From DeLand, Florida to Miami on the Train (A Photo Essay)

[Doug]

Dave and I recently traded in our small South Beach apartment for a large 2 bedroom house in the woodsy, Mayberryesque university town of DeLand, Florida, which is located about 4 hours north of Greater Miami.

We drove up with the cats and the essentials and signed the lease on our new place, but I still had to get back down to Miami and bring the larger stuff up in a U-Haul. I decided to take the Amtrak train, which was a very fun experience. You have the option of the 8 hour trip for $45, or the 7 hour "Silver Meteor" express at $58 (prices one way from DeLand, which is about 40 minutes Northeast of Orlando).

Here are some of the sites I saw on the trip down.

[Doug]

If you're traveling by yourself, the train is actually cheaper than driving, when you stop to consider the tolls and the colossal cost of gas. You can also drink on the train, which I discovered after I overheard two other passengers talking about how they got their licenses suspended from DUIs!

[Doug]

If you want to go to South Beach, you can hop on the "L" bus, which is timed to pass by the Amtrak station in Miami shortly after the after the train arrives.

The Miami Amtrak station is located at 8303 Northwest 37th Avenue, near its intersection with NW 79th Street.

Gus, our site administrator, was kind enough to pick me up (thank you soooo much, Gus!) -- but if you have someone picking you up, make sure you google the directions! Who would have thought that 79th St is also called E. 25th Street just a few blocks west near Le Jeune Road? Who was the great mind who thought up that idea?? "Let's call NW 79th St East 25th Street?" Bottom line -- if you're coming to the train station by traveling north on Le Jeune Road, just be aware that you'll be making a right onto East 25th Street! It will soon become NW 79th and then you'll hang your left on NW 37th Ave. Just don't go right, because there, NW 37th Avenue is called East 12th Avenue! sigh.

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hey Doug! Great photos!

South Beach misses you guys but I hope life will be more relaxed up there in Deland. Please keep us posted! I've never lived in Central Florida, so it would be interesting to know what that's like.

Do you know if there's wi-fi on the train? I want to visit a friend of mine in Tallahassee and was thinking of the train as an option, but it probably takes a really long time. (I'm definitely not driving.)

[Doug]

Hi Maria; thanks! Don't think of us as Miami exiles, just suburbanites with a long commute!

The train is a great way to relax and meet new people. I saw a few working on computers, but from what I've read, there are wi-fi hotspots (run by T-Mobile) in only a handful of stations, namely, Washington Union Station, Baltimore Penn Station, Wilmington Station, Philadelphia 30th Street Station, and New York Penn Station.

[Warmonger]

Doug, I know you were focused on getting to the beach, but do you know if the station is accessible from TriRail or Metrorail?

Thanks.

[Doug]

Hi, Warmonger, the Miami Metro-Rail/Tri-Rail Transfer station is located about three blocks from the Amtrak terminal on E. 25th St (aka 79th St) and E. 11th Ave. You would simply get off your train at NW 37th Avenue (aka E. 12th Ave.) and walk down to 79th St and go west one block.

I read that in 2010, the Amtrak station is planned to be relocated to the Miami Intermodal Center at Miami Central Station, located just east of the airport. You'll be able to connect with local transportation more easily then.

[Gus]

Very informative, Doug. Thanks for showing us what the train ride is like from DeLand to Miami.

[Doug]

DeLand is really a nice little town -- one of the few places left in Florida that hasn't turned into a sprawly Wal-Mart world. The only other ones that immediately come to mind for me are South Beach, Key West, and downtown Hollywood. It still conserves its historic downtown, and features an abundance of charming, walkable neighborhoods. Stetson University keeps things diverse, and the oodles of natural springs and nearby Ocala Forest provide lots of opportunities to commune with nature. You can also commune with the ghosties in the neighboring village of Cassadaga! Orlando is a 40 minute drive when you need a city, while Daytona is just 20 minutes to the northeast.

Here's a look at a walk around DeLand I took yesterday through some very beautiful areas.

[LEVIS]

Hi Doug,
Liked you train ride photos, will have to try and take a few of my own. On the train for 28 hours so should have plenty of time!