Note from Katie: allow me to introduce you to my good friend, Megan! (No, not that Megan.) I had the pleasure of rooming with Megan during my study abroad trip to Paris and London, and we’ve been friends ever since. She is based in South Florida, and she also loves to travel any time she gets the chance! I am thrilled to have her share some thoughts on the blog.
One of the best things to happen to South Florida is the Brightline. You can go from downtown West Palm Beach to the heart of Miami in just over an hour. Even better, Brightline will be extending up to Orlando before the year is over and will eventually make its way over to Tampa. I can’t wait to take a train up to visit Mickey!
Brightline is perfect for trips to watch the Heat play, to go to the Food Network’s South Beach Food and Wine Festival, take a cruise out of the Port of Miami or go explore downtown Fort Lauderdale. Out of all the things you can see and do with Brightline, my favorite is date day!
My boyfriend and I celebrated our three year anniversary this past November with a day trip down to Miami via the Brightline. We have done trips in the past on the Brightline, but this one was definitely our favorite trip. Our morning started early to make sure we got to the West Palm Beach station on time. These trains don’t wait for anyone and they run on a very tight schedule, so make sure you get there in plenty of time. The station and the trains are very clean and the seats are pretty comfortable as well. It takes just over an hour to get down to the Miami station. Coffee, snacks and drinks (in case you were wondering, yes, they serve beer on the train) are served on the way down.
The Miami station is in the heart of downtown. A short few blocks away from Bayside, the Miami-Dade Arena (where the Miami Heat plays) and the Frost Science Museum, Aquarium and Planetarium. This trip however, we set our sights on the Wynwood District. Brightline provides free, electric transportation within five miles of the station and luckily enough, Wynwood is only a few miles away. If you make reservations ahead of time, you can reserve a Tesla to shuttle you. We didn’t do this, so we took the first-come-first-served electric golf cart that picks you up right out front of the station.
After a short ride, we made it to our first destination, Mayami. Here we enjoyed a tasty brunch and sipped on bottomless mimosas. From here we walked on over to the famous Wynwood Walls. The Wynwood area is known for its street art and murals. At the walls you can peruse through some of the more popular murals and art exhibits. Once we had our fill of art, we mosied on down to Freehold Miami. My cousin turned me onto Freehold while visiting him in Brooklyn a few years ago and I knew we had to make a visit to their newest location in Miami. Here we enjoyed a few adult beverages before making our way to our final stop of the night. Astra is a rooftop bar and has some very beautiful views of the Miami skyline. We arrived just as the sun was setting and got to see downtown Miami all lit up, I guess they call it Magic City for a reason because it was magical. After a few more libations, we Ubered back to the station to get on the train that would take us back to West Palm Beach.
It was a wonderful day and we certainly will be taking another day trip down to Miami to do some more exploring!
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