Photo TR: Bas does Florida and the East Coast Tour

[hyyyperHard Rock hyyyper]

Florida Day 1 - Miami Beach
Florida Day 2 - Key West
Florida Day 3 - Driving Upstate
Florida Day 4 - Everglades
Florida Day 5 - Busch Gardens Tampa
Florida Day 6 - Kennedy Space Center
Florida Day 7 - Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom
Florida Day 8 - Hollywood Studios and EPCOT
Florida Day 9 - Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida

East Coast Day 1 - Sesame Place and Coney Island
East Coast Day 2 - Six Flags New England, Quassy and Lake Compounce
East Coast Day 3 - Six Flags New England and Rye Playland
East Coast Day 4 - Six Flags Great Adventure
East Coast Day 5 - Six Flags America
East Coast Day 6 - Busch Gardens Europe
East Coast Day 7 - Kings Dominion
East Coast Day 8 - Morey's Piers and Clementon
East Coast Day 9 - Hersheypark
East Coast Day 10 - Dorney Park and Six Flags Great Adventure
East Coast Day 11 - Knoebels



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warning, although the trip consist mostly of themeparks, the first days me and my dad behaved like regular tourist. Don't worry, from day 5 we did the themeparks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hyyyper goes to the USA
Florida Day 1 - July 28
Miami Beach

Today was finally the day! The start of the best three weeks of my life, The Florida and East Coast Trip. We had get up quite early and get my dad and me to go from the quiet rural village of Grashoek, The Netherlands to the Brussels Airport.

American Airlines AA6423 left without any problems and after our short lay-over in London we were en-route for Miami. Because of the early departure it wasn't hard to sleep most of the time, but for some vague reason the captain wouldn't jump to hyperspeed, which made the flight still last ten and half hours.

After the long flight we arrived at Miami International Airport. Without any problems we got through customs and headed for the rental cars office. We had booked a 'compact', because there was only two of us and we
only had 2 suitcases, yet the clerk was trying to get us to update the package to a 'comfort'. We told him a 'compact' was large enough and we soon found out why he was so insistent on getting us a 'comfort'. As we
walked up the parking lot where the 'compacts' should be, there weren't any. Which meant we got a bigger car for free!

The first stop on our way to hotel would be an electronics store to get our new camera. Because of the low dollar it saved my 90 dollars if I would have bought it back in the Netherlands. The second stop was to drive by those neat villa's you always see in CSI:Miami. I must say that if I ever get a gazillion dollars somewhere, I'd totally buy myself a house or two over there.

Eventually we got to our hotel, The Starlite. It was right on Ocean Drive, which basically meant that if you went sleepwalking, you'd have a great chance of drowning yourself in the nearby ocean. The hotel wasn't that
great, but the location and cheap prize made up for that. We spend the evening walking north on the beach, took a left into Miami Beach, ate something (cheeseburger for me, obviously), and walking back to the hotel.

I was amazed by how calm Miami Beach was. Having only been to New York before, it was a very different experience not to see the sidewalks crowded and taxi's rushing over the crossings. Ocean Drive was beautifully lit at night. I really enjoyed walking trough the beachside park at night. Hotels on one side, the beach on the other and palm trees above you.

[JumboshrmpI'm a hammerhead shark!]

Awesome, it's so cool to see places that are no big deal to me as vacation destinations. It's really fun driving on the beach. I like the picture from the airplane too, it would be awesome if more people posted those.

I look forward to reading more, and I'll be watching this thread for updates.

[Dragon KhanWhen I grow up, I want to breed donkeys!]

Bas, you showed me some AWSOME pics on the bus rides... If all your pics equal the close up of SROS ( wheels off the track on an airtime hill ) I can't wait to see the others...

[KerryBWhen I grow up, I want to breed donkeys!]

Bas, I am so looking forward to the full post of your adventures! (He really does have some awesome pics in line to be posted, so keep an eye out for this one.) Maybe even an occasional, boring, old moon?

I was able to visit South Beach on a day trip once after a cruise. I really would like to go spend some time there as well. I love all of the art deco architecture. If the Starlite is reasonable, I may keep it in mind!

Good start Bas, I'll anxiously await more updates! KerryB

[hyyyperHard Rock hyyyper]

hyyyper goes to the USA
Florida Day 2 - July 29
Key West

Today we were going to leave behind the beaches of Miami and head out to the far south of Florida, Key West. After the long, yet beautiful drive over the Overseas Highway we arrived at Key West. We boarded a catamaran (two-hulled sailboat) and headed west. Unfortunatly we didn't go I far as I had hoped. Basically, the captian was sailing up and
down the water, only half a mile from the Key. The first part of the sunset was absolutely beautiful, but a clould blocked the sun the second part of it's descend, which was kind of a letdown.

Back on land, we walked into the town and (by chance?) found a Hard Rock Cafe. Which meant that the diner would yet again consist of cheeseburgers. After a delicious meal we went back to the hotel to get the nessecary sleep for next day's drive to the Everglades.

[KerryBWhen I grow up, I want to breed donkeys!]

^Sunset II and III are absolutely gorgeous! Sunset I was ok...the sky should have tried a little harder for you on that one..

[hyyyperHard Rock hyyyper]

hyyyper goes to the USA
Florida Day 3 - July 30
Driving Upstate

This day was one the least interesting of the whole trip. We would be driving from
Key West back to Miami and then onto Everglades City. The ride itself took 5 hours,
add a couple rest stops and you'll driving 7 hours.

When we reached the everglades, I was suprised by how dead it was. I tought the
Everglades were a tourist attraction in Florida, but the place was dead. Perhaps
it was the time of the year (which I doubt because it was the end of july) or
everybody is afraid of the mosquitos (which is very plausible, damn bugs).

The hotel on the other hand was very cool, they had the entire placed fenced of with fly
screens and double doors. Even the pool had a fly-screen cover over it. And it was
so good to be free of those bugs.

[Kalepi_KoneiI think the Title Fairy is a virgin]

Looks sweet, and honestly you never here anyone talk about the everglades and how they went there and how fun they were. It's more of a tourist thing, even I have never been, and I live only a few hours away. Anyways hope you have/had fun in Florida, my home state!

[ElToroExtremeResident MINI Enthusiast]

Very nice Bas I cant wait to see all your pictures!

[ernierockerWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

I knew you were going to Florida before the trip, but I assumed it was just the amusement parks. Some really cool pics so far. Also, great idea to wait until you got to the U.S. to buy a camera.

Looking forward to more updates.