Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Miami Safari Zone Day 2
After all the excitement of day 1, I was more than ready for the Miami Safari Zone Day 2. Even though I had explored a fair amount of downtown Miami on the first day there was plenty more to discover on my second adventure.
Just like on the day before, I spent some time walking around before the event started. This time around, I took a different path towards Bayside Park. I also made sure to avoid loading the game too early to avoid battery problems.
Even though I had already caught plenty of what I wanted on day 1, I looked forward to doing everything again for Miami Safari Zone Day 2. As I would discover throughout the day, this was the more populated day of the event. With a significantly larger crowd than day 1.
A city as large as Miami has countless parks and greenspaces to explore. I was not here for any specific park and my pictures of the many locales was unfortunately limited. But my first impression playing Pokémon Go here left me wanting more.
The Main Venue
Unlike day 1, I did not remain near the coast for a majority of my adventure. Instead I traveled to the spot where there was actual Pokémon Go Merch and a few other goodies. There were less people playing in this section of Miami than closer to the water of course. And parks are the ideal place to play Pokémon Go in general.
But I hadn’t checked out the proper Pokémon Go spot for the event and so used day 2 to do just that. It was probably a wise decision in hindsight. Day 1 was probably more packed here as people rushed to get their items before going on their way to catch more Eevee at the stamp Pokestops.
As a team instinct player, I wanted to make sure I got to rep my colors. But I’ll allow pictures of the other teams too. All in all, I had a great time during Miami Safari Zone Day 2. As a stepping stone into larger events, I got a taste of what I will experience at a Go Fest.
Taking a Break for Food
But the day wasn’t done. I returned to the parks and snapped some photos along the way. At this point in the adventure I took a break to not only give my phone a chance to rest, but also to find food. I have some rather unique dietary needs, but I won’t elaborate on that here.
I didn’t miss a chance to get a picture of the Kaseya Center where the Miami Heat play basketball. Nor the surrounding area which features a set of railroad tracks that carries cargo to and from the nearby port. Meanwhile, searching for food took me through a boardwalk that normally would be filled with people taking cruise ships. But plenty of people like myself were catching Pokémon and giving additional business to these places.
While these restaurants were expensive the food quality was good enough that it didn’t bother me that much. Other than a little incident where I almost forgot my backpack as I left my table, I had no other complaints. And I ate enough Sicilian Pizza that I wasn’t hungry the rest of the day.
An Important Map
Ignoring the fact that I made a serious mistake and got a part of my finger in the above image, I wanted to draw attention to this map. People who visited for Miami Safari Zone Day 2 had a chance to mark on this map where they were visiting from. Florida was completely covered in stamps which makes sense since the event was in that state.
But this image gives a small glimpse into just how popular Pokémon Go still is. There were people from all over the world here. Even Iceland and Greenland had some representation. Pokémon Go truly is a special game to a lot of people myself included. And after finishing Day 2 of the event, it seems I was right in comparing in person events to what it felt like when the game first launched.
Wrap Up
Well I made it through my first in person Pokémon Go event. And I had a blast from beginning to end. Go Fest next year is in Chicago which means I have basically no reason to skip out on it. No need for a hotel when my family lives there. It is my hometown after all. Go Fest is a long way away, but I think I’ll start planning for it now.
This isn’t my last Pokémon Go in person adventure. Its only my first.