Miami is a major city in the south-eastern United States and part of the largest metropolitan area in Florida. Part of the South Florida region, it’s 20 miles from Fort Lauderdale, 68 miles from West Palm Beach, 106 miles from Naples (Florida) and 156 miles from Key West. It is famous for its gay pride event White Party Miami which is annual.Although tourists generally consider Miami Beach to be part of Miami, it is its own municipality. Located on a barrier island east of Miami and Biscayne Bay, it is home to a large number of beach resorts and was one of the most popular spring break party destinations in the world.Although Miami is the second most populous city in Florida, the Miami metropolitan area is the largest in the state. Due to being sandwiched in by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Everglades wetland area to the west, the Miami metropolitan area is a lengthy 110 miles (180km) north to south, but never more than 20 miles (32km) east to west. Flagler s railroad sparked a wave of expansion in areas such as Miami Beach, Homestead and Cutler. Soon after the railroad was built, the Overseas Highway was created. This highway connected the Florida Keys to the mainland. Growth and progress in Miami continued through World War I as well as into the mid-1920s.A devastating hurricane in 1926 halted Miami s growth and temporarily put the city, as well as Miami Beach, in a recession. It was the city s support of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt s New Deal that helped the city rebuild. Roosevelt almost lost his life, however, when Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate Roosevelt when he came to Miami to thank the city for its support of the New Deal.When a German U-boat sank a US tanker off Florida s coast, the majority of South Florida was converted into military headquarters for the remainder of World War II. The Army s WWII legacy in Miami is a school designed for Anti U-boat warfare.Because of its low latitude Miami has a tropical monsoon climate. There are two seasons in Miami, a warm and dry season from November through mid April….and a hot and wet season from May through October. The wet or summer months of June-September will see most daytime highs in the upper 80s Fahrenheit with lows in the low to mid 70’s with high humidity. The coldest winter months from December through March have highs in the upper 70’s and lows near 60 F, with sunny and dry weather with often very low humidity. At times winter can be quite dry with water restrictions. Miami has the warmest ocean surf in the United States annually – reaching 85 F in summer and 75 F in winter.Miami has the largest Latin American population outside of Latin America. English however remains the predominant language.Spanish is a language often used for day-to-day discourse in many places, although English is the language of preference, especially when dealing with business and government. Some locals do not speak English, but this is usually centered among shops and restaurants in residential communities and rarely the case in large tourist areas or the downtown district. Even when encountering a local who does not speak English, you can easily find another local to help with translation if needed, since most of the population is fluently bilingual. In certain neighborhoods, such as Little Havana and Hialeah, most locals will address a person first in Spanish and then in English. “Spanglish”, a mixture of English and Spanish, is a somewhat common occurrence (but less so than in the American Southwest), with bilingual locals switching between English and Spanish mid-sentence and occasionally replacing a common English word for its Spanish equivalent.Haitian Creole is another language heard primarily in northern Miami. It is common for a person to hear a conversation in Creole when riding public transportation or sitting at a restaurant. Many signs and public announcements are in English, Spanish and Creole because of Miami’s diverse immigrant population. Unlike Spanish, Haitian Creole is generally centered among the Haitian neighborhoods in northern Miami. Most Haitians are more adapted to English than their Hispanic neighbors. Portuguese and French are other languages that may be encountered in Miami. These languages tend to be spoken mainly around tourist areas. Most speakers of these languages speak English as well. The simplest way to get a response in English is to use the “approach rule,” where most locals will respond only in the language spoken to unless they are not able to speak it. This rule can be used on anyone whether or not their first language is Spanish, English or any other language.Miami International Airport (ICAO: KMIA is located just west of the city in an unincorporated suburban area. It’s an important hub for traffic between Europe, North America and Latin America. The international traffic makes MIA a large and congested place. Be sure to allow extra time when departing MIA, particularly if flying internationally, as you may face an hour-long line just to check your bags. Curbside check-in is an excellent idea. International airlines that fly transatlantic include British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.If you are approaching or leaving MIA via the Airport Expressway (Florida State Road 112), beware of the at-grade railroad crossing on the ramps connecting the Expressway to the airport terminals. Normally such crossings are grade-separated, but this one sits directly east of one of the runways. Thus, be prepared for the possibility of a 10-15 minute delay if a train happens to be there at the same time as you.The predominant carrier at MIA is American Airlines, which has direct flights to most major cities in the Americas, and several European cities as well. European, Latin American and Caribbean carriers are well-represented at MIA. The airport has no non-stop service to Asia, Africa or Oceania with the exception of Qatar Airways which offers nonstop service to Doha. The recent construction of two new terminals at MIA has helped with the airport’s passenger capacities as well as the efficiency in going through customs and baggage claim. MIA also has several restaurants ranging from local chains such as La Carreta to national chains such as Dunkin Donuts, Burger King and Starbucks. Be aware that some restaurants serve beer, wine and/or cocktails. If you drink too much the airlines can refuse your boarding on a plane. MIA also has several retail stores, including several magazine stands and bookstores (including a Borders). Other retail stores include, but are not limited to, Brookstone, K-B Toys and Ron Jon Surf Shop. There is also a hotel connected to the airport. Money can be exchanged for US dollars at the airport. Wi-Fi is available throughout the terminal – you can opt for time-limited ad-sponsored access for free, or pay for unrestricted access.At MIA, public transportation includes a free shuttle to the nearby Tri-Rail station, as well as to Metrorail . Your best option is to take a taxi from the airport or rent a car, depending on where you’re staying at (if you need to get around parts of Miami with no nearby Metrorail stations). MIA’s car rental facilities have now all been centralized into a very large garage known as the Rental Car Center which can be accessed directly from the terminal via a free automated tram called the MIA Mover. FLL’s facilities are located in the parking garage adjacent to the terminals. Also, riders can take the Miami Beach Airport Flyer Bus on Rt#150 ($2.25 one way fare purchased at the bus station or on the bus – exact change only!) if they are staying in Miami Beach. To get to Downtown Miami, riders can take the Metrorail directly to the Government Center station (the Metrorail also serves other parts of Miami, including Coconut Grove). From the Government Center stop passengers can transfer to other buses going to other destinations from Downtown Miami or the Metromover to get around downtown. Many hotels are along the MetroMover route which is one level down from the MetroRail Government Center station. Consult a map for the closest MetroMover station or bus route to your hotel. Riders can also take the J Line bus to Biscayne Boulevard and transfer to a southbound bus to downtown, although this would likely take you a long time and isn’t a well-publicized option. Likewise one can stay on the bus and continue to Miami Beach at 41st & Collins. Another option is the #7 bus from Miami Airport to the Government Center station through Little Havana. If taking this option, make sure to get a bus towards the airport, and not one towards the Dolphin Mall.Currently at MIA, construction of the new Miami Intermodal Center is slated to become Miami’s Grand Central station with hub connections of Amtrak, Metrorail, Tri-Rail, taxis, Metrobus, and all car-rental facilities [43]. Miami offers different fare types for different amounts of rides. Beware that unless you purchase an EASY Card or EASY Ticket, you will have to pay twice in order to transfer between buses and between the bus and MetroRail. The full list of available fares can be found at [44]EASY Cards and EASY Tickets can be bought at ticket vending machines outside the Metrorail Station at the Miami Intermodal Center/Rental Car Center (after riding the MIA Mover out of the terminal).A map of transit run by Miami-Dade is available here.Fort Lauderdale International Airport (IATA: FLL) [45] is 25-40 minutes north of Miami proper, depending on traffic, and does not have nearly as many international routes. It only offers a small variety. However, it is smaller and less trafficked than MIA, making customs, immigration and security a bit easier to go through. Southwest Airlines, Virgin America, JetBlue, Allegiant, Spirit Airlines (predominate at this airport) and other low-cost carriers generally use Miami’s other airport, FLL, instead of MIA, making FLL a cheaper alternative in many cases as well.Public transport is available to MIA and FLL. If you are arriving from FLL, there is a free shuttle to the Tri-Rail train station nearby. Tri-Rail trains connect West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami (note that this leaves you at the Miami Airport station, not downtown Miami). From the Miami Airport station transfer to the Metro train to get downtown or the airport shuttle train to the MIA terminals. The cheapest way to get to Miami is to take the #1 bus south to Aventura Mall (via Federal Hwy on US-1)

Airport: MIA Miami International Airport Cities in United States

Country: United States