Interstate, Denny's, South Florida

When I drove to Hollywood from Gainesville last week, I hit the Turnpike for a while. Then I decided to switch over at Orlando to I-95 and "free-way" it the rest of the trip. Although I-95 wasn't all that bad, the drive down Colonial Drive in Orlando was a monumental blunder. Endless sprawl and traffic, even on a Sunday evening---ugh!

I was very relieved to finally reach I-95, the interstate highway running along the Florida peninsula's eastern side to Miami (I-75 runs down the western side). I was tired and hungry as well, so I stopped off at the Denny's restaurant just off the Indiatlantic exit in Brevard County. My experience there was so pleasant, with the service, food, and price, that I ended up going to three other Denny's during my round trip. The first time (at the Indiatlantic exit) I order the (pictured) $4 breakfast. Next, at West Palm Beach, I just got a coffee (that Denny's was my least favorite; the coffee tasted old--like Starbucks always tastes-- but I wasn't in the mood to argue about it). Then, while I was in Hollywood I went out at 2:30 in the morning to the Denny's on University Drive, eating their $4 endless stack of pancakes. Finally, on my way back home I stopped off just south of Fort Myers and had a variation of my first meal, substituting sausage for bacon. I liked the friendly attitude of the people working at these restaurants. Maybe it was Denny's; maybe I was just lucky.

As you read this pretty insignificant article, you may have picked up on the fact that on the return trip I stopped off around Fort Myers. On the WEST side of Florida. Yes, I decided to try I-75 back to Gainesville. Actually, it was the first time I had ever traveled down this stretch of I-75 south of Tampa. And I must say that it was quite a pleasant experience, very different from I-95. No endless sprawl of urban traffic to contend with, even as the route passed by Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Tampa. All of the times during my teenage years in the 70's hearing classmates talking about speeding through Alligator Alley (which runs across the Everglades, specifically the Big Cypress Swamp) made me want to travel it, but I never got around to seeing for myself until just now. Now, in 2010, I saw nothing resembling the 100+ mph daredevils my classmates described. Rather, if anything, the traffic was pretty slow.

Yes, from now on I will be traveling I-75 to and from south Florida.