There was nothing like visiting the Miami area outside of work. Having worked at the Port of Miami and Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, I was already exposed to the region. Finally, it was time to visit Miami for real. Only this time, I took the train. June 7th, I rode Amtrak’s Silver Meteor from Newark, NJ to Hollywood, FL. It was a trip which I was looking forward to since February. To me, it was more than just a train trip. It was a ‘bleasure’ trip. I was doing a feature story about the Silver Meteor for Trains Magazine. I was also doing stories for VIE Magazine and Iconic Life Magazine. For a number of years, I kept a list of long-distance Amtrak routes I wanted to travel. In March 2019, I took Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian to Pittsburgh, PA. In April 2019, I rode Amtrak’s Maple Leaf to Buffalo, NY. Fast forwarding to January 2025, I rode Amtrak’s Palmetto from Newark, NJ to Savannah, GA. Riding each and every route felt like pushing the envelope one bit at a time. Then, came June 2026. “zero hour” arrived. I had not ridden on an overnight long-distance train in forty-two years. June 7th, 2026, the opportunity finally came true. It was more than an opportunity coming true. It was the opportunity of a new tradition about to begin.
That Sunday afternoon, my parents dropped me off at Newark Penn Station. A thunderstorm had just passed through northern New Jersey. It cleared, and I thought, “That shouldn’t delay me at all!”. As recommended, I arrived at Newark Penn Station approximately one hour prior to departure. Just as I reached the track platform upstairs, I received a notification that my train #97, Silver Meteor, was delayed. Instead of 2:53 pm, the time changed to 3:14. Soon after, the departure time changed to 3:45. Not much later, the time changed to 4:30. The thunderstorm that had passed through the area caused a power outage between New York City and New Haven, CT. The thunderstorm also caused the overhead catenary power to go out in Sunnyside Yard, in Queens, east of the East River Tunnels. The power outage prevented the Silver Meteor from departing Sunnyside Yard. Finally, the Silver Meteor arrived at Newark Penn Station shortly before 6 pm. Having finally left Newark, the train was three and a half hours late. Once on board, my sleeping car attendant Aaron was highly attentive. He showed me every feature in my roomette, from the night light, to the call button, to electrical outlets. Soon after, the dining car attendant came by to take down my dining reservation. Despite the delay, the onboard atmosphere was as calm and peaceful as can be. Dinner in the dining car was incredible, despite the absence of a famous entree. The power outage caused the refrigerators in the dining car’s galley to be inoperable. The well-recommended Flatiron Steak was unavailable for the trip. In lieu of the Flatiron Steak, I opted for the chicken breast. The chicken breast was fabulous. Soon after was dessert. For dessert, I had the chocolate brownie, which was awesome. My fellow tablemate, Mark, wasn’t a dessert fan. He offered me his dessert. I ordered the blueberry cheesecake. It was fantastic. I was full as a tik! In the dining car, it’s not just about the food. It’s about the presentation. I left a $20.00 tip, after such a fabulous experience.
Once dinner was over, it was time to return to my sleeper car. To get myself in the nighttime mood, I pulled out my colleague’s portable DVD player. I watched the Disney classic, “The Great Locomotive Chase”. There was no better movie to start the adventure. When the movie was over, it was time to press the call button. Aaron came along, retracted the bunk bed, and turned my room down. I felt like I was on a cruise, when the stateroom attendant turns the room down for the night, and placing chocolates on the pillow case. Sleeping on the bunk was a little challenging, but not hard. There was nothing funnier than using the toilet cover as a stepping stool to reach my bunk bed. Once comfortably in bed, I still couldn’t get over the circumstances of the train’s delay. I slept like a champ. For the first time in over forty years, I slept on a long-distance train. The ride wasn’t rough at all. I guess delays do bring about better results, agree? When I awoke the next morning, I couldn’t help picking up my cell phone and checking the train’s status on the Amtrak mobile app. To my surprise, we made up three hours overnight. No one thought making up the time would be possible. Unfortunately, the time recovery was short lived. The train arrived in Hollywood two and a half hours late. Better late, than never, right?
The following day, I couldn’t help walking around the block and over the Intercoastal Waterway bridge to Walmart. There I stocked up on Gatorade, a six-pack of beer, a memory card for my camera, and additional food items. Before noon, my Uber car came to pick me up. It was off to my air boat tour at Everglades Holiday Park. I was blown away by the experience. However, I was misled on the gator presentation. By quarter of 1, it was already getting terribly humid. It was time to head back to Hollywood Beach, and get changed for Haulover Beach. Back at the hotel, I put my souvenirs from Everglades Holiday Park in my suitcase. It was time to get ready for the next big highlight of the day-visiting Haulover Beach, the rival to Sandy Hook’s Gunnison Beach in New Jersey. Haulover Beach is only ten minutes from Hollywood Beach. When the Uber driver dropped me off at the roadside on Collins Avenue, all I could think was “Here we go!”. Entering the beach, I could see the lifeguard beach post featured in a Haulover Beach article. To my surprise, I didn’t see very many people. Did I miss something? I set my stuff up, lathered up in suntan lotion, and began to stroll the beach front. I couldn’t believe how light the crowd was. It looked so patchy. Despite the sparse crowd, the experience was amazing. After an hour and a half on the beach, it was time to head back to the hotel. Once washed up and dressed, it was time for dinner at the Diplomat Resort (a Hilton property). The Diplomat Resort was directly across the street from my hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton. At the Diplomat Resort, I had dinner at the Diplomat Prime Steakhouse. The food was absolutely wonderful. The wine I ordered was fantastic. The jumbo shrimp cocktail I ordered was wonderful. Then, came the entree. I ordered the fourteen ounce Australian Wagyu Strip. It was incredible. Only if the Diplomat Resort’s nightly rate was a little cheaper, I would’ve stayed there. I couldn’t go wrong with the DoubleTree by Hilton. The room I had was wonderful, with a large minifridge and a bar. What else could I ask for?
The next two days, I took the opportunity to visit the Rooftop Resort. Like Haulover Beach, the Rooftop Resort is a clothing-optional resort for ages 21 and up, with a saltwater swimming pool on the roof. I purchased a day pass for $70.00. During the week, it’s not as busy. About a dozen or so people were there. The following day, approximately the same amount of people were there. In the middle of the week, I attended the Miami Marlins game at Loan Depot Park. For the first time, I took the Brightline train. I must say, this train is a game changer for traveling throughout Florida. Between Orlando and Miami, I hope it has a successful future. My round-trip fare to and from Miami was $30.96. Not too bad for a twenty-minute ride from Aventura to Miami! I couldn’t have bought a better seat, but in the Clubhouse Box section, near the Marlins dugout. The Marlins trounced the Diamondbacks, 8-0. The next day, I visited the Rooftop Resort for a second time. Remember the six-pack of beer I bought at Walmart? Three cans were left in the cooler behind the tiki bar. I had the opportunity to chat with some fun young ladies and gentlemen in the pool. Who said that clothing-optional places are home to wackos? Even plain vanilla people can be found at such a place. My second visit was a gem, even better than the first. Once back at the hotel, it was time to use the hotel pool and get ready for dinner the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Dinner at the Fresh Harvest Buffet was amazing. The buffet featured NY Strip Steak, cooked in three ways-medium rare, medium-well, and well-done. How does anyone eat steak well-done? I guess some people do!
Friday, June 12th, was my final day. I wrote fifty postcards. Once I put the final stamps on, I mailed them at the front desk. Immediately afterward, it was time to head for Haulover Beach. I couldn’t help but visit Haulover Beach for the second and final time of my stay. This time, the Friday crowd was more dense than three days before. The water was truly amazing. There were plenty of young ladies in the ocean; not college age (during the high season), but it was fun to share fun stories and just have a fun time. Unlike Sandy Hook’s Gunnison Beach in New Jersey, Haulover Beach has beach umbrellas and lounge chairs for rental. Lounge chairs cost $20.00 and umbrella rentals were $30.00. Beach goers can bring everything else. I spent at least five hours at Haulover Beach. It was a great day. There wasn’t one hint of humidity throughout the week except in the Everglades. Once my day was over, I walked over the the rinsing showers. There two young African American ladies were washing off. How polite they were, allowing me space to rinse off besides them. Having got myself together, it was time to call for my Uber car back to the hotel. Back at the hotel, I used the pool for the final time. I got sunburned between my shoulder blades. Boy did I feel the discomfort that evening!
All washed up and dressed, it was off to the Margaritaville Beach Resort for dinner. I ate dinner at the Landshark Bar & Grill. I had the beach chips as an appetizer, and the chicken finger platter for my entree. I wasn’t all that hungry, but it was enough to fill me up for the night. After paying the bill, I watched a concert at the Hollywood Beach Theater nearby. There was no better way to enjoy the final night of my “bleasure trip” than at a beach concert. Soon enough, I went back to my hotel to finish packing. Trying to get into bed with my suburn was a bit difficult. The sunburn on my back in between my shoulder blades felt like someone shot me. By morning, the discomfort subsided somewhat. By 7 am, the Uber car dropped me off at the Hollywood Train Station. My train arrived right on time at 7:28 am. We departed close to schedule.
Headed northbound, the ride was wonderful. We were roughly five minutes behind schedule up to Jacksonville. North of Jacksonville, the train came to a hault in the middle of a thunderstorm. We were paused there for approximately half an hour. It turned out that we lost our dining car chef to a medical emergency. The chef was handling cooked chicken breasts. Hot chicken grease spilled from the cooking pan onto her arm. She sustained a third degree burn. She was medically evacuated from the train. Unfortnuately, the train was without a chef for the duration of the trip. Sleeping car passengers including myself were treated to the cafe/lounge car on a complimentary basis, hence our dining already been included with our sleeping car accommodation. So, no Flatiron Steak again! I couldn’t complain. I couldn’t blame the chef for her injury. The Flatiron Steak can wait until next trip, wherever that journey will take me.
The following morning, I woke up to see the most beautiful sunrise. I took a shower in the community shower, which was nifty. I used the community shower on the way down, too. There’s nothing to complain about. It’s something to look forward to doing. Crossing the Potomac River on the Long Bridge, the sunrise was incredible, with a pinkish yellow in betwen the clouds. Soon enough, we passed through L E’nfant Plaza, diverted off the CSX main line, and into the East Tunnel. Minutes later, we arrived at Washington, DC Union Station. There we changed engines and crew for the home stretch. Approximately 8:30, we pulled out of Union Station, forty minutes behind schedule. We arrived at Newark Penn Station fifty-five minutes late. Fifty-five minutes late sure beats a three-hour delay!
The week of June 7th-14th could not have been a more unique vacation experience. Prior to my trip, I was often tracking Amtrak’s Silver Meteor on the Amtrak mobile app. Much of the way, the train was on time or close to schedule in either direction. So, Mother Nature proved me wrong at the beginning. On the return, I learned that even the freakiest of accidents can slow the train down. Despite the delay in either direction, the experience I had in the Miami area was one to treasure. From seeing alligators up close in the Everglades, to visiting Haulover Beach twice, to attending my first Miami Marlins game, to enjoying Lobster Thursday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, I couldn’t have a more memorable experience. At Haulover Beach, the seaweed washing up was expected, but everyone including myself had a blast. Will I be visiting the Miami area again soon? During the Fall, I surely intend to do so. It’ll be the high season. The college kids will be back in the area, along with the ‘snow birds’. Hopefully then, I can show off my beach volleyball serving abilities. As they say, “good things happen for those who wait”. I may fly down! I may use the $500.00 Amtrak coupon my brother emailed me. However my future visit will turn out, I know for sure that Miami will be just as welcoming as the night