THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601200062
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
A 10-DAY vacation on a sea cruise in sunny south Florida is the ideal vacation. The drawback for me: 10 days away from my grandchildren.
Just a few minutes after we returned home, 8-year-old Christy ran into my arms for hug and kiss time.
``God, I'm glad to see you again,'' I said, as I squeezed the breath out of her.
Recovering, she said, ``I can tell.''
Pay heed to the following piece of travel advice, rule No. 1 on Amtrak's passenger safety instruction list: Never exit a moving train. (Sure, take the fun out of travel.)
Amtrak got us from Rocky Mount, N.C., to Fort Lauderdale.
Down there, where summertime seems permanent, winter wear is the T-shirt.
For those who equate the jolly holiday with shopping, there is no better place to be. The Festival Flea Market Mall in Pompano Beach or the Swap Shop in Fort Lauderdale will do the trick.
Both are ``go-crazy'' shopper's paradises. The latter is the state's second largest tourist attraction. Disney World is, of course, No. 1.
Picture this, shopaholics: The Festival Flea Market has 80 acres catering to 12 million visitors a year who try to catch up with as many of the 2,000 vendors as they can.
There are 17 restaurants, amusement rides, a free three-ring circus daily and an 11-screen drive-in movie theater.
It is to salivate.
The driving habits of South Floridians are great. They are aggressive, but polite. They signal - then they cut you off. In Hampton Roads, as you well know, they just cut you off.
You think our drivers put the pedal to the metal? Amateurs. Oh, they may get up to 70 or so in the 55 zones, but in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area 80 seems to be the norm.
But, they do signal - when they cut in front, pass you, come from a stop sign or red light.
It is my understanding that turn signals are not standard equipment on automobiles purchased in our neck of the woods.
If you are in your automobile, waiting for the light to change to green, or halting for a stop sign, you will usually see someone wearing a ``hometown newspaper'' T-shirt, hawking the Orlando Sentinel in your face. It is aggressiveness that seems to pay off.
Hampton Roads might do well to send some highway engineers to Broward County - Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Pompano Beach. I get lost going around the block at home, but I traveled all over the area, night and day, never losing my way because the roads are so intelligently marked. You have to be a complete dolt to get off track.
Speaking of track, back to Amtrak. See America through dirty windows. Railroading is enjoyable, though. Even the coach seats make for good sleeping. They hand you a marshmallow-sized pillow, you twist and turn your bodies in ways God never intended, and you snooze.
The one complaint most passengers have is the food. Makes Burger King look gourmet.
Many times, the food that is advertised is not on hand. I learned to ``enjoy'' cereal-filled hot dogs with bottled water.
If you want to enjoy a carefree, pamper-me vacation, think cruise. Get on board. by CNB