I’m just back from the Fort Lauderdale beach and everything there felt bustling and new somehow. I hadn’t sensed this same atmosphere since early last spring. There were more people, including many tourists now. (Snow white bodies spread along the beach in clusters are one giveaway.) My favorite breakfast place was crowded to the point that sharing tables was becoming an issue, as it often is during the busiest winter months. There were more cars, more cops. Even a more obvious aroma of sunscreen scenting the air as I ambled along the sidewalk.
The wave seawall was getting a spruce-up and new businesses were setting up shop and construction of major new luxury hotels was getting well along. There was fresh paint on some of the buildings and seasonal beachfront spots that offer watersports were re-opening. There is a new life, a new energy that begins each year sometime around Thanksgiving. I was just surprised to find it so suddenly apparent this morning.
The summer months have their own special charm, as I’ve written about in these blogs before. There’s a more relaxed pace that makes for a welcome change after the busiest part of the tourist season. It’s a time to sit in the shade by the water and sip iced coffee and chat with the waiters. But I’m really ready for the burst of activity that cooler weather brings to South Florida. And this morning I could see that the burst is bursting already. I suspect it really is a little earlier than usual. The recent weird northern weather may have driven visitors and snowbirds here ahead of schedule. I’m not sure. But I do know that the pleasant hubbub was back. And that I was looking forward to sharing my breakfast table with strangers again.
Posted By Anonymous | 11/12/2006 12:34 PM