Category: USA

postcard from america

Fort Lauderdale beach on a very windy and humid day

When we arrived in Fort Lauderdale after a long flight to Miami and an hours drive in a taxi from the airport to our hotel, the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, we decided to stretch our legs and go for a short walk. The walk was even shorter than expected as we had not realised just how hot and humid it was even in September. Before we even made it to the road we decided that perhaps a nice cold G&T in the bar would be more pleasant.

Little Italy: Part One

Many cities around the world have areas that have been created by immigrants and where you can get a flavour of the culture and cuisine of a nation. Famously, ‘Chinatowns’ spring to mind, but there are also Italian, Greek, Asian and many more where the inhabitants recreate their homeland.

One such area that I have had the pleasure to explore on several occasions is Little Italy in San Diego which was originally a fishing village based around the tuna industry. Now it is still a vibrant ‘village’ with lots of Italian restaurants and upmarket boutiques. I have quite a few photos from my visits so I shall split this into three photo posts, the first being a general wander around the area.

It’s also a very floral place as you can see.

~wander.essence~ photography

postcard from america

The Everglades in Florida is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and pine flatwoods that are home to hundreds of animal species including ubiquitous Florida alligators. On a cloudy day we took a trip on one of the Airboats through the waterways to find those alligators in the water. Seeing one swimming lazily towards the boat, eyes just above the water getting close and personal is quite an experience. It is quite exhilarating as the Airboat picks up speed and heads for the river of grass heading into miles of wetlands – thoughts of Miami Vice or CSI Miami entered my head, hoping we didn’t discover a dead body in the reeds.  Our tour ended with a bizarre Gator wrestling match and seeing baby gators (with their mouths tied up). It wasn’t something I would repeat although the boat trip was fun.