flights to FLL, also I've been to Miami International once in 1999 and it was messy and crowded, we actually had to check into our flight outdoors and half the escalators were broken not to mention the long walking distances (i was hoping they would have an underground shortcut like Chicago or Cleveland but I walked something like 2 miles indoors), I've heard from many people that FLL is much more manageable.

I booked a 5:30PM flight out of Fort Lauderdale Airport and we plan on leaving Marathon around 10AM or so if we can get up. We'll be taking more time driving down to Marathon from Fort Lauderdale mostly likely just taking the Florida Turnpike if that's the quickest and easier drive with the least traffic and interchanges. I hear South Florida drivers are very aggressive especially because of retirees from New York, I hope the freeways are well designed. I've driven all over the country and some places like DC have very aggressive drivers but other places like St. Louis I've found hard to drive in because of how the freeways are built and the signage and the merging involved.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Sounds interesting that Homestead still maintains a Southern feel, that's the scene I grew up around in Louisiana until I was in high school, here in Maryland that exists but its by no means statewide anymore and has diminished over the past decade or so as more people move here and younger people are influenced by mass media. Is Homestead/Florida City a good place to stop on the way to and from the Keys in terms of stopping for food and gas, which I assume would be cheaper than in the islands themselves. Any good local, country-style restaurants that's popular? Definitely something I always seek out on trips South.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Tom, Homestead is not Louisiana. I spent a lot of time there and I'm very familiar with the area. Popeyes or Golden Corral is as southern as it gets there. You won't feel like Louisiana, homestead is just homestead better known for its large Mexican farming population. It also has a large black population which might not be as humble as those from Louisiana.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Finally whats the overall culture of the Keys like? Is it Southern culture, a lot of Cuban and Latin American influence, or mostly retirees and transplants from other parts of the country?

And regarding safety, I've read here that its best to avoid leaving the Turnpike in between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, how about around Homestead or Florida City? Is the southern portion of Miami-Dade County relatively safe or is it best to get food/gas etc in Key Largo?

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

To me it's full of tourists. It's beautiful though Especially Marathon.

About stopping I don't know, I guess you can stop in key largo and have fresh seafood but that would be kind of early. In homestead you are going to find a lot of chain restaurants like red lobster, chillies, olive garden on exit 2 of the turnpike. There are some Mexican restaurants in the area. Homestead has high crime but it wouldn't be unsafeduribg the day. It's maily business robberies and home burglaries. In Miami you can find Latin food.

I'm not sure what kind of restaurants you are looking for, but for sure we don't have any famous southern cuisine. The keys food is very similar to the islands, Like Bahamas, not southern.

The only authentic southern food I have Eaten was cooked at home by some African Americans friends. I think it's a shame that no one really promotes that here. I guess because many have left, and the few remaining really don't interact much with transplants or immigrants.

[Tom Lennox 70]

...but I have indeed heard before that in Florida if you get into an accident you are responsible for the first $10,000 in damages even if the accident is not your fault. Good thing I'm renting a car and buying some insurance.

Is the majority of Route 1 through the Keys two lanes or only in certain portions? My real concern for the last day is not having to wake up too early in Marathon and not getting stuck either in tourist traffic in the Overseas Highway or rush hour on the mainland.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

It's one lane but it has frequent passing zones where it becomes 2 lanes. You won't be stuck with a slow driver for long, and you really shouldnt use the against traffic lane to pass. It's an easy road to drive, as long as there are no accidents or construction work. I think the worst I had was a half an hour delay during a Friday night. We parked and turn off the engine like for 15 minutes. They had some construction going on and had one of the lanes closed.