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When I was “away” at a wonderful hotel on the Fort Lauderdale beach a week or so ago, only 15 minutes from my home, I had the chance to learn about some of the changes happening by the sea. A vacation in your own backyard allows you to focus on one part of your community at all hours, over several days. You find restaurants you didn’t know existed. You bump into new attractions that have moved to the area. And you discover more about the atmosphere of the place than you can pick up through brief visits as a resident. It’s just a lot different when you actually stay in a single spot for an extended period than when you drift in and out as your whims dictate.
We spent a lot of time during our getaway week simply wandering around the central beach area, taking it all in. Gwendolyn and I sauntered along A1A after breakfast, explored more seriously in the afternoon, then often drifted slowly beside the multi-colored lights of the wave wall after sunset. One of our real surprises was the amount of live music in this section of Fort Lauderdale these days. We both were astonished. And quite happy about the whole thing. In her entertainment career, Gwendolyn has sung and danced in many shows. I’m a musician as well as a writer – in fact, I composed and performed on the podcast theme music you hear by clicking this website’s home page radio icon. So music is important to us both. And we had plenty to choose from during our visit.
At Beach Place, where we stayed, the ground floor stage offered free four-hour performances nearly every night. We enjoyed listening so much that we developed a pleasant routine: At about 6 p.m., we’d put together appetizers in our room, pour wine or cocktails and take it all out on our private balcony overlooking the sea. We could hear the music from below perfectly – not too loud, not too soft. It was like a concert just for us. When we headed onto the oceanside walkway after dark, we found live music all around our hotel too. On just one evening, for example, we heard oldies rock at the south end of the street. Next door, two acoustic guitarists played Brazilian tunes. Moving north from there, we stopped to watch and listen to another acoustic guitarist accompanied by a belly dancer, then to an enthusiastic Flamenco guitar act. There were at least three other bands or solo musicians performing between that point and the Casablanca Café. I had no idea the beach had become such a hotbed of live music at night, most of it performed outside and available free to everyone. It’s a wonderful addition to the whole South Florida experience. Live music is great anywhere, but listening as you look out at the ocean on a sultry tropical night – that’s special.
We spent a lot of time during our getaway week simply wandering around the central beach area, taking it all in. Gwendolyn and I sauntered along A1A after breakfast, explored more seriously in the afternoon, then often drifted slowly beside the multi-colored lights of the wave wall after sunset. One of our real surprises was the amount of live music in this section of Fort Lauderdale these days. We both were astonished. And quite happy about the whole thing. In her entertainment career, Gwendolyn has sung and danced in many shows. I’m a musician as well as a writer – in fact, I composed and performed on the podcast theme music you hear by clicking this website’s home page radio icon. So music is important to us both. And we had plenty to choose from during our visit.
At Beach Place, where we stayed, the ground floor stage offered free four-hour performances nearly every night. We enjoyed listening so much that we developed a pleasant routine: At about 6 p.m., we’d put together appetizers in our room, pour wine or cocktails and take it all out on our private balcony overlooking the sea. We could hear the music from below perfectly – not too loud, not too soft. It was like a concert just for us. When we headed onto the oceanside walkway after dark, we found live music all around our hotel too. On just one evening, for example, we heard oldies rock at the south end of the street. Next door, two acoustic guitarists played Brazilian tunes. Moving north from there, we stopped to watch and listen to another acoustic guitarist accompanied by a belly dancer, then to an enthusiastic Flamenco guitar act. There were at least three other bands or solo musicians performing between that point and the Casablanca Café. I had no idea the beach had become such a hotbed of live music at night, most of it performed outside and available free to everyone. It’s a wonderful addition to the whole South Florida experience. Live music is great anywhere, but listening as you look out at the ocean on a sultry tropical night – that’s special.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 2:19 PM
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