South Florida

Katherine and I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Delray Beach and Miami. A few impressions:

Everybody in Florida speaks with an Northeast Coast or Cuban accent. There are no natives.

South Florida consists of an endless suburb, interrupted by a) high rise condominiums, b) mega mansions, and c) a very few "old town" business districts with sidewalk restaurants.

The traffic on the Interstates and downtown Miami is the worst in the United States, easily beating Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.

Everything in the state is under either construction or repair. It is often hard to tell which is which.

Conspicuous consumption is alive, well, and rampant.