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I’m away on my vacation, which is being extended to a full week now. And by “away,” I mean right here in greater Fort Lauderdale. In the next few blogs, I’m going to be talking a lot about what it’s like to be a tourist in the area where I live. So far, it’s been amazing.
For the moment, I’ll concentrate on Monday, because that was when I hopped around Fort Lauderdale with the other tourists by boat – a view, not from the bridge, but from under it. I’ve always felt that this is a different city when observed from its waterways and Monday’s tour only confirmed this for me. Appealing and exotic from land, Fort Lauderdale is even more impressive from the water. The wealth is more conspicuous, yes, but multi-million dollar homes are only part of the attraction. Slipping through the canals, you see a shimmering beauty that can’t be appreciated fully by walking or driving.
My friend and I jumped on the Water Bus near its most northerly stopping point and, as the sun dropped in and out of the high clouds, we headed toward Bahia Mar. The friendly crews on these ferries are usually chatty and Monday was no exception. It’s been a few years since my last ride on a Water Bus so I enjoyed hearing all about the mansions that line the Intracoastal and New River. I didn’t know that, for example, Jay Leno now owns a home in Fort Lauderdale. So do even more CEOs and well-known folks than I’d remembered. And I learned that one of the new kids on these super-expensive blocks is Nick Saban, the Dolphins’ head coach.
We got off the Water Bus at Bahia Mar, and walked over to one of the waterfront restaurants I’ve loved since moving here 17 years ago. Bahia Cabana is worth a blog all its own and I’ll be returning before long. But for now, let me just say it’s totally laidback, totally funky, with something of an island feel to it. And the conch chowder, shrimp, conch salad and chicken wings we inhaled were great. All washed down with beer and frozen margaritas.
After lunch, we climbed back on the Water Bus and floated with a collection of out-of-towners to the Las Olas Riverfront. We waited out a brief summer shower there by, what else? Eating more food! This time we ducked into the Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop at Riverfront, where I got a dish of mixed Belgian chocolate and mint chocolate chip. Hey, I’m on vacation here, all right? I’m supposed to overeat now. By the time we were done with the ice cream, the storm had passed and we returned to the boat for our trip north.
How often do you get to see the massive 17th Street Causeway bridge from below, listen to an Italian sailor sing “O Sole Mio” and watch two dudes on surfboards paddling across the Intracoastal Waterway, all within the space of half an hour? We experienced all this and more on the way back, as the breeze from our boat ride cooled our faces. Our smiling faces.
Yes, it really was a terrific day and I’ve got more planned for the rest of the week. So let me end this and return to what I’m supposed to be doing now anyway. Enjoying myself in Broward County, on vacation less than half an hour from home. Besides, I think there’s a margarita somewhere right now with my name on it.
For the moment, I’ll concentrate on Monday, because that was when I hopped around Fort Lauderdale with the other tourists by boat – a view, not from the bridge, but from under it. I’ve always felt that this is a different city when observed from its waterways and Monday’s tour only confirmed this for me. Appealing and exotic from land, Fort Lauderdale is even more impressive from the water. The wealth is more conspicuous, yes, but multi-million dollar homes are only part of the attraction. Slipping through the canals, you see a shimmering beauty that can’t be appreciated fully by walking or driving.
My friend and I jumped on the Water Bus near its most northerly stopping point and, as the sun dropped in and out of the high clouds, we headed toward Bahia Mar. The friendly crews on these ferries are usually chatty and Monday was no exception. It’s been a few years since my last ride on a Water Bus so I enjoyed hearing all about the mansions that line the Intracoastal and New River. I didn’t know that, for example, Jay Leno now owns a home in Fort Lauderdale. So do even more CEOs and well-known folks than I’d remembered. And I learned that one of the new kids on these super-expensive blocks is Nick Saban, the Dolphins’ head coach.
We got off the Water Bus at Bahia Mar, and walked over to one of the waterfront restaurants I’ve loved since moving here 17 years ago. Bahia Cabana is worth a blog all its own and I’ll be returning before long. But for now, let me just say it’s totally laidback, totally funky, with something of an island feel to it. And the conch chowder, shrimp, conch salad and chicken wings we inhaled were great. All washed down with beer and frozen margaritas.
After lunch, we climbed back on the Water Bus and floated with a collection of out-of-towners to the Las Olas Riverfront. We waited out a brief summer shower there by, what else? Eating more food! This time we ducked into the Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop at Riverfront, where I got a dish of mixed Belgian chocolate and mint chocolate chip. Hey, I’m on vacation here, all right? I’m supposed to overeat now. By the time we were done with the ice cream, the storm had passed and we returned to the boat for our trip north.
How often do you get to see the massive 17th Street Causeway bridge from below, listen to an Italian sailor sing “O Sole Mio” and watch two dudes on surfboards paddling across the Intracoastal Waterway, all within the space of half an hour? We experienced all this and more on the way back, as the breeze from our boat ride cooled our faces. Our smiling faces.
Yes, it really was a terrific day and I’ve got more planned for the rest of the week. So let me end this and return to what I’m supposed to be doing now anyway. Enjoying myself in Broward County, on vacation less than half an hour from home. Besides, I think there’s a margarita somewhere right now with my name on it.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 5:54 PM
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