Charlotte🇺🇸 to Miami🇺🇸✈️: 4-5 April 2001

Описание: Charlotte to Miami✈️ boarding at Gate B13 Terminal A
USAir #US549 MD-81 (N805US) Flight time: 2hrs 7min

Checked out of Travelodge, 319 W Trade Street and took a shuttle to Charlotte Douglas Intn' Airport and dropped off at US Airways Departures. On the left is the statue of Queen Charlotte after who the city is named (German Princess Sophie Charlotte married King George III in 1761 and became Queen of England). The 15 foot-tall sculpture on a 30 foot-tall fountain in an outdoor plaza, in motion leaning backward holding the crown up in one hand, has greeted travelers since 1990. It was taken to its present location inside the terminal lobby in 2022.

Check-in was quick and efficient but the TSA Pre-Check lane was quite long. After security, i headed to the gate just in time to watch as my plane parked. Known for its famous T-tail and rear-mounted engines, i was about to step back in time on an MD-81; upon boarding, you could tell it was a tired workhorse from decades of faithful service. After a warm welcome from the crew i settled in my window seat Row 6A. As I was closer to the front, i had an unobstructed view as the wings are further back and the engine is not in the way making for a quiet flight. Having nobody next to me, i was able to stretch out and enjoy the whole 2-seat row to myself, an advantage of the 2-3 configuration.

Push-back was on schedule as we made our way to Rwy 18, rolled away for takeoff and were airborne climbing fast south over South Carolina sky into Georgia. Once we reached cruising altitude, drinks and light snacks were served by a friendly crew.

About 25min out of Miami we began our descent, broke through the clouds and had a great view of Florida’s coastline on our final approach. We landed smoothly on Rwy 18R and taxied to Gate H6. I said goodbye to the crew, headed to Baggage Claim and took a shuttle downtown to Holiday Inn at 340 Biscayne Blvd overlooking Biscayne Bay.

N827US delivered to USAir in 1988 withdrawn from use at Tucson AZ (6 Nov 2001 - 11 Feb 2003) and stored in Bucharest in 2005**

After checking-in, i took a stroll along Biscayne Boulevard to NE 3rd Street at the entrance to Bayside where in a small plaza stands a statue of Simón Bolívar who led South American countries to independence from Spain; their flags can be seen flying behind. At the northwest corner is the Torch of Friendship erected in 1960 as a welcoming beacon to Latin American and Caribbean immigrants. A 40foot long curved wall behind it bears bronze seals of each Latin American country in alphabetical order; Cuba’s seal would have hung in a blank space between Costa Rica and Dominican Republic but for political tensions with Fidel Castro after the Cuban Revolution. The torch was re-dedicated to the memory of John F Kennedy on January 20, 1964, the 3rd anniversary of his inauguration. Next to it is a plaque erected in 1976, an afterthought of getting Cubans mentioned to make up for the omission.

In Bayfront Park is a statue of Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish conquistador who claimed Florida for Spain in 1513.

From here i took a short walk to Bayside Marketplace, an open-air shopping centre on the banks of Biscay Bay with big-name restaurants and cruise tours.

5.4.2001
Visited Miami Museum of Arts at 101 West Flagler Street across from the overhead Government Center Metrorail Station. "At the Crossroads: Afro-Cuban Orisha Arts in Miami" exhibition was running at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida - February 23 to July 8, 2001, showcasing the work of Orisha artists in Miami.

From 16th-19th century, the Yoruba (from southwestern Nigeria and eastern Benin) were the main ethnic group brought to Cuba as slaves. The Afro-Cuban Orisha religion known as “Santería” is the product of Yoruba Orisha worship and Spanish Catholicism in colonial Cuba. After the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the earliest wave of Cuban exiles to Miami consisted of upper class whites were either alien to Afro-Cuban religions or consulted diviners only in times of crisis. The new stresses created by the exile experience led many to turn to the Orisha religion. Although Orisha worship is today an integral part of the American religious landscape, it is still misunderstood and subjected to negative stereotypes.

At the Miami-Dade Public Library, “Southern Africa 1936-1949 Photographs” exhibition by Constance Stuart Larrabee was also running - February 3 to April 15, 2001. Larrabee (1914-2000), born in England and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, is best known for her images of South Africa, photojournalism on Europe during WWII as South Africa's first female War Correspondent, and as the official photographer of the 1947 British Royal Tour that included Basutoland (Lesotho), Swaziland and Bechuanaland (Botswana) - British Protectorates at the time.

At sundown, I was back at Bayside, sat down to an authentic Cuban food menu at Kuba Cabana restaurant and watched live Cuban music till late in the evening.