Miami

[Linda T]

I know there was a thread in 2011, but I'd like to ask now since I need current info. I'll be taking the Meteor from RVR to MIA and I was wondering if anyone is familiar enough with Miami to tell me about good hotels really close to the station, and transport to and from the station/hotel. It looks like there's a metro rail service that may run from the station to the airport. I'm pretty sure I can catch a shuttle from the airport.

I'm asking as I'll be a single lady traveling who's petrified of large cities, but really want to take the train all the way to MIA just to say I've done it. I'll be arriving on a Monday night (haven't decided exact date) and departing early the next morning. Also, I'm assuming that the first meal on the Meteor out of MIA is lunch? That's okay, either I can get a hotel with free breakfast, or go without, it's not like the trains starve sleeper pax.

 

[pennyk]

I grew up in Miami, but have not lived there since 1970 and do not know the area around the train station at all. My guess is that it is not in the best part of town. Hopefully someone else who has traveled to Miami by train can help you out with hotel suggestions.

I have taken the Meteor northbound from Ft. Lauderdale and Hollywood. 2 of the 3 times, breakfast was served. The 3rd time, breakfast was not served due to the train being late or something else.

 

[Carolyn Jane]

If you go to the Amtrak website and look up the station, they usually have a list of nearby hotels. Some hotels have shuttles to the airport, and will also pick up at the Amtrak station. You should call and ask a few. EM

 

[battalion51]

The area around the Miami station definitely is not the best at all. The Metrorail/Tri-Rail Transfer station is just a few blocks away. If you walk down the road that leads to the Amtrak station and then cut over at 79th Street you shouldn't have too much of an issue. There are a number of hotels down near the Airport. One that may be worthwhile at looking at is the Sheraton Miami Airport. Its walking distance from the Airport Metrorail Station, and I understand a number airline crews stay there. There's also an Embassy Suites that's not too far away either, but I know that one isn't walkable. Another option to consider is to head back north on Tri-Rail. Walking distance from the Fort Lauderdale Airport station is a Courtyard and Fairfield. You could then take Tri-Rail to either Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale and board your northbound train there.

 

[Linda T]

The area around the Miami station definitely is not the best at all. The Metrorail/Tri-Rail Transfer station is just a few blocks away. If you walk down the road that leads to the Amtrak station and then cut over at 79th Street you shouldn't have too much of an issue. There are a number of hotels down near the Airport. One that may be worthwhile at looking at is the Sheraton Miami Airport. Its walking distance from the Airport Metrorail Station, and I understand a number airline crews stay there. There's also an Embassy Suites that's not too far away either, but I know that one isn't walkable. Another option to consider is to head back north on Tri-Rail. Walking distance from the Fort Lauderdale Airport station is a Courtyard and Fairfield. You could then take Tri-Rail to either Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale and board your northbound train there.

Thanks! I have Marriott points and may just make Fort Lauderdale my destination point. I'm just doing this cause AGR is letting my husband de-train at RVR while I'm going on down to FL, then I'll pick him up on the way back all on the same ticket. I just emailed them to get that in writing in case there's a problem. Now to do this without a hurricane. Got stranded away from home in 2011 by Irene, and in 2012 by Sandy. God forbid, 2013? :help:

 

[AlanB]

Linda,

If you go to the Miami station, you definitely want to keep your wits about you while you walk from the Amtrak station to the Metrorail station. Or grab a cab to your hotel. I'm not aware of any hotels that offer shuttles to/from the Amtrak station, but that's not to say that one would come get you.

However, a better option may be to consider detraining at Hollywood, the last stop that the Silver's make before arriving into Miami. The Hollywood stop is the last combined stop where both Amtrak & TriRail both stop. You can then get on a TriRail train right to the airport's transfer station. The E-Suites last I knew severed that transfer station, as I stayed there a few years ago. A few other hotels also serve that station. And of course you can ride over to the airport where still more hotels do run shuttles to.

Other alterantives also abound along the combined Amtrak/TriRail route. This list may be of some help to you, as it lists a bunch of hotels between West Palm Beech & Miami that are easy to get to from a train stop, either with a short walk or via a shuttle.

And out of MIA, you should get breakfast.

 

[battalion51]

Excellent link Alan!

Linda, one thing to keep in mind just in case you decide to make a connection to Tri-Rail is that the last Southbound leaves Mangonia Park at 8:40 PM and the last Northbound leaves Hialeah Market at 9:43 PM on weekdays (9:00 and 9:45 on weekends respectively). So if your train becomes significantly late this may hamper your connection. I've found that it takes a few minutes to get bags off the train at Miami, but it isn't an issue at Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale.

 

[VentureForth]

The area around the Miami station definitely is not the best at all. The Metrorail/Tri-Rail Transfer station is just a few blocks away. If you walk down the road that leads to the Amtrak station and then cut over at 79th Street you shouldn't have too much of an issue. There are a number of hotels down near the Airport. One that may be worthwhile at looking at is the Sheraton Miami Airport. Its walking distance from the Airport Metrorail Station, and I understand a number airline crews stay there. There's also an Embassy Suites that's not too far away either, but I know that one isn't walkable. Another option to consider is to head back north on Tri-Rail. Walking distance from the Fort Lauderdale Airport station is a Courtyard and Fairfield. You could then take Tri-Rail to either Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale and board your northbound train there.

Now, I personally would prefer the All-The-Way-To-Miami route. The walk to Metrorail is approximately 4/10 of a mile. Not too bad, and it will most likely be in daylight. BUT, an inexpensive ride on either buses 42 and 112 can take you the distance if you prefer not to walk. Bus 42 will always take you to the Tri-Rail/Metrorail station. Bus 112 will either take you to the Tri-Rail Metrorail Station (Towards Hialeah) or the Northside Metrorail Station (Towards 17th & Convention Center Dr).

Of course, you can take the bus all the way into downtown but what fun is that?

On the way home I would possibly want to try out Tri-Rail up to West Palm Beach then hop on Amtrak there. But with the new E-Ticketing show up rules, you'd have to plan this in your reservation and probably not a great plan.

Anyway, enjoy your trip!!

 

[abcnews]

Two of my daughters just went to Miami and I have been before for my work. A fabulous city, great beaches, food and culture.

I would try to rent a car and head down US 1 to the Florida Keys. Amazing... I would also consider catching a baseball game in the brand new ballpark - home of the Miami Marlins. And maybe try to get an evening cruise around Key Biscayne or that area.

And if you have time - go north to Palm Beach - perfect spot for lunch one afternoon. Hotels are really high there - so lunch is about all I would try. But worth the ride - either by train, or in your car rental. You can take Amtrak round trip in a day from Miami to West Palm and back.

 

[Linda T]

Thanks everyone! Miami just seems like it's too big for me after reading a few of these posts. I'm not the world's most confident person when it comes to catching buses or trains, or walking down a street after business hours, when the area is more deserted. So... I decided to detrain at FTL. I found a really nice hotel, not real expensive, but better than average reviews, within a mile of the FTL station, and it has free wi-fi and breakfast, so... I'm all set now.

One thing I discovered is that one can google "hotels near Amtrak [name of station]" and it'll list the closest ones according to hotelplanner.com. Once I had the list I was then able to look at how many points, or the monetary cost on various sites like Expedia. Just watch out that you don't get confused like I did and book the wrong station. I booked Hollywood through AGR, and then my hotel. Put it into "how much does a taxi cost in Hollywood" and found out it was gonna cost me $24 each way! My hotel was within a mile of the FTL station, NOT HOL. A call to AGR this morning and my trip was quickly and easily shortened by one stop.

But thanks again for the advise, it really did help me make a decision, and one that I'm confident I'll feel safer doing.

 

[VentureForth]

It's really a shame that there isn't a better walking connection between the Miami Amtrak station and the Tri-Rail station. The Tri-Rail station can take you one more stop towards the airport (Hialeah Market) where MANY hotels abound.

 

[battalion51]

If your primary goal was to make a connection to Tri-Rail you could accomplish it at HOL, FTL, DFB, DLB, or WPB. For the average passenger there is not an attraction to going to the Amtrak Miami station.

 

[VentureForth]

But a relatively secured, paved, fenced sidewalk from Amtrak to the Tri-Rail station would also get you to the Metrorail station. You are right - not a whole lot of need to transfer to Tri-Rail at Miami Amtrak, but to avoid a Tri-Rail ride and connect directly to the Metrorail would be a benefit (walking through the Tri-Rail platform).

 

[afigg]

But a relatively secured, paved, fenced sidewalk from Amtrak to the Tri-Rail station would also get you to the Metrorail station. You are right - not a whole lot of need to transfer to Tri-Rail at Miami Amtrak, but to avoid a Tri-Rail ride and connect directly to the Metrorail would be a benefit (walking through the Tri-Rail platform).

The safety and walkable connection issues at the current Amtrak station will go away when Amtrak moves the Silvers stop to the Miami Central Station (MCS) at the Miami Intermodal Center at the airport. The Miami Metrorail, Tri-Rail, Amtrak, airport car rental facility will all be in one big complex.

The MCS was supposed to be completed by late 2013, but there was a big flap over a problem of the Silvers sometimes being too long for the planned 1030 ft long platform and blocking a street crossing the tracks. The Miami Herald had an article on the problem in January.

I searched for updates on how they are going to resolve the Amtrak blocking the street issue and found this presentation summary (2 page PDF) for a public outreach meeting from February. (Note: The Silver Meteor will not arrive at MCS 4 times daily. Well, unless there is an service expansion program we are not aware of. Think they are mixing up the Star and Meteor). If the solution is to build a bridge or tunnel for NW 25 street, could be looking at a long delay in Amtrak moving to the MCS. Or keep the cross street "temporarily" closed while they open the MCS, Amtrak uses it, and they build a bridge over the tracks.

 

[battalion51]

Looks like they're still doing the study on this item, so it won't be til May or so before we see anything on this. It does seem like they're going to press forward with the extension, the question is how it will effect 25th Street.

Looking further into documentation on the project website, the schedule is showing an estimate completion date of 1/8/14, so late-late 2013 looks like the date.

What I'll still be interested to see implemented is how they get Silver Service to/from Hialeah. You're looking at shoving the train 60 blocks four times a day, and that's not going to be fun for the yard crews. Not to mention they'll have to figure out how to get the yard crew back and forth. The only thing that I can come up with is that you bring the switcher down lite to pick the train up in the afternoon, switcher pulls it back to Hialeah, and the Conductor rides the road power to make sure the breaks don't lock up. In the morning the switcher could pull the train down, cut off just north of the station, crossover, park on another track, and then they shove in with the road power. Or they leave the switcher tied on til they get about 50 feet from the bumping post, make a cut, and pull the switcher right up to the bumping post, and then it's trapped until the train pulls out. Time will tell...

 

[VentureForth]

Why not rehab the 28th st Wye and turn the train there? Seems SIMPLE. Come in straight, load a cleaning crew, wye the train right there at the airport, and bring it back around. With no one else sharing the track, you can easily make that turn both coming in to disembark then return to Maintenance as well as after maintenance to load passengers.

 

[Notelvis]

If the Silvers remain on their current schedules, it would not be out of the question to tow BOTH northbound consists down and spot them in the morning....... assuming that there are enough tracks to have two Amtrak trains in the station at the same time.

 

[battalion51]

IIRC, Cleaning Crews fall under Mechanical and have to work under Blue Flag protection. Also, don't forget rehabbing 28th Street requires money, and I don't think it's in the budget. You still have the issue of having to get the yard crew to and fro...

 

[Bus Nut]

I would try to rent a car and head down US 1 to the Florida Keys. Amazing... I would also consider catching a baseball game in the brand new ballpark - home of the Miami Marlins. And maybe try to get an evening cruise around Key Biscayne or that area.
And if you have time - go north to Palm Beach - perfect spot for lunch one afternoon. Hotels are really high there - so lunch is about all I would try. But worth the ride - either by train, or in your car rental. You can take Amtrak round trip in a day from Miami to West Palm and back.

One note of warning: the OP said she was scared of big cities. If so, driving anywhere in or near Miami (surface streets or I-95) may not be for her! Just to give an example, one of my in-laws who has lived in Miami (Kendall) for years was pulled over by a statie going 90mph on I-95. He scolded her for driving too slow! And while I survived driving Miami (downtown) surface streets without a scratch, my blood pressure was pretty elevated since a good proportion of Miamians treat every green light like the beginning of a drag race. Miami Beach, which is pedestrian-friendly, was a Darwinian fight for parking the one time I drove there. (There is a transit bus that goes to Miami Beach. I would recommend it. It is a party scene but relatively safe at night due to high pedestrian traffic and plenty of police presence.)

Tri-Rail comes very highly recommended, however.

 

[NW cannonball]

I want to visit there - Miami - sometime -- not a top destination - but --

Byee-enBen-eeda-ah-Mee-yami-Mee-yami -- (repeat ad lib)

Hope the new stations works get cleared up.

There has to be a lot more traffic at the new MIA (airport) MIA (amtrak) place than what we here in MSP have to look forward to.

 

[VentureForth]

There has to be a lot more traffic at the new MIA (airport) MIA (amtrak) place than what we here in MSP have to look forward to.

Yeah - but look at the NICE NEW STATION you have. When you get to use it is another question...

 

[Linda T]

I would try to rent a car and head down US 1 to the Florida Keys. Amazing... I would also consider catching a baseball game in the brand new ballpark - home of the Miami Marlins. And maybe try to get an evening cruise around Key Biscayne or that area.
And if you have time - go north to Palm Beach - perfect spot for lunch one afternoon. Hotels are really high there - so lunch is about all I would try. But worth the ride - either by train, or in your car rental. You can take Amtrak round trip in a day from Miami to West Palm and back.

One note of warning: the OP said she was scared of big cities. If so, driving anywhere in or near Miami (surface streets or I-95) may not be for her! Just to give an example, one of my in-laws who has lived in Miami (Kendall) for years was pulled over by a statie going 90mph on I-95. He scolded her for driving too slow! And while I survived driving Miami (downtown) surface streets without a scratch, my blood pressure was pretty elevated since a good proportion of Miamians treat every green light like the beginning of a drag race. Miami Beach, which is pedestrian-friendly, was a Darwinian fight for parking the one time I drove there. (There is a transit bus that goes to Miami Beach. I would recommend it. It is a party scene but relatively safe at night due to high pedestrian traffic and plenty of police presence.)

Tri-Rail comes very highly recommended, however.

Actually, I'd take either tri-rail or a taxi, I would NEVER even attempt to drive in the South. I thought southerners were a laid back kinda people, but after driving in Atlanta!!! Nah, I'll drive Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis -- but I'm leary of big city driving after Atlanta gave me religion while driving (actually, I made my husband drive, he's got nerves of steel, but we both agreed to go on to ATN and backtrack last year to avoid ATL traffic).

But as I said above I decided to de-train at FTL . This is an interesting trip. My husband and I will depart HUN on a Sunday morning #50, take the Amtrak bus from CVS to RVR, he'll stay in Richmond Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night while I continue to travel to FTL on the Meteor. I'll get to the end of the line on Monday night and immediately the next morning begin the track back north to Richmond, where I pick him up on Wednesday morning, take the bus back to CVS, then Cardinal home. All in a roomette (round trip one zone redemption = 30,000 points). I didn't know what they'd think about his getting off and back on at Richmond, but I got AGR to send me written confirmation that it's okay, and I plan to have that on me.

Anyone ever try this before? Continuing on after a sleeper companion detrains, and then having them reboard on the way home? Seems like it's in Amtrak's best interest anyway as it means they don't have to feed him five meals, and do all the things that a second person might require. I was somewhat worried about the clause that if one doesn't board at the beginning of the trip his ticket is forfeitted, but apparently AGR says that since I'll have the roomette that it's okay. I hope they know what they're talking about. :help:

 

[battalion51]

I've seen it done a few times. A lot of times it's parties traveling together where people live in different cities. As long as the tickets you have reflect the right info, you're good to go. Shouldn't be an issue in reality since these are physical tickets, right? Even if they're e-tickets, since you're making all segments, the reservation won't be cancelled if he misses a segment since you're still making all legs of the journey.

On a separate note, since you decided on Ft. Lauderdale, I would highly recommend making a trip to Jaxson's famous Ice Cream shop in Dania Beach. Been there for just about 100 years or so. It's not the sort of place I'd recommend for a full meal, but their ice cream is amazing.