Tips for Miami & key West
May 12, 2010 4:06 AM Subscribe
What to wear to an academic conference in Miami? (plus other advice for Miami & Key West)
Next week I'm presenting at the Ottawa (Medical Education) conference in Miami and don't know what to wear. I'm assuming the aircon in the Hyatt Regency will be coolish, so same as I would here in the UK? Business suit, tights, heels? with or without jacket? When not presenting are jeans and T-shirt acceptable?
2) For the other days ( 2 days in South Beach and 2 days in Key West) are there any particular places you would recommend to eat? I saw El Siboney in a previous thread and that's a must. Other things I should not miss, mefites?
3) travelling with a convertible hire car for the full week, but previous threads suggest a car is problematic in Miami itself, should I leave it in the hotels and use public transport?
4) will I be caught out by a dress code in some restaurants, specifically footwear? I want to spend the rest of the week after the conference in T-shirts,, shorts, light dresses & flip-flops, problem?
5) I have travel insurance that covers large things and basically ships you home, but lets say I need a cut or scrape sorted, stitched, tetanus jab? We can both stitch superfical woulds but I'd rather not carry a suture kit in my luggage as I've read too much on here about the TSA.
6) finally (I'm not this anal in real-lifte, honest!) would anyone like to meet up? Tues/Wed South Beach, Thursday/Fri Key West. Thanks!
Next week I'm presenting at the Ottawa (Medical Education) conference in Miami and don't know what to wear. I'm assuming the aircon in the Hyatt Regency will be coolish, so same as I would here in the UK? Business suit, tights, heels? with or without jacket? When not presenting are jeans and T-shirt acceptable?
2) For the other days ( 2 days in South Beach and 2 days in Key West) are there any particular places you would recommend to eat? I saw El Siboney in a previous thread and that's a must. Other things I should not miss, mefites?
3) travelling with a convertible hire car for the full week, but previous threads suggest a car is problematic in Miami itself, should I leave it in the hotels and use public transport?
4) will I be caught out by a dress code in some restaurants, specifically footwear? I want to spend the rest of the week after the conference in T-shirts,, shorts, light dresses & flip-flops, problem?
5) I have travel insurance that covers large things and basically ships you home, but lets say I need a cut or scrape sorted, stitched, tetanus jab? We can both stitch superfical woulds but I'd rather not carry a suture kit in my luggage as I've read too much on here about the TSA.
6) finally (I'm not this anal in real-lifte, honest!) would anyone like to meet up? Tues/Wed South Beach, Thursday/Fri Key West. Thanks!
Lots of stuff to do in Key West. Check out Duval Street...just wander around great bars. Also Hemmingway's house is a nice tour with the cats meandering around. Sunset at Mallory Square should not be missed either!
posted by evilelvis at 5:26 AM on May 12, 2010
posted by evilelvis at 5:26 AM on May 12, 2010
re: Car. Miami proper is croweded city driving. Once you are in South Beach, you probably don't need it depending on where you're staying. Same with Key West. Just park it once and forget it.
(Good choice on getting a convertible for the drive down to Key West.)
posted by dzot at 6:43 AM on May 12, 2010
(Good choice on getting a convertible for the drive down to Key West.)
posted by dzot at 6:43 AM on May 12, 2010
Best answer: Stop off to eat at the Hungry Tarpon on the way to/from Key West (Carl Haissen is a regular).
I enjoyed Hemmingway's house too but we did have a really good guide (who also gave murder/mystery tours of the area).
The Green Parrot (a few blocks up from the house) is a fun place for drinks & this page has a few more.
Sunset drinks are good at The Top on the roof of Crowne Plaza Key West La Concha (430 Duval – easy to find as it's the tallest building in town).
Unlike most of the rest of the US, bicycles seem to be the main mode of transport and are usually available from most hotels. You won't need the car to get around once you're there.
(On a personal note, the post offices in Key West & Park Slope, Brooklyn are the most diametrically different places to use the US postal service I know. KW has chickens. PS has the stench of despair.)
posted by i_cola at 7:14 AM on May 12, 2010
I enjoyed Hemmingway's house too but we did have a really good guide (who also gave murder/mystery tours of the area).
The Green Parrot (a few blocks up from the house) is a fun place for drinks & this page has a few more.
Sunset drinks are good at The Top on the roof of Crowne Plaza Key West La Concha (430 Duval – easy to find as it's the tallest building in town).
Unlike most of the rest of the US, bicycles seem to be the main mode of transport and are usually available from most hotels. You won't need the car to get around once you're there.
(On a personal note, the post offices in Key West & Park Slope, Brooklyn are the most diametrically different places to use the US postal service I know. KW has chickens. PS has the stench of despair.)
posted by i_cola at 7:14 AM on May 12, 2010
Please don't wear tights in the summer in Miami... Nude pantyhose if you feel you must.
Cultural note: In UK/Irish English, tights is the word for what you call pantyhose in the US.
posted by altolinguistic at 7:30 AM on May 12, 2010
Cultural note: In UK/Irish English, tights is the word for what you call pantyhose in the US.
posted by altolinguistic at 7:30 AM on May 12, 2010
Best answer: conference wear in hot weather, super air conditioned indoors: lighter slacks (khakis, linen), skirts or dresses plus carry a cardigan or blazer. You may be a little more dressed up than some people, but I prefer to look at least a little professional at a conference! And should be more comfortable than jeans.
The day you present: go at least a little nicer on top - a blouse or a blazer, with nice coordinating slacks or skirt. Heels + suit should be fine, but may not be much fun to run around in the rest of the day. I'd skip the hose in Florida.
posted by ansate at 7:31 AM on May 12, 2010
The day you present: go at least a little nicer on top - a blouse or a blazer, with nice coordinating slacks or skirt. Heels + suit should be fine, but may not be much fun to run around in the rest of the day. I'd skip the hose in Florida.
posted by ansate at 7:31 AM on May 12, 2010
(1) Wear the same to the conference that you would anywhere else. biliabial's advice makes sense if you plan to leave the hotel in your conference warpaint. What to wear when not presenting is a "Ottawa Medical Education" question, not a Miami question.
(5) Are you asking what to do then? I'd avoid hospital emergency rooms except for actual emergencies; your wait will be long. There are lots and lots of urgent care clinics in the US; if your rental car has a gps unit, it will probably know where they are. These are little dinky physician's practices that see people who walk in off the street with minor maladies. You can expect to pay about $75-100 as a base w/ more on top of that for materials if you need sutures.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:35 AM on May 12, 2010
(5) Are you asking what to do then? I'd avoid hospital emergency rooms except for actual emergencies; your wait will be long. There are lots and lots of urgent care clinics in the US; if your rental car has a gps unit, it will probably know where they are. These are little dinky physician's practices that see people who walk in off the street with minor maladies. You can expect to pay about $75-100 as a base w/ more on top of that for materials if you need sutures.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:35 AM on May 12, 2010
The trick at conferences in hot climes is a nice tank top under your suit jacket, so that when you go outside you can take that jacket off.
posted by salvia at 8:13 AM on May 12, 2010
posted by salvia at 8:13 AM on May 12, 2010
Response by poster: Ottawa Medical Education" question, not a Miami question.....
I don't know anyone else attending the conference who's been there before, and felt this one was something the conference organisers could do without to be honest. I've organised these kinds of events and would be driven to distraction if all my delegates asked questions like this in the final week so I abused my fellow mefites instead.
good to know that I need to change out of the conference gear when leaving the hotel. I've attended events in hotels in Korea and Singapore where the aicon was artic so wanted a comparative take, I'll bring a cardigan, (thanks for the tip!) on the days when I wear more casual clothing.
Great tips above, thanks!Bilabial I'll memail you, would love to meet up!
posted by Wilder at 12:46 AM on May 13, 2010
I don't know anyone else attending the conference who's been there before, and felt this one was something the conference organisers could do without to be honest. I've organised these kinds of events and would be driven to distraction if all my delegates asked questions like this in the final week so I abused my fellow mefites instead.
good to know that I need to change out of the conference gear when leaving the hotel. I've attended events in hotels in Korea and Singapore where the aicon was artic so wanted a comparative take, I'll bring a cardigan, (thanks for the tip!) on the days when I wear more casual clothing.
Great tips above, thanks!Bilabial I'll memail you, would love to meet up!
posted by Wilder at 12:46 AM on May 13, 2010
Response by poster: well. best part was meeting bilabial, she's awesome! :)
then, hotel aircon definitely needed the kind of normal business clothing we have here, but even so only the speakers wore the more formal garb. The audience wore everything under the sun! I saw one Dean from the UK in a red GLEEK tee with a fuschia pink shorts and flip-flops at one of the sessions (shudders!!!)
Rooms are horrible in the Hyatt Regency FWIW but South Beach is truly awesome! We stayed at the Bentley and I highly recommend it.
We stayed on Trueman Avernue in Key West which is just the right walking distance from Duval. There's a new Japanese sake bar on Duval that is simply wonderful (I need to look up the name) the Keys are beautiful, fantastic beaches, a tropical paradise.
posted by Wilder at 1:43 AM on June 12, 2010
then, hotel aircon definitely needed the kind of normal business clothing we have here, but even so only the speakers wore the more formal garb. The audience wore everything under the sun! I saw one Dean from the UK in a red GLEEK tee with a fuschia pink shorts and flip-flops at one of the sessions (shudders!!!)
Rooms are horrible in the Hyatt Regency FWIW but South Beach is truly awesome! We stayed at the Bentley and I highly recommend it.
We stayed on Trueman Avernue in Key West which is just the right walking distance from Duval. There's a new Japanese sake bar on Duval that is simply wonderful (I need to look up the name) the Keys are beautiful, fantastic beaches, a tropical paradise.
posted by Wilder at 1:43 AM on June 12, 2010
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Eating in key west. 915 on Duval.
Some Miami parking experiences will be fine. I use Miami buses for a lot. They are not cheap, at $2 a ride and no transfers given between Miami buses. (I don't own a car.)
Might want to get a tetanus jab at home now. It'll take a bit off the bill if you need to get sewn up here.
Yes, I would meet up! Tuesday at/on south beach is good because I have a thing in Little Haiti every week 7-9pm. And I don't spend much time at/on the beach.
posted by bilabial at 5:21 AM on May 12, 2010 [1 favorite]