For years, when visiting a new city, I would begin the trip by taking a Gray Line tour, which was a good way to learn about the city’s history and development.
Very touristy, but very informative. Add to that plan, the purchase of one of those small historical books about the city that could be read in an hour or so and you became informed about the place in short order. This was a good way to get acquainted with San Francisco, Portland, San Antonio, Denver, Philadelphia, and New York – wherever you were visiting.
One does not have to do that now, though. Now, we just ask the internet where to go and what to do. With a cellphone in hand, you can quickly learn about the best restaurants, best bars, best attractions, and in no time know more about your destination than some of the natives.
I first visited Miami when in college and was smitten by the balmy winter weather, the white beaches, waving palms, and the Intracoastal waterway running through the city. In those days, there was no internet, drugs were not rampant, and Cuba was run by a friendly dictator.
Over the years, I learned more about the history of the state of Florida, once functioning under the influence of the flag of Spain. For all the glitz and wealth you find on the coasts of the state, you can also spend time with farmers, fishermen, and scrub oaks.
Go due west from South Beach for a couple of hours and you find yourself in a wilderness the antithesis of the luxury trimmings entrenched on the coasts of the “Sunshine” state.
Interestingly, Florida did not develop until after World War II with the advent of air conditioning, mosquito control and air travel – after Henry Flagler attempted to build the Florida East Coast railroad from Miami to Key West in the 1930s and the Florida land boom of the ‘20s went bust.
There were a lot of farmers and resourceful cattlemen who moved from surrounding states into central Florida and developed that area. The citrus business attracted countless others.
Tourism was enhanced by major league baseball clubs setting up operations for spring training, although the idea of spring training, in the beginning, was to allow ball players to sober up from hard drinking over the winter.
Today, half the Big League teams train in Florida and the other half in Arizona, but at one time, most of the teams were based in Florida. That was the era when there were no teams on the West Coast. Even with the Dodgers moving west in 1958, the team still held spring training in Vero Beach for years after.
That came to an end following the spring of 2008, a sad day for the charming community where the locals adopted the players and team officials.
They even solved the “Jackie Robinson Crisis.” When the Dodgers integrated major league baseball, it came at a time when Florida was a segregated state.
Walter O’Malley, owner of the team, purchased property that once was an air base and developed those facilities to accommodate his team. It included a golf course and a swimming pool, which meant everything was private so Black players could use all the facilities, like every other family.
Miami has always been an easy-drive destination. The roads are flat and generally in good shape, so you always made good time, even on the pre-interstate and turnpike days.
My favorite memory of Florida was driving down old A1A in the late ‘50s, seeing those pristine white beaches, orange groves, and the unruly Atlantic slamming ashore. I would often stop the car and sit out on a dune and become mesmerized by all that wonder and nature.
Talk about the good old days!