During our recent trip to Florida, we visited Key West and Miami. We wanted to rent bikes in Key West, but at least during the winter off-season, the rental companies have limited hours, which did not work out for the amount of time we had available. We did visit one of the most popular spots in Key West–the Southernmost Point. As you can see below, the line to take a picture with the iconic statue is quite long! We found a handicapped parking spot from there spot where I took this picture, walked over, sat on the wall edge in front of the statue, and we took a selfie between people moving for their turns. No waiting in line for us, which was great for those of us who have trouble standing for an extended period of time! Passing along my pro-tip.
We took a boat out on Biscayne Bay to see Miami from the water. The view was lovely (see skyline and Ferris wheel being set-up for a festival in pictures below). The boat we went on was the Bayride Cruises. Other than it not quite being what we anticipated, it was very challenging mobility-wise. The ramp to get on the boat was at an almost 40 degree angle, which was difficult for me to walk up and nearly impossible for an older gentleman with a walker/manual scooter. The boat staff did not assist either of us. There were two levels on the boat. The top would be basically impossible if someone used a mobility device or stroller, and the lower level was crowded with tables and narrow plastic lawn chairs. The staff also wanted to sell drinks and timeshare weekends. I do not recommend this tour for those with mobility challenges.
Our view from the hotel in Miami was also impressive and lovely. Hotels will be covered in another post.
We made it to South Beach and were impressed by the accessible beach wheelchairs sign. However, the Beach Patrol station was so far across the beach, an individual would need travel companions to go retrieve the chair. The sign does list a phone number, and there may have been a possibility to have one brought over, but this area also did not have a bench. Perhaps this is okay for those who use a regular chair and could sit in it to wait for the beach chair. It did not seem there was an area to store or lock up the individual’s personal chair.
We took a Lyft to dinner at Estafan Kitchen at a shopping center we discovered was higher end than we anticipated. The aisles and walkways were wide and flat, and there were escalators and elevators to get to the upper level were in the center and easy to fine.
