Down in Ole Miami

Whilst I was in Florida for my holiday I took a trip down to the city of Miami in the southeastern tip of the east coast of the USA. Me and my sister booked a seat on the Alltour America bus from our hotel in International Drive to Miami for a full day round trip. After four hours on the road I was glad when I seen the Skyscrapers of the city's skyline and towering palm trees. The bus dropped us off at Port Miami for some free time, so me and my sister then jumped on another bus- The Big City Miami Tour Bus. As we have learned from previous travel experiences in Paris, London and Malaga that doing the hop on and hop off tour bus is the best way to take in any new city as the routes are designed to show the highlights and attractions of cities to tourists.

Miami Skyscrapers and Palm Trees

I seen Route 1 of the City as the bus covers three routes within Miami: The City Loop, The Beach Loop and The Uptown Loop. The first point of interest on the tour was the Giralda Tower, a bell tower of the Seville Cathedral with a renaissance style top, adapted by the Spaniards, it's a distinctive feature in the City among modern, towering office buildings and apartments. The tour continues on to the Scottish Rite Temple, a freemasonry building which was first established in Miami on December 4 1916 and is found in close proximity to the Miami Dade College. The metro mover operates in this area of downtown Miami and has three loops, twenty-one stations and provides a service to Miami airport. It's the third downtown people mover in the US along with the Jacksonville Skyway and the Detroit people mover. Also within this area of Miami you can find a piece of the Berlin Wall which was gifted to the U.S by the German Consulate General in Miami and was unveiled at Miami Dade College's Wolfson campus on November 9 2014.

Giralda Tower

The bus then moved onto west of Downtown Miami to the Little Havana district a Cuban neighborhood in the city with plenty of Latin flare. Calle Ocho is the main street and where you will find Cuban inspired restaurants and the best examples of Cuban memorabilia on the walls.

After we finished our bus route we didn't have time to do another loop as our coach was waiting to take us to the beach. So we headed back to our seats and the driver took us to the famous Ocean Drive, where Miami Beach is found. The beach is lively with locals and tourists alike, sunbathing, frolicking in the sea or hanging down by the beach front. Miami has one of the most glamorous beach front's in the world, made possible with the pretty, pastel coloured Art Deco buildings that line the drive. There is an Art Deco welcome centre on the Ocean Drive where you can find any tourism information  you need and Art Deco vintage gifts and memorabilia.

Ocean Drive, Miami Beach