Sunny Florida days, I remember them well. Yours truly was a resident of the sunshine state not too long ago. In fact, this picture was taken by my father when he came down to visit me.
Florida is an amazing place because of its eclectic culture. Home to cities like Orlando and Miami, in Florida you are never far from a major metropolitan area. Orlando features the country’s largest human trap ever built by a mouse (you know which one I’m talking about!), world class convention centers, and other staples of its strong tourism industry. The Orlando Magic basketball team just played host this past Sunday to the NBA All-Star game.
Located just a few hours south of Orlando is Miami. The “Magic City” is a major destination for international business, world-class entertainment, and politics. Within the last week, Presidents Obama and Clinton spoke at the University of Miami on separate occasions. Miami is also home to South Beach, the city that LeBron James famously declared he’d be taking his talents to, back in July of 2010.
Outside of the major cities, Floridian life is relaxed. With an average daily temperature of 70.7 degrees, Florida is the warmest State in the U.S. You’d think this would mean scorching hot summers, but that is actually a misconception – Florida’s southern most major city, Miami, has recorded temperatures above 99 degrees just once, and that was way back in 1942. And because much of the state is located on a peninsula, you are never far from a coastline to escape those warm days. In fact, Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States.
Florida was a great place to live and I certainly do miss it. I’ve got to say that the best part of living in Florida was talking to my sister on the phone in February. While she was battling another frigid New England winter in Rhode Island, wondering if she’d be able to dig her car out in the morning… I couldn’t help but think “Is my beach towel still wet from yesterday?” So is life in the Sunshine State.
Dave
p.s. Want to see more cool pictures of my time in Florida? Check them out here.