Florida - The Plastic State
December 28 - January 6, 2005/2006 (United States)
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| Prior to going to Florida, all I knew about the state is that it serves as a big retirement home for old Americans. It is also big tourist attraction, and in the 1980s the state hosted the Miami Vice television series. I had heard of the Everglades National Park, but apart from that, I was pretty blank. What stunned me when visiting was how big the tourism industry really is, and Disney World is far from being the only amusement park. To cut to the chase, there were two good rides at the Epcot Center, namely "Mission: SPACE" (famous due to a couple people dieing on the ride) and "Soarin" (a somewhat free-flying hang gliding adventure across California). | Apart from "Soarin" and "Mission: SPACE", Disney Epcot consists of what appears to be some crappy rides from the 1970s. In addition, Disney Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) contains the World Showcase, which recreates 11 countries to the great amusement of Americans that have never been outside their own country. The above picture is from the Norwegian part, which apparently is fully financed by the Norwegian government. Hopefully they will soon spend some oil money to replace the crappy old film shown to visitors (presented after the Maelstrom ride). |
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| In addition to visiting Epcot, we went to the Universal Studios amusement park and its sister park "Islands of Adventure". Targeting teenagers and adults rather than children, the Universal parks are less a waste of time than the Disney amusements parks. Another very uniquely American institution is the Holy Land Experience, which at a minimum provides an education experience. While primarily a park for Christians or those interested in Christianity, it should also be of interest to history buffs with an interesting exhibition of Jerusalem in miniature and a bible museum. | After spending a total of four days visiting amusements parks in Florida, I hope I will not have to see another amusement park this year. The Disney parks will insult your intelligence, the Universal parks will make you sick, all while robbing you for small fortunes of money. Luckily, Florida offers other attractions than just amusements parks. The Florida Keys, an archipelago consisting of 1,700 islands, is an obvious example. |
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| Above, my sister and I are pictured in front of the Key West monument, which marks the Southernmost point in the continental United States. As I mentioned in my January 3 blog entry, Key West is famous for being the home of eccentric Americans. I saw one guy that running around on a bicycle wearing an Elvis costume and red hair, but in Key West that is considered rather normal. | The drive to Key West, though long, is absolutely stunning. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset in Key West before heading back to the Palm Beach area, though we regret not having spent more time in Key West. The same goes for Miami Beach, which we tried visiting by car without finding anywhere to park. After driving around Miami Beach for more than an hour searching for a place to park, we had to give up! |
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| If you ever decide to visit Florida, my advise is to avoid the amusement parks like the plague. Instead, try to focus on the unique experiences that Florida has to offer. A visit to the state is, of course, not complete without a visit to the Everglades National Park. | Shark Valley, located on the northern border of the park, is a great place to visit if you want to catch a glimpse of the Everglades. Before visiting, my understanding was that the Everglades is a gigantic swamp, but it is instead a shallow, slow-moving sheet of water that flows from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay. |
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| My parents also enjoyed the visit to the Everglades National Park, and together they hunted down an alligator with their bare hands before barbecuing it in front of all the other tourists. | Ever since disappointing my parents by announcing that I am not gay, I have tried to show my more feminine side to please their socially liberal viewpoints. |