Dec 14: Sea and Be Seen

Some housewives are more real than others, apparently. This is what television tells us these days so it must be true, right? It's definitely true that some of these "real" housewives are a lot more famous than others. So when a group of both real and famous housewives vacations in Fort Lauderdale, this is something of an event around here. Yep, none other than the "Real Housewives of Orange County" were in town a few months ago to tape an episode of their popular program. You can see them hanging by the sea, and all around Greater Fort Lauderdale, at 10 pm ET this Thursday, December 17 on the Bravo network. The gals were busy being seen pretty much everywhere, from what I gather in advance of the show.

They stayed at the hip new W Fort Lauderdale, of course. Where else would real housewives stay after all? While there, they indulged in the luxury of the hotel's Bliss Spa - as any real housewife would. They also partied at the very cool Whiskey Blue and ate at the very expensive Steak 954. Again, typical housewifey things to do.

I'm teasing these "real" housewives. I'm not sure how much real houswifing they do back in Orange County, California, but they certainly knew how to live here in Broward County, Florida. They got out into the Everglades on an airboat to see alligators. They also toured Fort Lauderdale's extensive waterways during an evening cruise on a private yacht. Good times were had by all and, no doubt, hilarity ensued. I'll have to check it out for myself on Thursday night. Kidding aside, though, their presence here is another nice coup for Fort Lauderdale, showcasing some of the major changes in this part of South Florida. Including a beachfront that's become a very happening spot these days, even drawing some of the Miami/South Beach crowd. No matter how real or unreal those California housewives are, they're obviously smart enough to know a great getaway spot when they see one. They didn't come to Fort Lauderdale by accident. There's 23 miles of Blue Wave beaches here. There are many more miles of canals than in Venice, Italy too. There is a growing assortment of lux hotels and fine places to dine and hot spots to drink and dance and laugh. Any real housewife with the chance to leave her featherduster behind for a few days would find herself having a very good time, I think. I'm pretty sure the Orange County housewives would agree.