Miami and Atlanta

Some advice please.

Looking for a new destination to visit later in the year and for some reason MIA and ATL popped into my head.

So wise v-flyers which would you recommend and what is there to do in both those cities?

Please note - I can't drive - so public transport is essential to be able to get out and about.

I like museums, galleries and history and shopping and drinking beer, gin and champagne (though not at the same time - well not in the same glass ) I know MIA is in Florida but (and I speak heresy to some now) the world of the mouse and theme parks do not appeal.

Ta muchly

Tonty and Beary wave paws

[Nottingham Nick]

Hmm .... I really enjoyed the Atlanta area, and there are some area of Miami that are interesting - South Beach for example.
Your problem is going to be the reliance on public transport. I am not sure either city appeals without a car. Both cities, but particularly Maimi, have neighbourhoods that are less than salubrious, and some of your fellow public transport users may fall into the 'less than pleasant' category.

I am trying to be polite about them, and am not saying that your trip isn't doable using public transport, but it will need some careful planning.

Nick

Atlanta is quite easy to get around using the MARTA trains (which run to/from the airport) which are convenient for the main attractions downtown. There's also a new light rail line downtown, and MARTA will take you up to the nice hotel, shopping & restaurant district in Buckhead.

Miami has Metrorail, which links the airport with downtown and the Dadeland Mall, and which links up with an automated people mover that runs round a small circuit downtown. However they won't take you anywhere near the beaches so you'd be relying on buses or cabs to get to those.

As Nick says it takes a bit of planning. Train timetables are designed for commuters not tourists so can be patchy in the evenings and at weekends. And sadly in car-obsessed America, buses tend to be perceived as the domain of the poor and dispossessed. Bus stations can be intimidating when it's quiet and many routes aren't very frequent.

But do your research and they'll get you there - and by UK standards public transport is cheap.

I have visited neither but am currently researching Miami for our trip next month. We are spending 5 nights in Miami before heading off on a road trip. It seems that the city is a collection of neighbourhoods with different characters (South Beach, Downtown, Little Havana...). To be honsest there does not appear to be enough that would make me want to stay in the area for longer than we are. South Beach has the Art Deco architecture, the beach, good retstaurants and shopping. I suspect that is where most visitors stay (we are).

Miami is only about a 100 years old so historical sites may be somewhat few and far between.

Transportation using Uber may be preferable to buses/ metro?

Came across this on TA which may be of interest?

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g34439-s302/Miami-Beach:Florida:Getting.Around.html

In miy view there's two Floridas. There's the Tampa /Orlando / DIsney / Mouse Florida, and the Miami / more real Florida. And I much prefer the second. South beach (doable easily by taxi from MIA) has lots to do - including Tonty's wine, beer, and Champagne interests..

I'm going through Atlanta next month (after a 'music tour' through New Orleans, Memphis, and Nashville) purely as a way of getting home, and don't plan to see anything of Atlanta other than the airport.

I don't want to sound 'grumpy old man' - I've been to 45 US states over the past 35 years - just received my FIFTH 10 year US visa. There's some great gems in the US - like New Mexico, the National parks of Utah, the New England states (Particularly Boston, one of the most 'walkable' destinations in the US), and the 'Miami / Everglades / Keys' Florida. But I avoid Tampa/Orlando area and Atlanta

Each to their own...

Peter