We received “free” tickets on-line to travel on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin “Brightline” train from West Palm to Miami. Why we received them is a mystery?
We used the tickets on a Friday. The only payment was for parking–$8—at a dedicated parking garage by the train station on Quadrille Plaza Drive. We went on-line to pay for our parking spot.
Our experience reminded us of traveling in the Baltic region this past summer. Clean, comfortable and smooth is what we would describe our experiences on these modern trains. The passenger cars are wide as well as long. Indeed, the chairs are extremely comfortable.
I remember taking trains in 1979. The bathrooms were so small. Not on Brightline. You almost could get lost! The only problem is that you have to figure out which buttons to push. After some thought, no problem.
The ride from West Palm to Miami takes an hour. It would have been faster but for the caution we took going through car crossings.
There is a short stop in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. We were surprised how close it was to the main avenue “Las Olas Boulevard.” This would be a convenient way to go to the Ft. Lauderdale Airport, or even the cruise port. Just need to take a quick UBER ride.
Miami Central Station is nothing but “neat.”
There are several floors, one dedicated to a standout food court. There are plenty of people to guide you just in-case if you get lost.
Miami Central Station would be an excellent place to catch an UBER to the Port of Miami or even the Miami Airport which is eight miles away.
The “free” people-mover tram is right next door: the Wilkie D. Ferguson Station. You can take the “FREE” people mover to get anywhere in downtown Miami.
We decided to walk five blocks to Miami’s famous “Bayside” area. There are a number of kiosks, stores and restaurants along the harbor.
A food court is on the second floor. The Banyan tree infant is over 110 years old.
The Bayside area is where you can get bus tours as well as boat tours for downtown Miami. There is a very large Hard Rock Café at one end.
We walked along the famous “boardwalk” along the harbor.
We found a high-end Italian restaurant called “Gabbiano.” Our table overlooked Biscayne Bay. The service is outstanding and the food good too.
There is a pleasant waiting area at the train station. At a certain time, the staff opens the escalator to go upstairs to the train. Even though our train left at 4:20PM, the train was not full.
We met two pleasant women from Lake Worth who told us of a “Green Market” located in PGA—Burns and Military Ave—every Sunday morning. The following Sunday we went to this Green Market and were pleasantly surprised how large and fun it is.