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Now this is what I call a photo op. As you may recall, I’m doing an occasional series of blogs for shutterbugs. The Fort Lauderdale area is such a photogenic place. But I know what it’s like when you go somewhere new as a tourist. If you enjoy taking photographs, you scout around for something other than just the obvious shots anyone would snap. Except you don’t know where to go and feel like you’re missing some of the best stuff. Of course you don’t come to Fort Lauderdale on vacation without taking pics of the gorgeous Blue Wave beach here. Or Las Olas. But there’s a lot more around this community that’s worth focusing your wide angle lens on. So how about this for different? Monkeys. Lots of adorably cute, playful, bouncy, people-friendly monkeys.

Just go to the Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale, which has pretty gardens, large natural areas and one of the most interesting, wackiest houses you’re likely to see anywhere. I’ve written about the Bonnet House before so I won’t go into it again here. But I haven’t specifically recommended the monkeys as a photo op. I’m recommending it now.

When I first saw the Bonnet House monkeys, I was on a stay-at-home vacation along the Fort Lauderdale beach. My girlfriend and I were having a terrific time exploring our own town based in a hotel about 10 minutes from my home. One day, we went to the Bonnet House, a first for us both. We looked and looked for the monkeys but no luck. Until we asked one of the men who worked on the grounds, who took us to a particular stand of trees. I have a keen memory of my first sight of these wild Costa Rican squirrel monkeys. One was stretched lazily across a branch as though lying in a hammock. A couple others watched us approach curiously from tree limbs just above our heads. Then we looked around. They were everywhere. From time to time, a monkey would make a great leap high in the branches from one tree to another. They seemed very comfortable around us and would have been happy to strike their funny monkey poses as long as we cared to take photographs. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a camera at the time. If you go to the Bonnet House, don’t make that same mistake. These delightful creatures are ready for their close-ups. They’ll definitely give you some unusual South Florida shots to show the folks back home. If you’re smart, though, you’ll avoid pointing out any resemblances between the monkeys and your in-laws. Some jokes are best kept to yourself.

I saw recently that there’s a familiar name coming to town. A pretty famous name at that. The Ritz. Yes, the Ritz-Carlton chain is finally arriving in Fort Lauderdale and if that’s not a sign of progress in this community, I don’t know what is. Apparently some dispute with a developer had just caused the St. Regis hotel to pull out of the lovely property it had occupied on A1A. The Ritz wasted no time in snapping up that luxury hotel. It all happened very quickly and will change over on August 11. In just a couple weeks from now, the first Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale will be open for business.

Luckily enough, this is the same week that Gwendolyn and I are going away for our “staycation” on the Fort Lauderdale beach. We’ll be staying right next door, in the Marriott at Beach Place, so I know that we definitely will want to slip over to the Ritz and check it out for a cocktail or something. The timing couldn’t be better for us.

I have been fortunate to stay in a few Ritz-Carltons and I can tell you one thing for sure if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy the experience yet – they are fabulous. In Santiago, Chile and in Singapore I spread out in incredible suites at the Ritz. Both are gorgeous properties. The Singapore Ritz is even considered among the top hotels in Asia. I’ve also stayed at the Palm Beach and Key Biscayne Ritz-Carltons and had a fabulous time. But a Ritz sitting right on Fort Lauderdale’s ocean drive, that’s something. It’s much closer to the sea than either of the other South Florida Ritz-Carltons I’ve visited. And much closer to the action, situated in the middle of an array of restaurants, bars, clubs and activities.This will be the Florida Ritz for folks who want to have some active kind of fun on their vacation. And some very stylish, very elegant fun.

Earlier this week I was telling you about my experience last Sunday at the Isle Casino and Racing at Pompano Park, one of Broward’s racinos. Gwendolyn and I had gone there to scope out the place, play the slots a bit and have lunch. I’ve explained before that I’m no gambler and, to prove it, I confess here that our big slot experience involved the nickel machines. Woo-hoo! We considered playing the two-cent slots but decided, hey let’s live it up and go for the five-centers! We lost, of course. But the food – ah, that was a whole different thing. We definitely won when it came to our lunch. Because we discovered the delights of Myron’s Delicatessen, located on the ground floor of the huge casino. This restaurant really is a find, as far as I’m concerned. I would go to the Isle again for several reasons, but another meal at Myron’s would be toward the top of my list.

Once you walk inside Myron’s, you could be in some great midtown Manhattan deli. It’s classic. They even had a New York Yankees game playing on the televisions. Myron’s is named for the old-time comedian, Myron Cohen, who brought a charming Jewish sensibility to his humor. I remember seeing him on Johnny Carson and other TV shows of the 60s. I think Myron himself would feel much at home in his Pompano Beach deli.

Sitting in a booth, Gwendolyn and I looked over the extensive menu. It includes a glossary of deli delicacies, with definitions of foods such as latkes, pirogen and egg creams. All of those are available, of course, along with everything from kippered salmon to stuffed cabbage to brisket of beef. Myron’s also has burgers and less exotic fare for kids or the unadventurous. We decided to split a hot pastrami sandwich, lean, on rye bread – what else? We also ordered sauerkraut, latkes, which by the way are crispy pancakes made from potatoes. And naturally we finished with a chocolate egg cream. All I can say is, wow! Both of us were totally impressed. This food was as authentic and delicious as deli food gets. Anywhere. The sandwich was generous, lean and so tasty I could have eaten another half. The sauerkraut and latkes were, to my taste, about perfect. And the egg cream? Yum! Honestly, just writing about this is getting me all worked up and hungry. I feel like one of Pavlov’s dogs, conditioned to salivate at the mention of this deli’s name or something. If I appear as though I’m raving about this place, it’s for a good reason. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by Myron’s. Obviously, I can’t wait to get back there myself. Right about now, I’d kill for a good pastrami on rye.

Ok, this was really unexpected. You may recall that I’m doing a little tour of the Broward racinos – those combo racetrack/casinos that are popular with the gambling set. I’d never been to any of them before and felt it was time to check out these spots. I recently stopped by Gulfstream and had a nice time wandering around the restaurant and casino action there. That left two others, including the Isle Casino and Racing at Pompano Park. My plan was to save this for last, honestly because I thought I might enjoy it least of all. Anyway, the opportunity came up to visit the Isle over the weekend with my girlfriend so I thought, “What the heck?” The surprise was how much I liked it. Gwendolyn did too. So you’ll perhaps forgive the bad pun as the headline for this blog. Because yes, I will be back.

When you pull into the parking lot, you kind of think the place looks a bit tired. The outside isn’t impressive. The inside is. As you step into the middle of the cavernous casino, a long bar is surrounded with huge white screens that project moving nature images. The theme throughout the casino is Florida tropical, with palm fronds and flowing water and parrot designs and everything else. The two enormous waterfall fountains on either side of the escalator look like something right out of Vegas.

We went to the Isle on Sunday afternoon, not exactly prime time for gambling as far as I know. But we couldn’t get over how busy it was. Most poker tables were full and we noticed a waiting list. Of course, there’s no live harness racing this time of year. But big overhead banks of televisions offer simulcast racing from other parts of the country for those who still want to bet on the ponies. We really enjoyed ourselves. Everyone who worked at the Isle seemed friendly, the interior was impeccably clean and the décor was appealing. In addition to the gambling, we found a lovely shop inside the casino, a place selling quality stuff like Tommy Bahama shirts. Then there were the restaurants, four of them: Farraddays’, a beautiful steakhouse; Bragozzo, an upscale Italian place; the Isle Buffet, an attractive and reasonable cafeteria. And there also Myron’s Delicatessen, an authentic New York-style deli. We hung out at the Isle long enough to drop a couple dollars into the slot machines and have some laughs. And enjoy a great lunch at Myron’s. This deli was so good, and so unusual for South Florida, that I want to tell you about it in a separate blog later this week. Myron’s is a little corner of Manhattan tucked quietly away in Pompano Beach – and alone would justify a visit to the Isle.

Yes, even sunny, sunny South Florida sometimes gets cloudy for a while. And rainy. In the summer, we normally get short, sudden bursts of showers, preceded and followed by … you guessed it. Sun. But we had a few unusual rainy days in a row this week. And that got me thinking about something that’s occurred to me before: really, what’s the big deal about a little rain? It’s actually quite beautiful once you get past the gloomy associations we connect with it. “Gray skies,” “dark clouds,” “rough weather.” All the metaphors for trouble make us feel as if rain means something bad. I even wrote a poem about this once.

Not only is rain beautiful, but it can make us smile. To prove the point, I offer here a few thoughts about our brief period of soggy weather. My own little “Top 10 Reasons South Florida Rain Is Good” – with sincere apologies to David Letterman.

10) You get a laugh every time you read another newspaper story about South Florida’s “drought.”
9) In a bad economy, you save serious money by buying less sunscreen.
8) For once, you don’t feel guilty about spending the whole weekend indoors watching sports on television.
7) Saves time! Not only does rain wash your car, but it fills your swimming pool!
6) No need to dress for success. Everyone is wearing their dumpy “rain clothes.”
5) You get to watch the TV weatherman apologize again – like it’s his fault!
4) You get to watch the TV anchorwoman force a laugh with the TV weatherman again – because she really thinks it IS his fault!
3) Some variety, for pete’s sake. I mean, you don’t really think we need MORE sunshine in South Florida, do you?
2) Two words: wet t-shirts.

And the number one reason why South Florida rain is good:

1) You secretly enjoy knowing the squish-squish sound you hear all day comes from your boss’s soaked Italian loafers.

And there you have it. Proof positive that dark clouds really do have silver linings. Or some goofy old thing like that. Oh by the way, in case you’re wondering about our weather today – bright, clear sunshine. Of course.

I was impressed to learn last week that a major conference of scientists had come to town. Called the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, this was a meeting of reef scientists as well as others whose work involves our delicate coral, including divers, conservationists, fishermen and fisherwomen. These folks only hold this conference every four years and it has been more than 30 years since the group has met anywhere on the United States mainland. So it seemed to me that it was sort of a big deal. I thought that Fort Lauderdale was an especially appropriate choice. First of all, it’s a terrific convention city. I’ve been to conventions in a number of places around the country, which gives me some basis for comparison. Conventions typically are a peculiar combination of meetings and parties. You need a great space to get together and talk, but you also want something to do when the work day is done. I would find Fort Lauderdale a wonderful choice on both counts.

But beyond that, we are a diving and fishing mecca. People come from all over the world to enjoy the sea off our coastline. And finally, of course, we offer the very thing these scientists care about most – coral reefs. All in all, what spot could be better to hold this conference?

The meeting’s theme was a serious one. “Reefs for the future,” it was named. We all know that coral reefs around the world are in significant danger from pollution, overfishing, climate change and whatever else. I find it sad to think about these gorgeous living organisms suffering in this way. I’ve done a bit of diving among Florida’s coral reefs. It’s always amazing, always beautiful. But when you find just the right reef on just the right day, the experience can be stunning. Great otherwordly shapes floating freely, waving in the ocean current, radiating with the most intense purples and golds and whole palettes of colors. That’s how all these reefs should look all the time. They don’t. As more and more coral dies, sealife that depends on it for a home also is hurt and ultimately that impacts our own food chain. For these and other reasons, I'm sure everyone applauds the efforts of these scientists who are laboring to save the coral reefs. They’re doing important work. And I’m optimistic that they will succeed in the long run, quite honestly. Nature has a way of repairing itself, given a little help from us. By now, I suppose, most of the out-of-town conventioneers have left Fort Lauderdale and gone back to their labs and their ships or wherever they carry out this ecological mission. I only wish I’d bumped into a couple of them in a seaside café, though. I’d have bought them a round of drinks.

Sometimes I blog about cloud panoramas and ocean vistas. Sometimes I blog about luxury hotels and extraordinary restaurants. Sometimes I even blog about things as simple as a nice walk on the beach or a pleasant swim in a pool. But I can honestly say this is a first for me. Because today our topic is lowly, but nonetheless important in a civilized community. At least it’s important in a civilized community that has dogs. Perhaps you can see where I’m going with this. It’s just that our society has become dog crazy in recent years. Hey, that’s fine with me. I like dogs. And cats. I like animals generally. But when these animals live around people, they often cause a … how can I best put this? A problem. A lowly problem, if you catch my drift. But you know what? The thought struck me just yesterday that this issue is not an issue in the Fort Lauderdale area. And, lowly as it may seem, I found this realization something quite extraordinary. Not as extraordinary as the food at Cero Restaurant, let’s say – but yes, amazing in its own way.

So here I was yesterday morning, dressed up for an important appointment as head of my nonprofit group, driving on I-95 with my convertible top down. Nice morning, wind toussling my hair in some manner that I hoped would look devil-may-care by the time I parked my car. And then while still driving, sniff, sniff … What is it? Hm, wait. I know this smell. It smells – lowly.

Of course I’m trying to glance at the soles of my shoes while traveling 70 mph, an idea I quickly abandoned. But that’s when this thought hit me: I’ve lived here for 19 years and can only remember stepping in something lowly around here maybe once or twice in that whole period. Perhaps this is the kind of thing my memory tends to blot out. I’m not positive about that. But seriously, or being as serious as I can about a topic like this – it hasn’t happened often. The streets and sidewalks are astonishingly clean of such hazards, for the most part. I’m certainly not claiming this statement will hold up to scrutiny 100 percent of the time, mind you. But generally, it’s quite true, I think. My shoes would back me up on this. That has not been true other places I’ve lived. When I was a San Francisco resident, I practically rolled on the floor laughing over a TV news editorial about this very thing: “We have a problem here in our city. San Franciscans should be able to walk proudly, holding our heads high!” Funny because it was true. But not here. I have no idea why our fair metropolis seems to deal with this same civic concern more effectively. Maybe we’ve got very thoughtful dog owners. All I know is that yesterday when I got where I was going and parked my car and, yes, checked my shoes. Ta-dah! Nothing. Guess the odor was from one very smelly truck on the highway. Or maybe it was just a van full of dogs visiting from San Francisco.

A few blogs ago, I wrote about the greater Fort Lauderdale racinos. They’re the combination race track/casinos that attract so many people these days. But as I said then, I hadn’t visited any of these places personally. At least not until last night. I finally made it to Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach. It was enjoyable. Gulfstream is an attractive facility, with lots more of that facility on the way. Tens of thousands of square feet are under construction, huge buildings that I believe will include more restaurants and other offerings to draw the crowds. The park was easy to get into, easy to get out of – and surprisingly busy for a Monday night. Poker tables were full, with folks waiting to squeeze into games of Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven-Card Stud. There were plenty of bettors laying out cash on the simulcast horse races too.

I arrived in the early evening after a pleasant drive with my convertible top down, the night air feeling fresh to me. I parked on my own, avoiding the valet service, and headed to the escalators that bring you to the action. I’d only come to kind of scope things out, not to bet. I’m not a gambler. And this is my only real suggestion about Gulfstream: If you’re not into gambling, then go with a group. Going alone is fine if you do want to lay down some bets, of course, and many poker players seemed to be on their own. Otherwise, you probably want some buddies to laugh and goof with as you watch the gambling and big screen sports action. I could see this being a good guys night out – or a girls night out for that matter.

Anyway, Gulfstream really does have a very nice look to it. Outside, there’s a large colored fountain, with tall arches illuminated by carriage lights. In the slot machine casino, the décor has an appealing futuristic theme. And the poker room welcomes you to a classic gambling environment, with high ceilings and huge chandeliers. There’s also a new feature for those who take their gambling a little too seriously. You can get a massage from a sexy young lady – while you play cards. One masseuse was walking around in a very tight red top and very short white skirt, ready to massage those tense shoulders. Tempting. Ahem, anyway I also made my way to the third floor where the Asian restaurant, Christine Lee’s, overlooks the race track. There’s no live racing here until winter, but I thought a nice meal beside a beautiful track would be delightful anyway. This is a huge restaurant, very pretty with an enormous oval bar. Get it? Shaped like a race track. Ha! I hope to get back here again sometime with friends, maybe even try the food at Christine Lee’s. Meanwhile, I’ll head to the other two racinos over the next few weeks and tell you what I think. I may not be a gambler but I like a fun night out.

As we head into this red-white-and-blue holiday weekend, those of us in South Florida can all agree on one thing. No matter how diverse our backgrounds, no matter what our race, creed or national origin, every one of us wants the same thing as we celebrate the 4th of July. We want a cool breeze. Hey, it’s hot down here. Sultry, sexy, sweaty heat – that’s South Florida in July. As I’ve said before, I find our tropical climate very sensuous. But that doesn’t mean I don’t also get a tad overheated sometimes. So like all experienced locals and visitors, I keep cool by hanging around the water when I’m outdoors. Well, I’m going to let you in on a fairly well-kept secret. It’s a place in Fort Lauderdale that has one of the most consistent breezes in town, apart from the beachside bars and restaurants. Even though it’s on Las Olas surrounded by buildings. That place is called Stork’s.

I’ve mentioned Stork’s a number of times before, mostly in passing references. But I have never told you why I go there so often. No, I don’t own stock in this business and I don’t pal around with the owner or anything else. It’s just a friendly, cheerful spot that happens to remind me of sitting in Venice, Italy – another city I love. The food is very good, the coffee is very good, the people are helpful and nice. And …

And it gets an amazing breeze. There are exceptions to this, of course. Even the beach falls into a windless doldrum sometimes. But not very often. Neither does Stork’s. I can sit outside there with my iced coffee on the summer’s hottest day and, much more often than not, still feel a lovely cooling breeze. Right in the middle of downtown Fort Lauderdale. The adjoining canal is the conduit for this natural air conditioning. I can’t tell you why it happens. But I can say that, for whatever reason, this canal carries the wind right to the outside tables of Stork’s. Sometimes it’s so darned breezy you really have to anchor your napkin or whatever else might be light enough to blow off. There’s more than one Stork’s menu sitting at the bottom of that canal. I enjoy this waterside cafe on a regular basis. It’s my getaway from writing alone in my office all day and I head there probably 3 – 5 times a week. Sometimes just for that iced coffee, sometimes for lunch. No one ever rushes me along, no matter how much or little I buy. So yes, I really do recommend Stork’s for cooling off over the long hot weekend. Or almost any other time. Summer hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Say hello if you see me there. But please, just don’t stand in the way of my breeze.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

100 East Broward Boulevard, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301 (954) 765-4466 (800) 22-SUNNY

LauderBlog

July 31: Photo Ops: Part Five

July 28: Puttin' on the Ritz

July 24: Taste of New York

July 21: Isle Be Back

July 17: Some Rainy Reasons to Smile

July 16: Science and the Sea

July 10: A Lowly (but important) Subject

July 8: Gulfstreaming

July 3: Best Breeze in Town