Brochure images of tanning flesh and
Mickey Mouse give an inaccurate and incomplete picture
of FLORIDA . The essential
stop is cosmopolitan, half-Latin Miami , from where a
simple journey south brings you to the Florida Keys , a
hundred-mile
string of islands known for sports fishing, coral-reef
diving, and the sultry town of Key West , legendary for
its sunsets and anything-goes attitude. North from Miami,
much of the east coast is disappointingly urbanized,
albeit with miles of unbroken beaches flowing alongside.
The residential
stranglehold is lessened further north, where communities
such as Daytona Beach have become subservient to the
local sands. Farther along, historical St Augustine stands
as
the longest continuous settlement in the US.
In central
Florida the terrain turns green, though it's no rural
idyll: this is where you'll find Orlando and Walt
Disney World , one of the world's leading tourist
destinations. From here it's just a skip north to the
forests of the
Panhandle , Florida's link with the Deep South, or
to the towns and beaches of the west coast .
Finally, although Florida has struggled
with its reputation for crimes against (and even murders
of) tourists, the
state's been very successful in reducing such attacks.
It's definitely no longer the den of "Miami Vice" it
once was, but, as when visiting all big cities, it pays
to be wary.
