April 12, 2022: Welcome to Miami!

I spent the night at an old family friend's home in Coral Springs, about 15 minutes from Deerfield Beach. Around 8 a.m. I took an Uber to the TriRail station in Deerfield Beach where I had gotten off yesterday. The trains generally run about once every hour, but sometimes more often during heavy travel periods.

Tri Rail is the main heavy rail commuter service that serves the Miami metropolitan area, stretching from West Palm Beach at the north end to Miami International Airport at the south end. My train ride from Deerfield was about an hour to the Miami airport station. It was overall a very smooth, comfortable ride. Tri Rail's trains operate in push-pull mode, similar to many commuter systems. And the coaches are bi-level.

I eventually reached Miami's airport train station. This is the meeting point of the Tri Rail, Miami's above ground Metrorail system and the airport's MIA Mover system. It also has a bus station. There have been plans for Amtrak to one day move into this station too, but problems with the platforms being too short for its trains have been an obstacle.

After getting off, I took a short Uber ride to my hotel. In all honesty it was a 10-minute walk, but I had a suitcase to schlep. After checking into my hotel and settling into my room briefly, I walked back to the intermodel airport station to catch the Metrorail.

Metrorail had the look and feel of a subway. It had the "please stand clear of the closing door" automated messages, and maps and advertisements sprinkled throughout the walls of the cars. But the train runs mostly above ground, and at ground level in some cases. There are nice views of downtown from the elevated rail.

I got off at the Government Center station, which is in the heart of downtown near the local government office building and several courthouses. From there it was a short walk to MiamiCentral -- the southern terminus of the new Brightline train and a retail destination (sort of).

The Brightline is the swanky express train that runs between West Palm Beach and downtown Miami. There are plans to extend the line to Orlando, according to Brightline's website. Brightline offers "Smart" (business class) and "Premium" (first class) classes on its trains. Food and drink are offered onboard, along with other amenities such as checked baggage and bike storage. If I had more time, I might have taken a ride on the Brightline. Maybe next time.

The station, now four years old, struck me as the Bougie European type. It has sleek floors and walls, with Brightline's signature yellow logo sprinkled throughout. There are what appear to be ticket gates just before the entrance to the boarding area, which is on the second floor of the terminal (the train runs on elevated track). 

The downtown station also has a food hall within it, although I found many of the eateries weren't open during the lunch hour on a Tuesday. Seemed strange, but I'm going to guess COVID has a say in that. There are also several places where shops are slated to go into this terminal.

Tri Rail is also scheduled to begin running in and out of MiamiCentral.

After noshing on a burger for lunch and admiring the bougie station, I walked a few blocks East down to Bayside Market, along Biscayne Bay and the Miami River. This part isn't transit-related, but I think the scenery is quite aesthetically pleasing, so I'll just share the photos anyway.

I eventually walked over the Miami River into the city's Brickell neighborhood, to visit the Brickell City Centre enclosed shopping mall. On the way there, I came across this area underneath the Metrorail tracks, which I found interesting. 

The area is called the Underline. It's a little urban park where folks can walk or sit and chat at some of the little tables scattered throughout. 

I finished up my day in Miami at the Brickell City Centre, first by cooling off with some Gelato, and then purchasing a few items at the gourmet Italian market Casa Tua Cucina. 

From Brickell, I used Miami's free Metromover, sometimes called a peoplemover. These little trains constantly run in a loop around the downtown area and connect to the Metrorail. 

The Metromover took me back to Government Center, where I picked up the Metrorail, and headed back to the airport. One thing that took me by surprise with the Metrorail is that in order to exit, you must scan your farecard and then walk toward the gates before the gates open. In D.C. and many other systems, the gates open as soon as you scan your card. Admittedly, I scanned my farecard several times with the expectation that the gates would open, before a woman said I needed to walk toward the gates for them to open. I felt slightly foolish. 

Anyway, that was my day in Miami. A city that I had not been exposed to in 30 years on this planet. Tomorrow, I head back north on Amtrak.