CLIPPER CONNECTION: MIAMI'S DINNER KEY SEAPLANE GATEWAY TO THE AMERICAS

摘要

About an hour of daylight still remained by the time I was settled into the motel and thinking of heading for the pool. Although the drive to Miami had been enough for one day, there was a strong impulse to drive a few more miles to Dinner Key at Coconut Grove south of Miami. I had not seen this flying boat terminal since World War II, and was curious to see first-hand what changes had taken place at this former seaplane base, once regarded as "The Gateway between the Americas." Following Brickell Avenue and South Bayshore Drive, I soon caught the last traces of sunlight reflecting from the peaked roofs of the former seaplane hangar row next to the road. These structures were just as they were sixty years ago, but now served as housing for pleasure boats. The next left turn should take me to the Pan American Airways terminal building. Sure enough, although the palm trees along the drive were not the same, there were the familiar lines of what was once advertised as the most modern soaplane terminal in the world, capable of handling 1,500 passengers a day.