US City With Worst Road Rage, 2nd Year Running

by Willy Volk on

Learning to drive in Atlanta, I always thought rush-hour there was terrible: bumper-to-bumper traffic, and everyone going so fast. Eventually, I got used to it and realized there was a rhythm that Atlanta’s drivers share. Generally, that rhythm is, “Get in the lane now, or get the heck outta the way!”

Now, living in South Florida, I’m amazed at how different the traffic is: no one obeys the “slower traffic keep right” rule; people jabber away incessantly on their phones; the thump-thump from those mega-speakers has GOT to be hugely distracting; and — no offense to my senior neighbors, but — the old people are clogging up the lanes, trying to see over their steering wheels for the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts! I mean, come ON! It’s no wonder Miami topped the list — for the second year in a row — for US city with the worst road rage. I’m hot under the collar just thinking about my commute home.

If you’re interested, the 25 cities with the worst road rage are:

1. Miami
2. New York
3. Boston
4. Los Angeles
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Phoenix
7. Chicago
8. Sacramento, Calif.
9. Philadelphia
10. San Francisco
11. Houston
12. Atlanta
13. Detroit
14. Minneapolis-St. Paul
15. Baltimore
16. Tampa, Fla.
17. San Diego
18. Cincinatti
19. Cleveland
20. Denver
21. Dallas-Ft. Worth
22. St. Louis
23. Seattle-Tacoma
24. Pittsburgh
25. Portland, Ore.

Related:

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of April 15

by Adrienne Wilson on

The end of the week has arrived and I can’t express how happy that makes me. But I’m not going to make this intro long winded or provide some silly intro on the close of the day and what you may have missed so let’s just get into it!

5. Where Have You Been? At Bluestockings:
Although I am sure there are other events around the globe similar to this Bluestockings event this is one in particular makes me wish I lived in the Big Apple. For those who haven’t the desire to be on the go or can’t but still love drooling and thinking on the travel tales of others this live storytelling events might make for a fabulous evening for you and a nice cup of tea.

4. Cruise Ship Work: It’s Possible:
In need of a new job NOW? Well I can’t promise you’ll land one on a cruise ship immediately, but you can start NOW to get out of your cube farm and onto the high seas for a few months. The air is much fresher out there.

3. Tickets on Sale for Beijing Olympics:
While Ember is busy bringing the daily Beijing 411, Jonathon stops to remind us that one of the world’s biggest events is coming up fast and tickets are now on sale. Will you be at the Olympics?

2. Talking Travel with Matthew Polly:
Ready to be inspired? Gadling contributor, Justin Glow brings us all an awesome Q&A from his chat with Matthew Polly. If the name doesn’t ring a bell fear not, but don’t and I repeat don’t try bullying this guy to fork over his egg roll or burger for that matter. Read the interview and find out what pushed him to leave everything behind to travel to the Shaolin Temple.

1. Weekend in Miami: An Overview:
Summer is on the way and thanks to Willy, those who are planning a getaway to Miami, Florida can check out this overview for a few links and ideas on how to spend 2-3 days time or more if you happen to have it! Though the beach is almost a given he also provides a glimpse at museums and dining and most importantly, where you may want to rest your head.

Weekend In Miami: An Overview

by Willy Volk on

Due to the anti-chronological nature of blog posts, we wanted to provide an easy way to go back and review the various locations Gadling visited. To that end, we created an interactive map of the weekend. Clicking on any of the blue placemarks or the blue shaded areas will take you to the blog post that discusses it.

Alternatively, here’s a chronological presentation of the weekend:

If you have any ideas for hot-spots Gadling overlooked, please let us know!

Weekend In Miami: Next Weekend

by Willy Volk on

Before embarking on this Miami trip, I spent a lot of time doing pre-departure research, deciding what I wanted to do and see, and even plotting the best way to get to destinations. Some travelers may think I over-planned the trip, but without some planning, there was no way I was going to see everything I wanted to. If you’re curious, here’s how I scheduled our weekend, Saturday on the left, Sunday on the right:

Yes, those are removable stickies, which make rescheduling easy. No, I didn’t get to everything I wanted.

By the way… a special thanks to my accommodating wife for letting me drag her around Miami all weekend. And for the record: she claims she had a great time and was fine with our hectic schedule.

Now that we know so much about Miami, we can’t wait to get back. So what are we going to do? As you might imagine, I’ve got the whole weekend planned out already…

We’re going to head up on a Thursday afternoon, and check into one of these hotels:

On Thursday night, we’ll grab dinner at Tap Tap and then head to the funky Pawn Shop Lounge. (Our waiter at Afterglo claimed this was the best night to go.)

On Friday, we’ll have breakfast at the (oceanfront) Front Porch Cafe. Then, we’ll head to Kampong and explore the beautiful gardens (appointments required!). We’ll grab lunch at Scotty’s Landing (overlooking the water), and swing by M-80 for some edgy, hipster clothes. We’ll relax on the beach for a while, and head to the Delano Poolside Bar for late afternoon cocktails (mmm… mojitos). After dinner at Madiba’s, we’ll have a few drinks at Ted’s Hideaway (hope it isn’t too smoky), and then catch some live music at either the Slak Lounge or Jazid. Sleep.

On Saturday, we’ll wake up and go on a Stiltsville & Key Biscayne Boat Tour. (If the tour isn’t running that day, we’ll either do some (free) Yoga in the Park, or go sea kayaking around Key Biscayne.) We’ll grab a late, healthy lunch at Pasha’s, and then take a nap on the beach — or in the room, if we’ve already spent too much time in the hot, Miami sun. We’ll play dinner by ear (See? I don’t plan everything!), and then head to Aqua Booty, for a relatively laid-back club scene. (If we’re just too tired, then maybe we’ll catch a Ghosts of Miami City Cemetery Night Walking Tour.)

On Sunday, we’ll have brunch at the chilled-out Ice Box Cafe, swing by either the World Erotic Art Museum or the Flying Trapeze School, and then buzz by Romanico’s Chocolate as we head out of town — so we have a small treat back home to remember our weekend by.

Now, let’s see… What have I forgotten…

Weekend In Miami: Jimbo’s Place

by Willy Volk on

After leaving the lighthouse at Bill Bagg Park, we traveled north — back through the Village of Key Biscayne, back through Crandon Park, and off the island. Before hitting mainland Miami, we approached a small key on our right. This is Virginia Key, a wonderfully underdeveloped barrier island that boasts several nice beaches. However, we weren’t interested in seeing the beaches. We were interested in seeing Jimbo.

Jimbo’s Place isn’t really a bar, but you can get cold drinks there.

Jimbo’s isn’t really a restaurant, either, though you can get smoked fish there. (That’s what the sign on that wall says… trust me.)


Jimbo’s isn’t really a music venue, but you can hear live music there.

However, Jimbo’s is among the best bar/ restaurant/ music venues around.

Be warned that if you’re high maintenance, you might not feel too comfortable at Jimbo’s.

But if you go, Jimbo Luznar — the self-proclaimed “Friendliest Man on Earth” — will make you feel very welcome.

I’d heard about Jimbo’s Place while researching Miami. I was looking for an unusual, off-the-beaten path sort of destination for us to enjoy. A sprawling, ramshackle, ad-hoc-sort-of bar, ultra-casual Jimbo’s fit the bill.

Fifty years ago, Jimbo lived on the mainland. However, since the Miami Herald wanted the real estate Jimbo legally owned, the city cut a deal with him: move to Virginia Key, and you can stay out there the rest of your life. Jimbo didn’t care about the land. After all, he was a shrimp fisherman, and the location they offered him was better for his boats. He accepted.

Fast forward 50 years. Now, Miami is a boom town, and Jimbo is sitting on prime real estate. Of course, the city wants it back. However, they’ve wanted it back for years. When I was at Jimbo’s Place, Jimbo told me that the mayor has informed him personally that he can keep his place as long as he’s alive — even though he doesn’t have a license to sell beer, or have a license to smoke fish, or even hold a lease to the place. This past weekend, Jimbo — a great-grandpa — celebrated his 80th birthday. Who knows how long Jimbo’s will remain.

Anyway, Jimbo’s is like no other bar/restaurant I’ve ever been to. It was a fun, eclectic, wide-ranging group of people — — from hipsters to bikers; from hippies to retirees — and everyone got along fine.

There’s bocce ball, if you want to get competitive.

There’s a dock, if you want to hang out and chat.

Jimbo has a great view of the city. This lagoon was the film site for several Sixties-era television shows, including Flipper and Gentle Ben.

There are plenty of places to sit and relax and chat with friends.

Jimbo is so popular, he even has groupies on site, selling stickers of him…

…and singing his praises…

If you think I’m crazy for liking Jimbo’s, consider that I’m not the only fan.

Out of the entire weekend, I think visiting Jimbo’s Place was the highlight. It was the most relaxed. It was the most casual. It was the most fun. And Jimbo made me feel so welcome. I’m really sorry I missed your 80th birthday, Jimbo. I hope I get to attend next year!

Jimbo’s Fast Facts:

  • Jimbo’s movie credits include scenes from True Lies, a 1994 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; and Blood and Wine, a 1997 film starring Jack Nicholson. The film crew for 1983s Porky’s II built a riverboat in the lagoon behind Jimbo’s.
  • Jimbo’s has been the site of numerous fashion and music video shoots. Mariah Carey shot her first album cover there.