LauderBlog

The golden anniversary edition of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is now officially open. Yay! That means boat folks from all over the world are here. Everyone from megayacht sellers to kayak paddlers, from longtime boat captains to first-time boat buyers. The event runs through Monday and is spread over six locations. These include the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center at the southern end all the way north through the Las Olas Municipal Marina. The trick is getting from one place to another. So I thought a few tips from a local might be helpful right about now.

I have friends who simply walk a mile or so to the boat show and if you're staying anywhere nearby, this is a pretty good idea. Maybe you're in a hotel on Federal Highway near 17^th Street, for example. Most people would be tempted to drive from there, but I'd suggest just walking to the convention center instead. It's a pleasant stroll, really, and feels wonderful being free of a car.

For many of us, though, walking isn't an option. No problem. I think a fun way to arrive at the boat show is by water, so consider snagging a free riverboat at the Las Olas Riverfront - corner of SW 1^st Avenue and SW 2^nd Street. It will float you directly to the Bahia Mar Yachting Center at the very heart of the show. There's plenty of parking in the Riverfront area too, including two huge garages not far from the pickup point. You can also think about taking a free shuttle bus to the show from the War Memorial parking lot on Federal Highway and Sunrise Boulevard. Easy parking and the buses run frequently. No matter where you park, of course, you should plan on walking a lot. I mean, a lot. So wear comfortable shoes, ideally something that you can take off without much hassle. That's because they won't let you on board most boats with your shoes on. Otherwise just go, wander, relax and have fun. The peoplewatching alone offers good sport at the boat show. All kinds of people, young and old, wealthy and poor, serious boaters and wannabe boaters. Then there are ... all ... those ... boats. Wow. It's a spectacle for sure, the world's largest boat show. And now the show is in its 50^th year. Have fun. Oh yeah, and BOO! Happy Halloween too!

It's something everyone should have the chance to experience. Sunrise at the sea offers one of those special South Florida moments. I was reminded about this twice over the weekend - once when I made it to the Fort Lauderdale beach in time for a dramatic sunrise, and again when a friend from Seattle marveled at her own opportunity to see the sun appear over the Atlantic Ocean. (Our sunrises have even inspired their own Twitter page, with pics that you can check out at http://twitter.com/FtLauderdaleSun.) The friend was Gwendolyn's sister, Tracy, a college teacher who was in the area for an education conference. Tracy found time for an early morning swim and a very memorable sunrise on Saturday, later recalling for us that instant when the earliest rays broke over the horizon.

As for me, well, I woke up at 6:30 Saturday morning for some odd reason. This is not the norm I assure you, especially not on weekends. But I felt rested and wide awake, glanced outside and thought, "I should pop out of bed right now and head off to the beach for the sunrise." Smart decision.

I pulled into the huge South Beach parking lot on the Fort Lauderdale beach at about the same moment Tracy also must have been watching the sun come up. Only a sliver of intense light was visible, a rich yellow the shade of mango juice. I quickly got out of my car as the sun first rose among a grand cloudbank, then disappeared into it. This was when I finally paid the master parking meter, left the receipt inside my windshield and walked north a short ways. But I soon realized that this morning seemed too beautiful to keep walking any farther, distracted by other people. So I found my own private patch of sand and sat down facing the Atlantic. What a sky! Overhead and behind me, I saw gobs of blue poking out but much of the sky was draped in heavy layers of clouds. To me they resembled clothing that had been wadded and tossed aside in a heap, perhaps a collection of cotton shirts in gray and white, blue and black carelessly bunched one on top of each other to form a thick massive pile. The sun would return later in the day after a pleasant morning shower. But at this moment, it didn't matter to me. I had started my weekend oceanside, finding just enough sun at just the right time to make my day.

I live in a boating area, a place of canals and boatyards and yachts. For a resident of Greater Fort Lauderdale, of course, that statement may seem a trifle unnecessary. Don't we all? Well, yes, we all do, generally speaking. But what I mean is that I live in a neighborhood where I can easily walk to those canals and boatyards and yachts. And that's just what I did today to start off my morning. It was delightful. I strolled north from my condo through Dania Beach streets lined with mostly modest homes, some decorated with skeletons and witches and pumpkins for Halloween. Within 10 minutes, I was at the big boatyard.

I enjoy walking through there, a bustling little corner of Fort Lauderdale's boating world. I had the impression it was humming with some extra enthusiasm this day too, with only a week left before the 50^th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The marina was awash with ... washing. Lots of workers were sponging and polishing up big boats and I felt a mist on my face from one of the hoses as I passed.

The wind seemed especially fresh on my skin, blowing persistently off the sea and carrying that delicious salt scent with it. I wandered down the dock past vessels that had come from the Cayman Islands and Delaware and wherever else. There's a small picnic bench beside the dock and so I sat down, just smelling the air and watching those workers with their mops and buckets. The breeze now was quickly blowing in some thick clouds, a mottled gray and white mass progressively hiding the clear skies above them. I closed my eyes for a moment and simply let that refreshing wind splash over me. And I thought about how appropriate it all seemed just then, as if that wind also was carrying a new season to South Florida. Which, in a way, it was. Because with it, the boat show was blowing into town and so was a long stretch of cooler, drier weather and so were our most hyperactive tourist months, accompanied by the return of the snowbirds. I sat there a little longer before leaving, but I noticed that patches of blue already were breaking up the heavy cloudbank. Our shady day wouldn't last too much longer, apparently. But that fresh season was going to stay around for a while.

October is a big month in Fort Lauderdale. As a longtime resident, I find each month and each season has its own charms. Every month offering its own set of events and activities, every month creating its own ambience. To an outsider, April and October in South Florida might seem to have more in common than in many other parts of the country. Hey, it's summer here all the time, right? But actually April and October, as well as May and November and all the other months, are different and distinct. Still, this October is unusual for us, more special than most months in some ways. That's partly due to all the high-end things to enjoy just now - at bargain prices. But it also results from some major events taking place.

Where to start? Well, for one thing I noticed that the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival begins on October 23 and runs through November 8. This is the 24^th edition of the flickfest and will feature a wide range of films along with some celebrity glitz and glam. Should be fun. Then, oh yeah, there's that other little event that comes to town about this time each year.

Not a big deal, mind you. Almost forgot. Uh-huh, right ... Seriously, the 50^th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show motors in from October 29 through November 2. This is the world's largest boat show, with everything from superyachts that have hot tubs and speedboats on their decks to tents that display the latest marine paraphernalia. It's a good time if you're into boats. Or would like to be. But there's a lot more going on than even the film festival and boat show. I said October is a big month and I'm not kidding. Like, for instance, the big Dine Out Lauderdale promotion that continues through November 12: There are 35 upscale restaurants serving wonderful $35 dinners. These places are pretty sure you'll like what you eat so much that you'll want to come back. In my experience with Dine Out, they're right about that. Then Spa Chic is still happening too - another bargain if you're looking for a top-quality spa treatment. Twelve Greater Fort Lauderdale spas are providing $99 treatments through the end of this month. Whew! Some big entertainers also will be arriving at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood to help kick autumn into high gear, acts that include the Allman Brothers Band and Robin Williams in just the next couple of days. And if none of that appeals to you, I give up. I mean, you can ogle yachts, watch films, eat fine food, relax with a massage, dance to hot slide guitar licks or laugh with a comedy legend. Stay home if you want, of course - just don't tell your friends there's nothing to do.

The weather around the country is getting weird, and cold, awfully early this year. When a Major League baseball game is snowed out, as one was recently in Denver, you know that winter is up to no good. My mom in Chicago has been complaining about the early nip in the air. Yesterday she told me the recent overnight low there was about 28 degrees. Yikes. Coming before the middle of October, that temp seems a tad premature. We'll see what the next few months bring. Meantime, I'm happily roasting in an unusually warm South Florida. We like, no we love, heat down here of course. But we also look forward to our own version of a nip in the air. Well, the autumn lovers of Florida have reason to smile this weekend, I'm told.

Yes, indeed. Because the first big cold wave of the season is wafting its way through the air currents toward us. Wanna know how cold it's going to be? Hang on to your wool caps, folks - it's supposed to plunge to a high of 80 degrees. The lows? Maybe plummeting to a frigid 68 degrees.

Ha. Sorry, but as a reformed northerner I must confess that this sort of thing never fails to amuse me. And so our warm cold front will sweep into town and, if we're lucky, we can turn off our AC at last. For a while anyway. I can hear my unit running like mad now, as it has been since about late May, as I recall. The poor thing needs a rest and I'm ready for our annual shift of seasons, from toasty-warm tropical to fresh-breeze tropical. It's subtle, I admit. But it's also delightful as we throw open the windows and breathe unfiltered air 24 hours a day once more. That change should settle in for several months soon, perhaps starting in just a couple of weeks or so. For now, this early brush with cooler temperatures mostly will be just a welcome tease. Still, they're calling it a cold front on our weather forecasts, a reminder of just how relative the English language can be. This little South Florida "cold" spell may allow us to wear our light jackets if we go out at night. Maybe. The same weather in Chicago right now would inspire folks to break out their Bermuda shorts and flowered shirts. Funny how that works. In any case, I'll take the weather around here any day. All I know is, there will be lots of people from Chicago and New York and Toronto and all over the north flying down to Greater Fort Lauderdale for vacations this fall and winter. I don't think you'll find a lot of Fort Lauderdale residents booking casual holidays in those places any time soon.

I see that the busiest part of our cruise season already is shaping up. I noticed this over the weekend when I spotted three huge ships docked at the same time in Port Everglades. One was part of the Princess cruise line, another was Royal Caribbean and the third was maybe a Celebrity ship, though I couldn't tell for sure. In a few weeks, that number will grow. During the winter months, I've counted as many as eight ships all waiting at once to leave from Fort Lauderdale for destinations around the Caribbean and beyond. I think many folks still don't quite realize how big Fort Lauderdale is in the cruise industry. Just the other day I read that we're supposed to host more than 3.3 million passengers in 2010 - at just this one port. That's kind of amazing to me, honestly.

I wrote a cruise column for Budget Travel magazine for a while and that wasn't too many years ago. I recall that around this period it was a very big deal when the annual cruise passenger total exceeded seven million for the first time. That was for the entire cruise industry in this country. Wow, things have changed, huh?

Sometimes we all need a little inspiration. Something that shakes us out of our routines and gets us moving, one way or another. To those of us who like to work out, some encouraging motivation now and then really helps a lot. I know this because I like to work out. I also know this because I didn't work out during pretty much the whole month of September. I won't bore you with my excuses, except to save some face by explaining it mostly had to do with deadlines and meetings and ... Well, heck, it sure seemed nearly impossible to make it to the gym. Then there was that weeklong staycation on the beach. But the beach also helped me get back into my exercising ways now, oddly enough.

I've learned over the years that some real inspiration to get fit is as close as any beach in the Fort Lauderdale area, from Deerfield Beach all the way through Hallandale Beach. Personally speaking, I've found Hollywood's Broadwalk and the Fort Lauderdale beach especially motivating. Here's what I'm talking about.

Picture yourself wandering the sidewalk that runs along the oceanfront. Let's say you just enjoyed a nice café breakfast of bacon and eggs - not that I'm speaking from experience or anything. Ahem. Anyway, this very trim guy about your age comes bounding past in a fast jog, with his shirt off and sweat running down his face. You think, "He's in good shape!" Then a gorgeous young woman zips by you from the other direction on in-line skates. You can't help noticing that, yes, she too is in very, very good shape. Ahem again. And this parade of fit, good-looking people just continues, particularly if you're on the beach early in the morning or evening. It's, like, amazing. Really. Bicyclists and runners, skaters and walkers. Young, old, beautiful and less-than-beautiful. They're all working out. And you? You're not working out. Instead, your body is busily digesting bits of bacon and egg - probably hash browns and toast too, if you want to get technical about this thing. No, you're not working out like everyone else seems to be at this very moment, in this very place. But you know what? You soon start thinking about working out. Yeah, you are inspired by it all. Your muscles begin to remember how they feel when they're being used. And then soon you want to get back to your gym or at least join the joggers on the beach. As I said, we all need a little inspiration sometimes. Truthfully, it's less effort to exercise than to try to appear as if you exercise anyhow. A half hour jog doesn't require nearly as much energy as walking around the beach holding in your gut. On this point, sadly, I am speaking from experience.

We all like to eat. But some people live to eat, to create and explore and savor cuisine. For these folks, food is more than sustenance, it's a lifestyle. I know this all too well because my girlfriend is a foodie and a serious one at that. (Yes, I've learned there are foodie categories, ranging from "Hmm, I wonder if that's coriander in the soup?" on the lower end of the spectrum up to "I bought pink Hawaiian sea salt today" in the middle range and then beyond at the upper levels to something like "I spent the entire evening grinding and mixing Chinese herbs for the dumplings I'll wrap by hand tomorrow night.") As it turns out, right now is a most excellent moment for foodies in South Florida.

I realized this on Friday when a close friend took me to lunch at a lovely upscale restaurant and paid next to nothing for our meals. We hadn't known that there was a two-for-one lunch special, though I think many nice places throughout town have similar deals available. But the best bargains anywhere around are for dinner - and believe me, now's the time to snap some of them up.

Each fall for the past few years, Dine Out Lauderdale has helped showcase some of this community's finest cuisine. The dining promotion lasts from October 1 through November 12, offering serious foodies a serious foodie fest. I've enjoyed these Dine Out meals the past couple years and plan to do so again in the coming days. Needless to say, my foodie girlfriend will help me pick out the restaurant. There are over 35 high-end places to choose from, including By Word of Mouth, Cero Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, Johnny V, Sublime, Café Vico and the Capital Grille. Among others of pretty much equal local renown and quality. For a bargain-priced $35, you can become more familiar with Greater Fort Lauderdale's fine dining scene by ordering three-course meals that go way beyond samplers. These are real dinners, from appetizers to dessert, and my experience has been that they're both filling and memorably delicious. You'll find details on this website at http://www.sunny.org/dineout, with the full list of participating restaurants and other info. Like I said, autumn is a terrific time to be a foodie in South Florida. As for me, nope I'm not a serious foodie but, sure, I like to eat good food. I'm sort of on the lower end of that spectrum, I guess. I might ask about the coriander in the soup but no way will you find me wrapping Chinese dumplings.

On Friday, Sept. 11, Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa held a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction on the beachfront resort's new restaurant, Sea Level, slated to debut in 2010.  The groundbreaking was attended by Mayor John Seiler and City Commissioner Romney Rogers.  

Designed to reflect a modern South Florida ambiance, Sea Level will be a chic destination for hotel guests, local residents and foodies alike, serving gourmet cuisine and expertly handcrafted cocktails.  The 152-seat oceanfront restaurant will be perched 15 feet above the beach providing unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean.  

The introduction of Sea Level will be the final piece of a $50 million resort-wide renovation over the past few years.  The multimillion-dollar redesign also included: a floor-to-ceiling rooms and suites renovation; expansion of The Spa at Harbor Beach fitness center, which nearly doubled in size to 3,750 square feet, introducing new, state-of-the-art fitness machines and a revamped spa kitchen; and the 10,000-square-foot oceanfront ballroom slated to be completed in December.  

Photo Caption: From left, Brendan Mangan, Harbor Beach Director of Event Management; David Cronin, Harbor Beach Director of Food & Beverage; John P. "Jack" Seiler, Mayor of the City of Fort Lauderdale; Jim Mauer, Area General Manager/ Harbor Beach; Romney Rogers, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner; and Jay Marsella, Harbor Beach Director of Sales & Marketing.

Is it really October already? Yep, and that means it's boat show month here in Fort Lauderdale. Wow, it seems like we just celebrated the 4^th of July, doesn't it? It's hard for me to believe that we're speeding toward Halloween and the holidays. Each year at this time, there's a slow crescendo of activity around the Fort Lauderdale beach as the boat show makes the transition from backstage planning to front-and-center onsite preparations. It's a big deal in our town as well as for everyone in the boating community worldwide. This is a special year for the event too - the 50^th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The buzz has already started.

The other day, I was driving along A1A and noticed the first boat show signs posted on light poles all along the seaside highway. That was my initial reminder that this huge marine exhibition was about to return. I found myself thinking, "That's cool! I enjoy having this thing on the beach each year. It's one of those events that make Fort Lauderdale so special."

Really, that's how I feel about it - even if the show can make traveling up and down the coastal road a bit challenging for several days. I'll gladly put up with heavy traffic for a chance to live near the world's biggest boat show. Because its presence here says a lot about Fort Lauderdale, I think. It's a nod to the lifestyle that is part of this community's fabric, a boating way of life that's truly centered around the water. From the canals to the rivers to the lakes to the ocean, Fort Lauderdale sparkles in the reflected sunshine of its waters. This is true for those who live away from the water as much as for those with waterside mansions. Whether you drive or bicycle or walk around Fort Lauderdale, you're going to bump into some body of water pretty quickly. And on many of those bodies of water, you're going to see boats. Everything from dinghies to superyachts, from speedboats to sailboats. In this part of the country, that's who we are. How fitting, then, that the largest boat show of all has been hosted by us for the past half century? This year it begins on October 29 and runs through November 2, spread over six locations connected by buses and riverboats and water taxis. If you come to the show you'll find more than $3 billion worth of yachts and electronics and gear of all kinds from every major marine builder and manufacturer on the planet. Maybe that helps explain why the buzz for something this important starts a month before it opens. As events go in Fort Lauderdale, it doesn't get any bigger than this.