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MIAMI
- CITY TRANSPORTATION |
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| Vacation
Rentals in Miami |
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Driving is the most
practical way to get around
Miami. Though the safety
warnings handed to visitors as
they pick up their rental cars
can make unnerving reading, the
much publicized tourist-targeted
car-jackings of the early 1990s
are now no more of an issue here
than in any major city. Watch
out for road signs marked with
an orange sun on a blue
background; they identify the
most useful routes to the main
attractions. Tourist police
patrol in cars with the same
logo.
With a lot of time and
patience, it is possible to make
your way around Miami on public
transportation run by
Metro-Dade Transit (tel
305/770-3131 or for route
information). Metrorail
trains (5am-midnight) run,
slowly, along a single line
between the northern suburbs and
South Miami; useful stops are
Government Center (for
downtown), Coconut Grove, and
Douglas Road or University (for
Coral Gables). Single-journey
fares are $1.25. Downtown Miami
is also ringed by the Metromover
(5.30am-midnight; flat fare 25¢),
a monorail that doesn't cover
much ground but gives a great
bird's-eye view. Metrobuses
cover the entire city, but
services dwindle at night; the
flat-rate single-journey fare is
$1.25, with a 25¢ surcharge for
transfers. Route maps and
timetables for all
Metro-Dade Transit services can
be had at Government Center
Station, and at the Metrorail
station at NW First Avenue &
First Street.
Taxis, cycling and tours
Taxis are abundant; try
Central Cab (tel 305/532-5555)
or Metro Taxi (tel
305/888-8888). Otherwise, get
the free Miami on Two Wheels
leaflet from the CVB and rent
a bike from one of the
many outlets, such as the
Miami Beach Cycle Center, 601
5th St (Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sat
& Sun 10am-5pm; tel
305/531-4161). For an informed
stroll, take one of Dr Paul
George's Walking Tours
from the Historical Museum
of South Florida (no tours
July & Aug; $37; tel
305/375-1621, ). Or, try the
various excellent Art Deco
walking tours of South
Beach (Thurs at 6.30pm &
Sat at 10.30am; $10), which
begin at the Miami Design
Preservation League Welcome
Center on Ocean Drive. The
latter also offers a
self-guided audio walking tour
of the district (daily
10am-4pm; 1hr-1hr 15min; $5).
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