What a day of extremes. From the cheap in Daytona Beach to the excesses of South Beach, Miami.
We started the day with a tour of the Daytona Speedway that cost us $17 each. It was a very interesting 90mins, even for someone who isn't particularly interested in car racing. We got on a tram & went out onto the racetrack. The racetrack was built in 1959 and is built in a tri-oval shape because it had to fit between the airport on one side & the Kennel Club on the other. The track is 2.5miles in length. We were able to get out of the tram at the start/finish line. The track slopes here at 18 degrees. It was really quite steep when we walked up it to the fence. However, at the corners, the track slopes 31 degrees. We weren't allowed to get out here. The tram took us to the garages where we could see men working on cars that were being used on the racetrack tomorrow. We also saw the fan area, the drivers meeting room and went up to a corporate box where the sponsors entertain guests on race day.
There is a very big area in the middle of the racetrack which has a lake, a camping area for fans during the race season, the place where the drivers stay in mobile homes & a fully equipped hospital.
The surface of the racetrack was replaced in 2010 at a cost of $20mil. They pulled up all the asphalt back to the base & replaced the lot. It took about 6mths to complete but will last decades. The race surface is 7inches thick.
We went into Victory Lane & had a photo taken in there.
The winner is no longer determined by a photo finish if it is close. There are all sorts of electronic recorders under the surface measuring the times & distances.
At the end of the tour we saw the car that won this years Daytona 500. They took if off the track at the end of the race & drained the fluids out of it. Then it was put on display for 1 year. There was still confetti stuck to it.
Our guide, Ray, was extremely knowledgable and gave us a great insight into the history of the racetrack.
We left the racetrack about midday & headed for Miami. It had been very hot at the racetrack but felt a bit cooler when we came out. It was also overcast & the lady in the shop said rain was forecast. It was a 4hr drive to Miami so we left straightaway.
Just after 1.30pm we stopped for lunch. We had had a few drops of rain before that but when we got back on the freeway it poured down. It was difficult to see the road when it was raining that heavily. It didn't last too long & settled into rain for a while. While we were having lunch, we could hear thunder. As we got closer to Miami, we could see big streaks of lightening cutting through the sky.
We hit peak hour traffic in Miami but got through it relatively easily.
When we got to South Beach we passed lots of top end stores such as Barney's New York mixed in with tacky souvenir shops.
Our hotel is just across the road from the beach & is lovely. We are staying in the Art Deco district.
After checking in we went across the road to the beach. There were still plenty of people over there. Along the beach there are lifeguard towers. The one near our entrance was painted in the stars & stripes & looked very cool. You can hire chairs on the beach & the men were packing these up when we got there. The sand was relatively firm here too but not as firm as Daytona Beach. We walked along a bit before going back to the road. There are hotels & restaurants all along the street across from the beach. This is what Daytona needs. We decided to find somewhere to have a drink first. We saw a beautiful white art deco restaurant called The Carlisle. It had chairs & tables along the footpath so we went over there. We looked at the drinks menu & decided on Mojitos as the menu said these were the most popular drinks in Miami. When the waiter came over he asked if we wanted medium or large. I said large. I have never seen such big cocktail glasses. They could have doubled as goldfish bowls. But, the mojitos were absolutely delicious!!!! It took about an hour to drink but gave us plenty of time to people watch. There were some sights to see. There were those dressed in short shorts & wedges & those dressed up in sequins & suits. It is definitely the place to show off & be seen. Lots of people ride bicycles or skateboards because it is so flat. We saw a man with a lemur in his bike basket & a man with an albino python around his neck. We asked for the bill for our drinks & as we have been so used to paying next to nothing for food & drinks, Rob jokingly asked if they were $8 each. In fact our bill was $124. The drinks were $49 each & they added gratuity. Needless to say, we didn't stay there for dinner. Instead we found an Italian place & both had a fabulous meal for less than one of the cocktails at The Carlisle. Still, it was delicious!