They look at cities first by the individual city rankings and then by the metropolitan area rankings. Any guess where Florida Cities ended up on the list?  New Orleans came in at No. 1, followed by Camden, N.J., Detroit and St. Louis Missouri. Miami Gardens came in at No. 13 and Orlando came in at No. 18.

So these aren’t all dismal findings, as they also noted cities that fell far below the national average. This time that’s good as these are the safer cities among us. Cities that bottomed out the list in Florida (and are safer than the national average) include:

• Coral Springs, FL
• Pembroke Pines, FL
• Port St. Lucie, FL
• Cape Coral, FL
• Boca Raton, FL
• Plantation, FL

If you’d like to take a look at the complete study, visit CQ Press.

Photo Credit: Laineys Repertoire @ flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

• America in Bloom named Stuart, Florida, one of America’s most beautiful cities. They were noted for the special attention they pay towards environmental awareness. To find out what other cities made the list, check out my post.
• Ready to Chill? Orlando just opened “the coldest place in town.” This frozen palace straight from Antarctica, titled Ice Bar Orlando, will whisk you away from the Florida sun and take you into a 27-degree nightspot.
• What Travel Personality are You? This fun quiz will help you plan your perfect getaway by matching your personality to your ideal destination.
• Dining Deals in South Florida and Nationwide: If you are looking for a way to cut your spending, without changing your lifestyle, you’ve come to the right place. These restaurant deals offer half-price or discount dining to favorite locations in the South Florida area.
• Think Globally, Eat Locally: A look at the trend towards eating locally and a quick guide to area farmer’s markets.
• Miami Shop! Are you looking for some new shops to checks out in the area, this is the perfect guide as Riki takes you on a walk of the best places to go.
• Clowning Around: …and you thought you were too old to join the circus.

Stay tuned!

Photo Credit: Laurence & Annie @ flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

In a town that is magical and is filled with theme parks, dancing and a symphony of entertainment on every corner, Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center absolutely amazes me. Best known for the elaborate Convention Center, Gaylord Palms is a city in itself. Located just 5 minutes away from Walt Disney World in Kissimmee, this 2.1 million square foot resort rings “The Sunshine State” from every corner. Having a greenhouse feel to it, this resort seems to be a hotel tucked away in a hotel.

Luckily for me, I was invited to experience the Gaylord Palms a few weeks ago and see what all the buzz was about. Walking through the doors and looking around, 1st class was ringing through my ears. As I checked in, I was handed a map (that I found to be essential as this place is enormous). We walked up to our room and quickly noticed that each part of the hotel was set to a theme. The resort is divided into 3 sections: St Augustine, the Everglades and the Key West atrium, with each area decorated with the architecture of that area. Our room was located in the St. Augustine atrium and was decorated accordingly. As soon as I entered the room, I was drawn to the bottle of Pyrat Rum sitting next to the couches, only to get me excited as I knew there was a Treasure Hunt Challenge going on during our trip, and over the course of the summer. Walking further into the room, I noticed the 2 small balconies attached to our room, the long elegant table, and the ornate decorations. Did I ever have to leave?

Calling this a city in itself, is no stretch of the truth. The resort is home to 4 restaurants, a marketplace, shops, a piano bar and more. The first night, our itinerary took us to Sunset Sam’s Fish Camp. Set on a sailboat, you felt like you were on Key West (hence its location in the Key West atrium). This casual, yet hip restaurant features a selection of seafood, appetizers such as conch fritters and “cigar” shrimp, and a selection of rum that will make you glow. Wipe any idea of not having fun away, as this will make even the grumpiest person start dancing on the tables. In one corner, there is someone making balloons for the kids or hats that connect two lovebirds, in another there will be music playing and the crowd will be dancing around the restaurant in a congo line or doing the limbo.

After dinner, we went back to our room to find out what this treasure hunt was all about. We turned on the tv and a pirate took you through an introduction. This bounty of a challenge has a whooping $10,000 at stake and will run for the duration of the summer until August 27, 2008. To participate in this challenge, guests (staying 2 or more nights) are given a book, a map, even pirate tattoos. They are then required to decipher clues, overcome challenges and even put some of their creative writing skills to work. Don’t be fooled and think that you will be able to finish this quickly, because as I said there are $10,000 at stake and this is a hardcore treasure hunt, and you will see many guests running around with a patch on their eye and a bandanna around their head trying to take home the lucky prize.

The adventure continues at the Gaylord Palms as they have taken a hotel stay to the next level, and have made it all-encompassing. My experience there was a vacation in itself, and would be for anyone that walked through the doors.

photo credit [Gaylord Palms]

Post from: The South Florida Traveler