2013-03-28 
【Aiden in English】
Nothing was better to start my trip than waking up at the crack of dawn and driving to the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) at 4:000 am. On the road, I was exhausted, sleepy, and stressed. When we arrived at PHL, my eyes felt like they weighed over 100 pounds/45 kilograms. Just after I sat in our plane seat, I comfortably propped myself against Mom and fell asleep. Three hours later, I was awoken by the sound of landing. When I opened my eyes, I saw the vast Miami International Airport (MIA), the No. 1 largest airport in the US. Mom and I were making a connection to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador in South America. Two plane flights were separated by six hours of nothing in Miami. I tried to brainstorm what to do and how to kill time. But all I could think of was video games. Mom, on the other hand, could only come out for sightseeing. Since mom disapproved of video games, I went with her to find some places to explore its outskirts with a private guide, even though we visited downtown more than four years ago. As I continued walking in the endless terminals, I spotted the MIA Hotel and suggested if it could host some city tours. Fortunately, the hotel arranged a tour guide to pick us up. At 10:30 am, we walked through the door and hit the road in a minivan. The tour guide introduced himself as Oscar. Our 1st stop was the Coral Gables of the "city beautiful." It was famous for trees, gardens, waterfront mansions, canals, and consulates. Coral Gables costs a lot for people to live there, not only because the entire design was characteristic of the Mediterranean Revival Style, but also because the houses were close to the canals that ran through Miami into the Atlantic Ocean. A gorgeous public Venetian Pool resembled a natural lagoon in a Venetian setting of bridges, towers, a casino, and lush landscaping. The unique Indian banyan trees canopied the streets so primarily that I seemed microscopic. Every branch looked as if it were bigger than my size. Next, Oscar drove us to a district called Coconut Grove, where a village-within-a-city was inherited from Spanish culture. Wild peacocks strutted around the neighborhoods. Ritz-Carlton luxury condominiums, sailing, yachting, and marinas were bound to Biscayne Bay. Across Rickenbacker Causeway, the Cuban-descent pop superstar Gloria Estefan's mega-mansion occupied the best view on the celebrity Star Island, as Oscar pointed out to us. Conversely, Miami Beach is made up of natural and artificial barrier islands. Tourists had flocked to such a getaway resort during Spring Break. The Little Havana district was home to Cuban immigrants. We started to stroll from El Pub on 8th Street, where two 6-foot/1.8-meter roosters stood. A few popular gift shops, an art gallery, and a Community Park were alluring for us. As we entered the cigar factory, I didn't hear much of what Oscar said because I was too busy holding my nose, so I didn't smell the smoke from the exhibition room. After the walk, my stomach gurgled, which only meant one thing. Before I could complain, we were told that lunch was next. Lunch was NOT next! Just after we ordered some Cuban cuisine from the famous "Latin American" in Bayside Marketplace, it was time to return to the airport. Mom and I packed all the food into three huge boxes and ran to the minivan, where Oscar was waiting. When we arrived at MIA, we had less than an hour to check in. Mom and I devoured the steaming platter and gulped down the water. Just in time, we were boarding the plane to Quito. Miami was always proud of being the "Capital of Latin America." We would discover everything cross-culturally but Chinatown! 【红霞译】
没有什么事情能与破晓前必须打点好行装一事相比，而且不到四点就要去费城机场赶乘早起头班飞机。一路上我极度疲倦，刚到机场，双目便累得重如百磅，眼皮再也睁不开来。 登机后我稍微坐定，立刻倚靠在妈妈身边昏睡过去，直到三个钟头后飞机着陆时所发出的剧烈噪音才被吵醒。即刻，偌大的迈阿密“大水”国际机场映入眼帘，这是迄今为止全美最大的客运机场。我们要在此转机，前往南美洲厄瓜多尔共和国首都基多“世界中心”。 问题在于如何打发六个小时候机时间，我绞尽脑汁，除了上便携机玩游戏别无它求；而妈妈当然不会轻易放过任何异地观光机会。既然妈妈反对靠游戏消磨功夫，我只好跟她一起寻找私人导游，试图游览迈阿密周边地区，其实四年前我们曾访问过市中心。 我们沿着一眼望不到尽头的候机大厅徒步行走，过了好半天才看到一家“迈阿密国际机场酒店”，并决定进去碰碰运气，侥幸的是酒店设有旅游业务，很快安排一位名叫奥斯卡“众神之矛”的导游，于上午十点卅分准时带我们上路。 我们率先走访美轮美奂的珊瑚山墙城，这里树木造型独特，花园设计优雅，豪宅临水观海，运河集流汇溪，领馆富丽堂皇，纵横洋洋大观。珊瑚山墙城房地产走势甚高，除了地中海式建筑设计别致之外，运河两岸的房舍飘逸姿韵，占据观赏溪流汇入大西洋的最佳位置；威尼斯游泳池为自然泻湖，集栈桥、楼塔、赌场、绿化于一体，成为当地民众沐浴阳光的公共场所。街道上形貌奇特的印度榕树成林，枝叶繁茂，我站在树冠遮天的马路中央，深感置身天地之间如同沧海一粟，自己渺小得微乎其微。 接着奥斯卡带我们来到孔雀遍野的椰林区，素有“城市里的村落”之称，到处充满西班牙风情。丽思·卡尔顿“奢华·自由农村”豪华公寓大厦、航海俱乐部、游艇码头深入浅出，成为比斯坎“山脊”一道亮丽的风景线；穿过激流铜锣湾，古巴后裔、著名流行歌手格洛丽亚·埃斯特凡“荣耀·花环”巨型豪宅在名流荟萃的“星岛”抢尽了风头。隔湾相望，迈阿密海滩由大大小小的自然及人工堤礁组成，前来喜度春假的游客络绎不绝。
小哈瓦那“天堂”区算得上古巴移民大本营及革命根据地，我们从八街救世主酒吧门前两只高达6英尺／1.8米的公鸡塑像出发，一边溜达一边闲逛街头礼品店、工艺品屋和社区公园。当经过雪茄作坊直销部时，因为烟味太冲，我不得不捂紧鼻子屏住呼吸，结果根本顾不上奥斯卡解说的要点。
游览结束时，我肚子咕噜叫个不停，未容我开始抱怨，得知下面直奔餐馆而去，准备大战午餐饮食。
可是心急吃不了热汤面，午餐并非紧随其后！我们刚刚从湾边市场著名的“拉美”餐厅点好几道古巴菜肴，不料已经临近返程时刻。妈妈和我来不及吃上一口，二话不说急忙打包，装满整整三大盒子，然后撒腿飞速冲回面包车内，这时奥斯卡早已静候其中。
等赶回迈阿密国际机场，距离登机仅剩下不足个把钟头，我们狼吞虎咽，火速消灭仍然热气腾腾的“杂烩拼盘”，随即飞往厄瓜多尔首都基多。 迈阿密一向以“拉美首府”自居，我们可以随时随地发掘其它多元素民族文化，唯独探寻不到“中国城”的痕迹！
 Rickenbacker Causeway, Providing the Only Ingress & Egress Connection to the Village of Key Biscayne
(里肯巴克“富饶的小溪”堤道·通往比斯坎岛村的唯一出入口)  Fisher Island, America's Most Expensive ZIP Code
(渔夫岛·美国最昂贵的邮政编码) 
Biscayne Bay, a Lagoon w/ Characteristics of an Estuary (比斯坎湾·具有河口特征的泻湖) 
South Beach, the Art Deco Capital of the World (南滩·世界装饰艺术之都)  Mid Beach w/ Less Rowdy, More Relaxed, Yet Upscale, Atmosphere
(中滩·氛围清净轻松却又不失高档)  Pell-Mell Hwy (交错的高速公路)
Peacock Park @ Coconut Grove (椰子林·孔雀公园)  Ritz-Carlton Condo @ Coconut Grove
(椰子林——丽思·卡尔顿酒店公寓 03-28-2013)
 Banyan Tree-Canopied Streets @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山墙·榕树遮盖的街道 03-28-2013)  Biltmore Hotel Coral Gables
(珊瑚山墙·矮山荒原酒店 03-28-2013)  DeSoto Fountain @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山墙·德索托“树林”喷泉)  Ocean Canal @ Coral Gables (珊瑚山墙·海洋运河)
 Spanish Consulate @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山墙·西班牙领事馆)  Venetian Pool @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山墙·威尼斯“运河之城”游泳池)  Marina @ Biscayne Bay (比斯坎湾·游艇码头)
 Phillip Frost's Mansion @ 21 Star Island Dr
(星岛大岛21号——美国企业家菲利普·弗罗斯特“爱马仕·冰冻”豪宅)  Shay Kostiner @ 44 Star Island
(星岛大岛44号——美国高尔夫球手谢伊·科斯蒂纳“礼物·侧翼”豪宅 03-28-2013)  8th Street in Little Havana (小哈瓦那·八街)
 Little Havana Roosters, a Symbol of the Neighborhood's Culture & Cuban Heritage
(小哈瓦那公鸡雕像·象征古巴裔美国人社区的坚韧和精神 03-28-2013) 
Police Patrol in Little Havana (小哈瓦那·巡警 03-28-2013)  Art Store in Little Havana
(小哈瓦那·艺术品商店 03-28-2013)
 Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
(艾德里安·阿什特“深色·迷人”表演艺术中心)  Freedom Tower, Symbolizing Cuban Hope & Opportunity for Refugees
(自由塔·象征古巴难民的希望和机会)  Miami Intl Airport, the Busiest U.S. Airport for International Freight
(迈阿密国际机场·美国最繁忙的国际货运机场) Crosslinks(相关博文):
USA(出游美国)
小学四年级(4th Grade) |
