LauderBlog
Jan 30: Thinking Ahead
This isn't just Super Bowl Sunday coming up. In South Florida, it's the start of Super Bowl countdown. Tick, tick, tick ... The clock for Super Bowl XLIV will start moving ahead at the moment of the Super Bowl XLIII kickoff. And of course that next big championship game will happen right here at Dolphin Stadium - along with the Pro Bowl. Talk about a football fanatic's dream. So it occurred to me recently that any huge fan who hopes to be here should consider some serious advance planning. Like maybe beginning right now. You know, as in booking rooms, flights, car rentals, etc. etc. Just a thought and remember you heard it here first.
Kidding aside, I know how crazy it gets in South Florida each time the Super Bowl comes to town. Next year won't be any different. Hotels will be filled, car rentals difficult, flights in and out packed. No matter whatever else is going on in the world, the fans will be here in droves. The Super Bowl is too important for football lovers to ignore.
All of this got me mulling over something else - the whole issue of vacation planning. Some of my best trips have resulted from plans made far in advance, including the chance to welcome the new Millennium in Greece at the foot of the Acropolis. Spectacular. I spent a lot of money on that vacation but I'll be glad the rest of my life that I did it. On the other hand, I have to admit that I've also enjoyed some of my most memorable travel experiences on trips taken with fairly short notice. Some opportunity presented itself and I found myself heading off to the Baltic or Australia or somewhere. For me, most of these involved writing assignments but I've had some incredible times on my own dime when doing last-minute vacations. I guess the question of whether to plan ahead or not really depends on the situation. Which brings me back to the Super Bowl. Call me crazy but I'm just guessing that this is an event that really calls for some careful plans. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about this. I live here. So I'll get caught up in the Super Bowl hoopla in 2010 and I may just try to find some way to catch the game. Never been to a Super Bowl and I'd like to go. In fact, I'll tell you what. If one of you out there wants to buy the game tickets, you won't have to worry about that rental car. I'll drive.
RSSJan 27: New Sunny Look
If you're reading this, you've already noticed something new. A different look for this blog. And for the whole website at http://www.sunny.org/. Yep, there's been a redesign of greater Fort Lauderdale's internet home, with a bright, clean appearance that complements the welcoming climate here. I think it looks good and I hope you'll want to explore the site a bit. For one thing, the blog is easier to read. And it's a little simpler to leave comments than in the past. But beyond the blog, you'll find new features. There are those popular Live Beach Cams. Check out the sunshine and beach action live at four spots now: from the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort and from Beach Place in Fort Lauderdale; from Deerfield Beach; and from the Hollywood Broadwalk. If I were sitting in the snowy cold somewhere, I'd probably want to computer surf on over to those Beach Cams from time to time. You can almost feel the warmth through your monitor.
The refreshed http://www.sunny.org/ also makes it easy to book hotel rooms. And get a free beach towel and flip-flops to prepare you for all that warm sand. Key sections of the website such as "Visitors" and "Meetings" and "Sports" have been enhanced too, including new Google Map It applications. Nice stuff. There's a very snappy Vacation Planner E-Guide, basically an online brochure that allows tourists to locate just about anything they'd want for their trip to Fort Lauderdale. Golf, scuba diving, arts and entertainment, dining, shopping and all the rest - it's as close as your computer now. I've often said that this area is a great place to spend time before or after a cruise. Now http://www.sunny.org/ has a Cruise and Play section with special deals on hotels and attractions for cruisegoers. There is a new section for meeting planners, another for the GLBT community and still another devoted to superior small lodgings. And you might even snag a free Fort Lauderdale vacation by signing up at www.sunny.org/win. After all, surfing the net is great and everything. But swimming in the surf is a lot better.
Jan 22: Gym Dandy
Anytime I get too busy to do the gym for any extended period, two things usually happen that make me tie up those sneakers and go at it again. First, of course, my pants start to feel tight. Don’t you just hate that? Second, I look around and notice fit bodies everywhere. Lots of fit bodies.
It’s an amazing thing, actually. I’ve never seen anything like it any place else. To my eyes, there are more in-shape and beautiful people around South Florida than in any other region of the world. Others may disagree but I genuinely believe this. I’ve been to 40 states and dozens of other countries on five continents so far. You can find gorgeous human beings everywhere but not in the concentrated numbers as around here. Not in Paris, not in Rome, not in Hong Kong, not in Sydney, not in Buenos Aires. And no, not in L.A. or New York either. Sorry. I swear that some South Floridians must spend their lives in the gym. At my own gym, I see several of the same folks who are there no matter what day or what time I go. Admittedly, this seems excessive on their part. But it’s also motivating. That and all the stunning sleek women I stumble across wherever I am, whether walking on the beach or standing at the grocery store, dancing in a nightclub or buying caulk at a hardware store. They’re always around. It’s no fun when you feel you should suck in your gut all the time. Better not to have the gut. So I guess I really should thank all those locals who spend all those hours in the gym. Without them, I’d probably spend a lot more money on pants.
Jan 19: Yes We Can
So I find it appropriate that Fort Lauderdale will be represented at the big happenings in Washington D.C. After all, this place of endless summer sunshine is about the most cheerful environment you can find anywhere. I know this because I just finished driving my convertible, top down, south on A1A under a nice, bright sky. In January, I remind you. That tends to make you smile.
Anyway, Fort Lauderdale is bringing its delightful Beach on Wheels to the capital, tooling along Pennsylvania Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue, around Logan Circle and Dupont Circle and through Georgetown. It will also make a stop somewhere on the National Mall. So what is this Beach on Wheels? It’s a flatbed truck that carries a large glass case containing a slice of Fort Lauderdale’s famous beach. Well, a reasonable facsimile anyhow. You know – sand, hot temps, good-looking people in small bathing suits. Summer in a box. There even will be a slogan attached to the beachmobile just for this special day. “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sunshine.” Kinda cute. I’ve been to Washington in the winter and, believe me, all I wanted at the time was a change in climate. So think of this as Fort Lauderdale’s unique way of spreading around some of that change, some of that hope. And who knows? Maybe the new president will somehow catch sight of the Beach on Wheels, for a moment imagining himself in our sunshine. If that happens, I hope he also remembers this: South Florida is a short hop from Washington on Air Force One.
Jan 15: My "Cold Waves" Faves
Every now and then, I just can’t help myself. Maybe it happens after watching too much David Letterman before bed or something. For whatever reason, my own version of a Top Ten list pops to mind. This time, I can’t resist taking a whack at South Florida’s "cold wave" - with our sunny skies and our daytime temperatures around 70 degrees as much of the nation shivers in truly bitter winter weather.
So with apologies once again to Mr. Letterman and his talented writers, here’s my list of favorites. "Top Ten Reasons I Love Fort Lauderdale’s 'Cold Wave'":
10) After the sun goes down, I get to close all my windows and go, "Brrrrrrrrr!" Real loud.
9) Seeing all those northern tourists walking around here in tank tops. For Pete’s sake, don’t they know it’s cold??!
8) Feeling the bitter sting of 62 degree tropical breezes on my cheeks.
7) Totally throwing caution to the wind by riding with my convertible top down anyway.
6) When the indoor temperature hits 65 degrees, I can stand up and shout, "That's it! I’m putting on a sweater!"
5) Remembering life in Vermont when anything above 32 degrees in January was a "heat wave."
4) Calling my mother in Chicago, telling her Fort Lauderdale’s low temperature, and listening to her laugh.
3) Five words: Wearing my black leather jacket.
2) Not feeling like an idiot when I order hot soup.
And the Number One Reason I Love Fort Lauderdale"s "Cold Wave":
1) Knowing that a Fort Lauderdale "cold wave" is always followed by a "warming trend." By the weekend.
I hope you have a great weekend, wherever you are. Stay warm! As for me, I plan to enjoy myself. The forecasters tell us it should be warming up a bit by then.
Jan 12: Blimping Out
I was thinking about all this because over the weekend I saw another first for me. Sitting outdoors with a cup of coffee alongside A1A, I watched an older gentleman looking up and waving to the blimp. I’m pretty sure he was a tourist and he seemed just as delighted by this floating behemoth as I’d been nearly 20 years ago.
There was something childlike in his reaction, greeting the pilots as if they actually would glimpse his welcoming hand. Childlike, but understandable. The blimp appears out of nowhere like a weird birthday balloon that came untied at some kid's party. Often I’m driving when the blimp comes into my view, rounding a corner in my car and suddenly there it is. Each time, I feel some youthful sense of wonder at this impractical piece of technology. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it for yourself yet, let me assure you that you’ll know when the blimp is in your vicinity. It’s surprisingly loud, generating a labored grinding energy that appears barely enough to propel it forward, a massive aircraft drifting slow as a lazy cloud. Those who have taken a ride in the blimp tell me it’s deafening inside. But down here, from the ground, the blimp is a little piece of the past that adds to Fort Lauderdale’s charm today. There’s more than one of them nowadays, with companies other than Goodyear also flying blimps around here. But no matter the logo, the effect on me is the same. I may not do it but, just like the tourist, I feel like waving hello.
Jan 8: Bowled Over
Who can blame the football tourists from feeling excited? They’re in South Florida in the winter, after all. And they’re often coming from – well, let's just say somewhat less interesting places. Like Oklahoma. Nothing against Oklahoma, naturally. I’ve been there and enjoyed it. Lovely state if you like flat open spaces and oil rigs.
Anyway, I’m really just trying to say that South Florida this time of year is serious football country. And to note that the tradition is going strong for the foreseeable future. The latest news about all this concerns the National Football League. Next year, both the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl will be played in one location. Here. That’s a huge break from football precedent as the Pro Bowl has long been hosted by Hawaii. Also, 2010 will be only the second year that the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl have happened in the same community. The first time was in 1967, Super Bowl 1. So if you’re a pigskin fanatic, you may want to make your reservations. South Florida again will become Football Central early next year, just as it is right now. With clear skies and nearly perfect temperatures forecast for tonight's game, I have to admit this much: the folks who schedule, and attend, all these big football games are no dummies.
Jan 5: A Sunny Optimism
Of course, that’s easy for me to say. I’m sitting in 75 degree sunshine in a place where it’s perpetually summer. I just finished a brief morning visit to the ocean, which glistened out to the horizon today in a rich blue-green. January, South Florida style. This is not a bad way to start the new year.
There’s no question that lots of sunlight tends to lift my mood and that this is one big reason I so much enjoy living in Fort Lauderdale. I believe this is a learned thing, actually, partly the result of all the sunny metaphors that I’ve picked up over my lifetime. In my head, light tends to be associated with happiness. You know, "the skies may look dark to you now, but they’ll get brighter." That kind of stuff. I also believe we can teach ourselves to see beyond these mental associations so that rain and snow and clouds don’t depress us. Nonetheless, Florida sunshine makes my life easier and I’m grateful for that. I recognize that this, in turn, may make it easier for me to adopt an optimistic attitude about our immediate future. Not that I can see ahead better than anyone else, obviously. It’s only that my prognosis may not be so clouded by, well, clouds. That’s why I wanted to share it with you now, as this year finally begins to roll into a higher gear. All I know is, we have a bold new president taking office soon and fresh ideas are being introduced every day now and I sense some growing general attitude of openness and innovation around our nation. And yes, optimism. I really believe that. Maybe it’s not quite as obvious from where you’re sitting at the moment. But here, illuminated by South Florida sun, forward is looking a whole lot better to me than back.
