Miami and Fort Lauderdale, twin cousins different as night and day

Miami and Fort Lauderdale are in a class by themselves. Railroad cities of the East, they sit on a sliver of land that enjoys a tropical climate on an otherwise temperate continent. Women played lead roles in both their ignitions. Commonalities give way to differences. Miami, the Magic City, was a playground of the rich with a big city image at the start. Fort Lauderdale happened because there was decent soil for growing food, as opposed to the rock that Miami sat on. Both are products of the Gilded Age. Miami represents the ostentation of the period. Fort Lauderdale was either indifferent or a reaction to the deliriousness of the time. Miami, a pageant of a city, has its most photogenic features out front. It takes time to fully appreciate Fort Lauderdale. Miami is frenetic. Fort Lauderdale moves with the tides. Miami is the Capital of Latin America. Fort Lauderdale is a most American of cities.

- Wagner Homestead/Fort Dallas Barracks - Calle Ocho - Coral Way - Coral Gables - Old Cutler Road - Fairchild Tropical Garden - Coconut Grove - Museum Park - Miami Central Station, Lunch - Brightline to Fort Lauderdale - Stranahan House - Las Olas Blvd - Finger Isles - Birch Estates, Mid-century Modern buildings - Birch State Park - Bonnett House Estate - Fort Lauderdale Brightline Station - Brightline to Miami