Welcome to Miami in Winter

It was time for my Orlando Termite Treatment and I decided to take a road trip while my house was treated. For me, there’s nothing spectacular to do in Florida in winter except to have a road trip and crisscross the Seven Mile Bridge in a day with mist and snowflakes all around you. This is how cold it is here in Florida especially during January where you must have layers and layers of clothing over your body so you won’t get frostbite – literally. Your normal outerwear then becomes your underwear. A word of caution though – do not use cottony fiber as cotton tends to absorb moisture and you will shiver even more.

And nothing beats Florida except going to Miami. In fact, Miami is so popular that it has become a gamma-class world city, eclipsing Florida’s capital Tallahassee. Come to think of it, who will ever remember Tallahassee except that November 2000 deadlock recount of the electoral votes between Al Gore and George W. Bush. I personally have never seen a movie which bears Tallahassee as its background. For Miami, there’s a lot. There’s Miami Vice and the Bad Boys series to name two.

Because Miami is considered a world city, it is a convergence of all melting pots. But the minority who shines here are those Latinos coming in from Cuba and who have entered the country through this place. In fact, some of them have already been successful in their respective fields. Think Gloria Estefan. Think Jon Secada. Think Andy Garcia. Therefore, one cannot deny that Miami is a haven to Cuban Americans thanks to its direct proximity to the nation they once lived. And most of them are devout Catholics so there’s a lot of Christmas spirit going around here in Miami.

As with all Catholics all over the world, Christmas is preceded with the Advent celebration consisting of four weeks. And after that comes the nine mornings before Christmas which is commemorated with a mass in each morning. Floridians go to mass in those mornings and then have some typical American breakfast on the road before jogging home then going to their day to day work. Some who are fortunate enough to be granted a two week Christmas vacation by their employers will go somewhere else for a game of golf or two.

Speaking of golf courses, there are a lot here in Miami. No wonder it is considered a global city. Some of the best golf courses here are Briar Bay Golf Course, California Golf Course, Calusa Country Club and Costa Greens Golf Club. All of them feature golf instructors who are PGA certified to introduce the game to those who are still amateur to the sport. They also have caddies who are not only PGA certified as well but who are also graduates of hospitality programs. After all, Miami invests a lot in its hospitality and tourism industry. It considers tourism a bloodline in its economy.

So if you are planning to come here in Florida during this Christmas season, then reserve early. Christmas rush is not just experienced in malls, it is also prevalent in domestic and international flights going to Miami International Airport.