Coastal Conquerer: Miami, Florida

Okeechobee: Prelude to Miami

It was day three of Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. Anderson Paak had just played an unbelievable set. Bassnectar was about to blow our minds with a 2-hour midnight show. During the intermission at Main Stage, I got a phone call from FlyNYON. FlyNYON, a company I had used consistently in the past, is an open-door, aerial photography company. They informed me that the passenger load on my flight tomorrow had not met the necessary quota. Fortunately, I purchased two helicopter tickets that week for Miami, Florida: one for a sunrise shoot, the other for a sunset shoot. They said I could use my flight credit for another trip, or spend the two tickets on meeting the quota. Therefore, I went ahead and spent my credit on meeting the quota. Confident my helicopter ride was in order, I resumed my state of bliss and carelessness at the festival.

Miami Bound

The following day, I departed from my Nashville festival friends and headed towards Miami alone. It was a simple drive considering it was only 3 hours to Miami. Furthermore, I really enjoy driving alone. I’ve done the drive from Nashville to Colorado by myself and I loved it. While I had been to Seaside, Florida countless times, Miami was a location I had been yet to venture to. So, as the landscape gradually diminished from rugged landscapes to inviting beaches, my adrenaline began pumping.

It seems that I consistently schedule these helicopter rides with little time to waste. I attribute it to my eagerness. When scheduling these, I tend to set up my flight so I have zero downtime when arriving at my hotel or Airbnb. Although this puts me in a “crunch-time” state-of-mind, I typically am never late for my flights. I dropped off my bags at my Airbnb on Ocean Court in Miami Bech. Immediately after, I hopped back into my car and hurried over to Opa-Locka (the FlyNYON terminal). Although this is a 13-mile trek, that distance is about an hour drive in Miami.

Fortunately, my liftoff time was an hour and fifteen minutes away. As long as the current level of traffic maintained itself, I would be good to go. Even though I made it to the terminal on time, I certainly learned a valuable lesson: NEVER drive in Miami, perhaps travel by helicopter.

Airtime Over Miami

I arrived right on time. I was slightly nervous considering I had never been on an open-door helicopter. More individuals were needed on the flight to level out the weight distribution. I actually helped her calm down quite a bit (of course with the help of the other pilots). It appeared like she truly wanted to go, but her nerves were getting the best of her. Helping her calm down really allowed me a moment to breathe, as well. Finally, I was ready to go!

The bird lifted off quickly, and the pilot quickly compensated on time. We were soaring over the ocean towards Miami at no less than 150 MPH. In an open-door helicopter such as this one, the quick speeds are tangible. It almost feels like the gust is going to pull you out of your triple-lock seatbelt. The South Beach region was certainly my favorite location to see from above. The massive skyscrapers – accompanied by the piercing, teal hue of the ocean – was nothing less than phenomenal. Out of all of the FlyNYON experiences I have been on (LA, NYC twice, San Francisco once), this was definitely my favorite.

Killing Time in Florida

One of my favorite past times when exploring a new city is what many call, “Urbex Exploring”. In a nutshell, Urbex is the exploration of cities by means of abandoned buildings, or simply finding a way to the roof of a skyscraper. Fortunately, there are more than 25 skyscrapers, just in South Beach. Typically, finding which one has an opportunity to get to the top concerns trial and error. Eventually, you strike gold and receive an amazing view of the city. That was certainly the case in Miami. About 3 hours flew by, without me finding a single building that had access to the top.

Before giving up, my last stop was Portofino Tower (orange building pictured above, view from tower pictured below), right off of South Pointe Park. Portofino Tower is a massive 44 stories, consisting of three separate, but interconnected towers. There was no elevator. Therefore, I took on a decent leg workout and walked up all 44 floors. As always, when approaching the rooftop door, the adrenaline begins pumping. This adrenaline is a result of the 90% failure rate. I was hoping when I turned the handle, I would be invited by the skyline. That very day, I was in the lucky remaining 10%. Seeing all of Miami from this incredible view I succeeded in finding was the perfect way to conclude my time in the coastal city. Out of all the places I have traveled over the years, Miami, Florida is certainly in my top 10.