Due to the economic struggle that industries are currently facing, Miami restaurants are slashing prices in order to lure customers. Miami Spice, a month-long event where top Miami restaurants offer discounted meals, normally takes place in the summer because it is considered the slow season.
Now, the new Winter Miami Spice by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau has come into effect and will run from January 12th to February 12th. Over 30 Miami restaurants will participate in Winter Miami Spice and offer a fixed menu for lunch for $23 and dinner for $36. For more information on Winter Miami Spice, visit ilovemiamispice.com.
Today is another new beginning for Miami-Dade’s northbound I-95. Drivers will be introduced to a new traffic system on some of the busiest sections of I-95. Drivers will no longer be able to dive freely into expressway traffic. Now, they must wait for a green light at the entrance ramp to merge in during rush hours. These traffic signals will await motorists at eight different northbound I-95 ramps between NW 62nd Street and the Golden Glades interchange.
This new addition to the driving system is meant to ultimately manage congestion and ease any merging madness on this very busy Florida expressway. This, much like the implementation of the new northbound toll lanes, will require some adjustment. Drivers should pay extra attention when entering I-95 as the new traffic signals create a huge potential for rear-end collisions.
Drivers that are not used to red lights on an interstate ramp may not stop and end up rear-ending drivers ahead of them that obey that traffic signal. Florida Highway Patrols hope that, like the new I-95 toll lanes, people will come to understand the purpose of the traffic signals and adjust after some initial chaos and confusion. A trooper will be set up at every traffic signaled ramp to enforce the new regulation. Violators may face penalties including a $160 ticket and three points on their license. Ramp backups will be monitored by sensors under the ramps and expressway lanes as well as surveillance cameras. When ramps get too backed-up the sensors will signal to speed up entries. If you are traveling to Miami and you plan to rent a car, these traffic signals may not be foreign to you.
In the past, there has been a direct correlation between cold weather in the rest of country and the influx of visitors in Miami. A cold front in the middle of this week affected most of the northern part of the country. Still, hoteliers in Miami are not celebrating just yet. Apparently, the economic crisis is affecting bookings.
Typically, the colder it gets in other places, the more last-minute bookings seen in Miami. The Miami tourism season started weakly with several big discounts for Miami hotel rooms resulting more advantageous for vacationers and a less for the actual industry. In October and November, Miami hotels records showed weak numbers and declining revenues for the first time since 2002. The cities of Miami and Miami Beach are focusing efforts on their marketing campaign to lure vacationers back to the magical city. Most of the city’s marketing efforts were implemented in the summer during the low season. Officials don’t want to take risks and act preemptively. Tourists are jumping at all Miami package deals and looking into Miami holiday rentals in order to vacation within a tighter budget.
Tourism in Miami and Fort Lauderdale was not strong enough to get either of the two South Florida destinations onto the list of the Top 10 US Destinations being booked for 2009.
According to a survey conducted by travel leaders, both cities are competing to be ranked 11th. Orlando, the former number 1 top ranked destination, slipped to number 2 under Las Vegas.
Orlando holidays are still extremely popular among domestic and international travelers while tourism in Miami, despite a small hiccup, is still strongly booking for 2009. Europeans are taking advantage of the present strength of the Euro to get great deals for Miami hotels and Miami Beach vacation rentals. Hotels and lodging in Miami Beach are offering large discounts to attract visitors. Visit our online guide of Miami to prepare for a fulfilling vacation in Miami.
Though the number of carpoolers was decreasing from 1980 to 2007, the numbers recently got a little higher after gas prices rose.
About three-quarters of American workers drive alone. Soon, commuters will have an option that allows them to carpool if they decide to do so at the last minute without committing to a daily arrangement.
This is possible through an application that was made for iPhones called Avego (www.avego.com) that is connecting drivers and passengers depending on planned and desired routes.
Avego, based in Ireland, requires that drivers who are willing to offer rides to download the application and input their preferred route. Place the iPhone on the dashboard and it records your entire route and sends it to the network for potential passengers to see.
Passengers are not required to have an iPhone to use the program. They can simply go to the Avego website, call or send a text message.
Carpoolers can identify each other by photographs or PINs that are used to authorize transactions. Passengers are charge 30 cents per mile, of which 85% goes to the driver and 15% goes to Avego.
All payments are made through automated online accounting. Avego will take some time to establish an abundant collection of passengers and drivers.
Currently, there is a similar iPhone application called Carticipate (www.carticipate.com).
This matching-service application was released in October and already has over 10,000 downloads. Drivers interested in carpooling register and set up a profile for other people with iPhones to search and find them.
Europeans commuting from one country to another find Carticipate very useful as it is much cheaper than a train ride. If you are on vacation yourself and have an iPhone, you may rent a car in Miami and everything works the same.
The 2010 Pro Bowl will be played on January 31st while the 2010 Super Bowl will be held one week later on February 7th. In recent years, the NFL has discussed having the Pro Bowl game and the Super Bowl played in the same city.
Miami was named the place for the 2010 Super Bowl three years ago for the 10th time. Months ago, the discussion about whether or not to bring the Pro Bowl to Miami in 2010 began.
The Pro Bowl has been held in Honolulu since 1980. Before that, the game site rotated annually and came to Miami in 1975.
The NFL has not yet announced the move of the Pro Bowl from Honolulu to Miami for 2010, but Hawaii’s governor and Honolulu’s mayor both confirmed the rumors. It is quite possible that after 2010 the Pro Bowl site will rotate between different destinations.
Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle said, “While I am disappointed the Pro Bowl likely will not be played in Hawaii in 2010, I respect the NFL’s decision to play the post season all-star game in the same city as the Super Bowl, one week before the Super Bowl, on a one-year test basis.” She hopes to make a deal before the 2011 game for the game to return to Honolulu even if only every two or three years. The Pro Bowl is very important to Hawaii because it generates about $30.5 million in visitor spending and taxes.
The internet is a very convenient invention but it also comes with nuisances such as fraud. A large number of fraud attempts take place on the internet and have made their way into travel news.
Vacationers, beware! It should be easy to identify and avoid fraud if you carefully abide by travel tips.
Miami Beach vacation rentals ads are posted on free classified vacation rental websites such as craigslist, backpage or kijiji. Travel news has taught us that owners post ads on a daily basis to rent their vacation rentals or sometimes their alleged vacation rental.
The drawback to these free sites is that the ads are not checked or verified by anybody. This does not mean that renters should not browse those websites but that they should just be extra careful and follow travel tips when booking. Caution should be exercised and following are a few travel tips to help you do that.
Renters should:
• Look at the quality of the ad.
• Research and search travel news to find out whether the vacation rental is offered by an individual or a company. A company is less risky because it can easily be checked.
• Make sure that a local phone number is posted on the ad
• Call the owner or agent and ask a ton of questions. Try to assess how accurately he/she responds.
• Send emails
• Be cautious if you cannot speak with the owner because he “lost” his voice
• Make sure that you sign a real contract indicating what is it that you have reserved
• You may request proof of ownership
• Do not send cash! You may transfer money by wire transfer to a company if it can be checked out and if it has a track record of a reputable Miami Beach vacation rental agency.
• Always check with the Better Business Bureau and travel news.
The Better Business Bureau is a service that was created to help consumers get to know the companies they are doing business with.
Most American companies are part of this huge database. Consumers may file complaints against companies and the BBB compiles a report that gives the business a grade as good as A+ or below.
The better the grade, the more trust and confidence you can feel in the company. The website is very easy to use. Simply enter the name of the company and its location and a report will be run.
One of the strongly recommended travel tips that all vacationers should do is search for relevant travel information before selecting a vacation rental company. The current economic crisis may introduce more vacation rental scammers to the market and more negligent owners hoping to rent their property for incremental revenues.
Miami Beach vacationers come to the magic city to relax and unwind in a friendly environment and take advantage of the variety of things to do in Miami. Most vacationers can do just that by making sure they following commonly stated travel tips.
The last thing vacationers are looking for is a fight with an unscrupulous manager or homeowners. Do your research and get travel information beforehand. It is better than ruining your vacation and posting a complaint afterwards.
Miami is taking steps to become a bike-friendly city.
City leaders recently approved a plan that strives to achieve that by 2012. Get ready to get those dusty bikes out of your garage or rent a bike in Miami and start practicing.
You may not forget how to ride a bike but you definitely get rusty.
Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez wants bike routes to be included in all street plans for here-on-out. A bike coordinator will join the transportation department.
Meanwhile, the city is working with Miami Parking Authority to create 24 bike parking areas.
The bike-friendly Miami action plan is made up of four points:
Construct a set of bike paths
Improve bike safety through education and outreach plans
Develop a bike master plan
Implement a practice of assessing and advancing bicycle proposals
Strict observant Jewish vacationers face several constraints when traveling. Often, hotels are not a good lodging option for several reasons:
Observant Jews follow a strict kosher diet that only allows them to eat in Kosher restaurants or at home if cooking with kosher pans and kosher ingredients.
Observant Jewish vacationers often have strict clothing restrictions that forbid them to have their body exposed to other people. Vacation rental homes in Miami Beach may be the best solution to take advantage of the beautiful weather in the privacy of their villa.
Respecting the rules of Shabbat in not easy. It prohibits the use of electricity for about 24 hours from Friday night to Saturday night. During the vacation, observant Jews would be unable to open their room door if they are electrically controlled. They cannot use elevators or an electricity-operated door to enter or exit the premises of a hotel.
The hotel needs to be within walking distance of a synagogue.
For all those reasons, renting a Miami Beach vacation rental villa is often the best solution as it allows vacationers to respect all strict rules.
Miami is taking steps to become a bike-friendly city.
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