LauderBlog

So you're cruising into or out of Fort Lauderdale. You have just eight hours to see this place. What do you do? That's our mission today, cruiselovers. Earlier this week, I promised a series of blogs about pre or post cruise visits to our lovely community. Actually, though, today's blog also works if we're a stop on your cruise itinerary, where you might typically arrive early in the morning and leave late in the afternoon. That usually gives you the same eight hours I'll be talking about here. Or maybe you've got a long stretch between arriving at the airport and leaving from Port Everglades, or vice versa. Whatever. If I had just eight hours here for a first visit, how would I use my time? As a nearly 20 year resident and experienced travel writer (and veteran of many cruises), these are my thoughts:

• Take a taxi immediately to the Fort Lauderdale beach. If you see nothing else, you should see this. Get off at Las Olas and A1A - shouldn't cost more than maybe $10 from the port, a little more from the airport. Now just wander. If it's early, find a café for breakfast. If it's later, grab a smoothie or ice cream cone and save your appetite for lunch. There's some good shopping at Beach Place, a short walk north.
  
• I wouldn't rush the beach experience. Take in the people as well as the gorgeous ocean views. Get a feel for the way we dress, talk, behave. We have our own vibe here. But there's something else you should do for sure. Get on the water. Fort Lauderdale's most photogenic side is best seen from this angle.
  
• Any hotel along the beach can direct you to a Water Taxi. It doesn't cost much ($13 for an all day pass) and will take you up and down the Intracoastal and New River, floating you past mansions, megayachts, sailboats, drawbridges. All the things that help make Fort Lauderdale what it is.
  
• This should take you maybe two hours. By now it's probably mid-afternoon. You don't have much time left if you're going to make that 5 p.m. departure. So leave the water taxi at the downtown Las Olas stop. Now head a couple blocks north to our famous shopping street, Las Olas Boulevard, including cafes and restaurants for that lunch. Pick a spot, have a lovely meal and a glass or two of wine - hey, you're not driving. If you didn't buy ice cream earlier, go to Kilwin's for the best in town. Now flag down one of the many taxis and book it to your ship or plane.

Like all such brief visits anywhere, you're seeing only some of the many highlights. But you really can get a genuine feeling for what we're all about - enough to make you want to return and stay a while. Next week, I'll offer my suggestions for making the most of an overnight cruise stay in Fort Lauderdale. Til then, bon voyage.

Fort Lauderdale is all about boats. Of all sizes, including boats so big that people look at you funny if you call them boats. Nautical nitpickers, of course, call them ships and are only too happy to tell you the difference. I was thinking about all this over the weekend as I made my way around our city. First, I found myself parked at one of the many drawbridges for several minutes - maybe 20 cars backed up in both directions for a single sailboat to slowly drift by. That says something, though I'm not absolutely sure what. Then I sat in my favorite little park and watched the passing water parade of megayachts and small speedboats, water taxis and tourboats all motoring along the New River. And finally, on a beautiful afternoon, I drove over the 17^th Street bridge and noticed perhaps a half dozen cruise ships preparing to leave Port Everglades.

Yes, Fort Lauderdale is all about boats. And many people visit us for the first time on one of those very big boats, uh, ships. Port Everglades is among the top cruise ports in the world, with thousands of passengers coming and going every week. That's especially true now, in the heart of the winter cruise season.

So I thought it might be fun to do a short series of blogs for all those cruise passengers who will be arriving in the near future. Even if you're not among them, these blogs may offer some vicarious interest for you. And food for thought if you plan your own Fort Lauderdale-based cruise. Starting at the end of this week, I'll make some suggestions about things to do if you're in town for a limited time, before or after a cruise. I'll use my experience here over the past 20 years as a local, and my travel writing background, to lay out my ideas for taking in this port city. Later this week, we'll start with some thoughts about what to do if you're in Fort Lauderdale for just one day. Then once a week for the following three weeks, I'll toss out game plans for overnight stays, two day layovers, and pre or post vacations of more than two days. I'm a veteran cruisegoer and I nearly always plan my cruises with hotels at both ends of the trip. The way I figure it, I've already found a way to visit some new part of the world. Why not spend just a little more money and explore it while I'm there? I'm hoping these blogs can make that a bit easier to do that if you're swinging through Port Everglades -  but also stopping to linger a while in Fort Lauderdale. You'll soon find there's a lot more here than just an airport and cruise terminal. 

Ambassadors are wandering the streets of Fort Lauderdale these days. Well, a kind of ambassador anyway. Called Downtown Ambassadors, these friendly folks are roving around our city offering help to anyone and everyone who needs it. Maybe giving out directions or making a recommendation about something to do or some place to eat. I first learned about the Downtown Ambassadors by chance. I was having iced coffee with a friend on Riverwalk, sitting at a picnic table on the grassy north side of the New River. Then we noticed two people in teal polo shirts walking by with smiles on their faces. When we all began to chat, I found out they were volunteers in the new program. They told us there was another two-person team working at the same time.

These volunteers walk, ride golf carts or pedal bicycles, simply wandering around to help out people in any way they can. Most of the time this means tourists, but sometimes locals need a hand too. Their main ambassadorial duties involve providing maps and materials about local attractions and events as well as answering any general questions. But the volunteers will call for medical aid or police if needed and also report anything suspicious to the authorities. I think it's a great idea.

Launched by the Downtown Development Authority, the Downtown Ambassador program puts these helpful folks along the New River from the Broward Center for the Performing Arts to Las Olas. They also patrol NW 2^nd Street and the Las Olas shopping district. For now, the ambassadors are doing their good deeds four days a week, Thursday through Sunday. Their hours are 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. on the two weekdays and noon to 8 p.m. on weekends. I saw them again today and, just as before, they caught me totally by surprise. I was sitting outside at Starbucks downtown after a long business meeting, just sipping an iced coffee. I seem to sit and sip a lot, don't I? Anyhow, this man and woman stroll by inconspicuously, holding clipboards and wearing those teal shirts. And yep, they were smiling. It's a wonderful service to the many tourists who come here from all over. If you'd like to take part, contact Kim Centamore at 954-931-8764. She's the coordinator and can tell you what's involved, including a training session with Fort Lauderdale police and others. It's a chance to do something good for people and help strengthen our local tourist industry at the same time. Noble goals, for sure. But I have to admit that those Downtown Ambassadors really looked like they were having an awful lot of fun too.

Wow, it was crazy busy every place I went this weekend. And perfect outside. The weather just couldn't have been nicer. Cloudless skies, comfortable humidity, highs somewhere around 80 degrees. You can't do much better than that for the Presidents' Day weekend. But, honestly, I wasn't prepared for the crowds I found throughout Broward County. Streets were clogged bumper to bumper, restaurants were packed with long waiting lines, beaches were covered in multi-colored umbrellas. I also noticed some unusual license plates, cars from states we don't see here very often. Nevada, for instance, And Oregon. These folks did some serious driving to get to South Florida. This weekend, I'm sure they felt it was worth the effort.

On Friday night, I went to my favorite Italian place, Bravo, on SE 17^th Street. Totally backed up out the door, every table taken, every seat at the bar occupied. And everyone in a good mood, as far as I could tell. The food here is excellent and the prices are affordable, but still ... sheesh. I didn't mind, though, and had a terrific dinner of my usual angel hair marina and pasta fagioli with a pleasant Chianti.

On Saturday, I headed to see a friend in downtown Fort Lauderdale on my way to Lighthouse Point for a Valentine's Day dinner at my girlfriend's home. Cars were backed up for blocks on Las Olas and pedestrians crowded the sidewalks. You'd have thought some place was giving away free boxes of Valentine's candy or something. Going up A1A later, I noticed most of the parking places were full and so were most of the restaurants. Then on Sunday, same thing. A buddy and I were looking for a decent lunch and decided on the Hollywood Broadwalk. We parked at the Marriott there briefly, just long enough to learn we'd have to wait more than a half hour for an outdoor table. Finally we ended up at a delightful, and busy, Sushi Thai restaurant that sits on the far southern end of the Broadwalk and enjoyed a terrific meal overlooking the sea. Nothing like a really hot Thai curry for lunch. On the drive back, we couldn't get over how packed everything was along the oceanfront - motorists were leaving their cars on the grass beside municipal parking lots. Like I said, crazy busy all weekend. But it was nice to see so many tourists and locals out having fun in our gorgeous tropical climate. I don't know what conditions were like back in Nevada and Oregon, but I'm willing to bet that our weather was a lot better than theirs.

One of the things I really love about South Florida is the diversity of cultures, nationalities and sexual orientations. It adds flavor to the Fort Lauderdale experience, key spices mixed among the main ingredients of sun and sea. I think it's wonderful the way all of it together makes a single great stew. No one element dominates. 

Sometimes we forget that Valentine's Day is for everyone. Maybe a broader, more inclusive concept of Valentine's Day is called for in today's world.  That's probably especially true living where I live. Here in greater Fort Lauderdale, gays and lesbians are part of the social fabric, fitting comfortably into this multicultural quilt we call South Florida. Wilton Manors and parts of Fort Lauderdale have large resident gay and lesbian populations. Many more gays and lesbians arrive throughout each year as snowbirds and visitors.

It happens that I just read something that seems relevant to all this. The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association recently picked Fort Lauderdale to host its 2011 international convention.  I also learned that Fort Lauderdale has been chosen as America's favorite gay resort town by Gay.com. I think that's very cool. Because Fort Lauderdale is as family-friendly and straight-couple friendly as it is gay-friendly. On Valentine's Day, we'll be celebrating together, taking romantic walks on the beach or crowding into Las Olas restaurants or dancing Saturday night away in clubs. Whatever it may be. As this holiday of caring approaches, I get a very pleasant feeling from our local live-and-let-live attitude. Happy Valentine's Day - whoever you're with or not with and wherever you are. I hope it's a good one for us all.

Sit a spell on the banks of Fort Lauderdale's New River.  What stories the ancient water can tell.  Stories not just of the past, but also of the future: history flows in many directions.  So, sit a spell on the banks of the river - and listen:

They say the Seminoles described me as just springing up one day with two forks, like wide-opened arms.  One juts east into the Intracoastal Waterway and out to the Atlantic Ocean with private yachts and giant cruise ships; the other meanders north through narrow marshes and backyards of Black homes touched by memories.  I am a quiet witness to shifting times. 

The New River has guided Broward County's evolution, serving as the site of the first organized settlement in the 1890s in the downtown area off Las Olas Boulevard.  Now it features Water Taxi rides past glamorous estates as a backdrop to the upscale shopping and international dining that Las Olas offers today.  The river can tell stories, all right, of dramatic change in the area - from Spring Break Capital to a Beach Chic destination.  Also, stories of the richness of Greater Fort Lauderdale's multicultural communities - from Fort Lauderdale's oldest Black neighborhood steeped in history to a new cultural district in central Broward County - are part of this river's soliloquy:

Glass-enclosed porches and bistro tables are replacing the screen doors and fishing poles that kept watch over me - for awhile.   As I waited, ignored, forgotten, schools closed down, businesses died, people moved away.  But, my new neighbors in those Spanish-styled houses still live outdoor, outside lives.              

Redevelopment is transforming the long-neglected Black neighborhood dotting parts of the river as professionals flock to the last stretch of largely ignored and untouched old Florida habitat.  Greater Fort Lauderdale now leads the nation in attracting Black residents, in large part because of the influx of Caribbean immigrants from Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad as well as Afro-Hispanics and Afro-Brazilians. The area is one of the most diverse in the U.S., and it is a top international multicultural tourism site and conference destination for professional and civic organizations drawn by the easy access, world-class resorts, and conveniently located attractions and recreation.

The fingers of the New River reach out north as far as Central Broward where new history is being made.  The city of Lauderhill there once boasted having the first air-conditioned mall.  Now, it is an international sports center with golf courses and a new award-winning municipal park and 5,000-seat multi-purpose stadium hosting cricket matches, Australia rules football, rugby, and soccer.  There's also a water park for children, pavilions, and other amenities for large gatherings and family reunions.  Soon, Lauderhill will serve as home to the International Gospel Complex for Education and Preservation and an Entertainment District with sound studios and warehouses for television and movie production to attract African-American and Hispanic filmmakers.

As we celebrate Black History Month we should remember that it can be considered a time not just for celebration of past accomplishments, but of new possibilities as well - like the ancient New River, flowing in many directions, with wide-open-armed. 

-Kitty Oliver

Humidity is a relative thing. Pun intended. The "relative humidity," as the forecasters always call it, was briefly a little on the low side around here. And that got me thinking about how much I prefer air I can feel on my skin. Air with substance. Air you can almost see. After living in South Florida for nearly 20 years now, I like to feel bathed in my environment. There's a sensuality to it, for one thing. In tropical climates, the air strokes you as you move. That's rarely true up north, rarer still in the winter months when the air's so dry it disappears. You can't feel it, you can't see it and there darned sure is nothing sensual about it. The only reason you believe there's any air left is that your lungs still work. But not here, not in Fort Lauderdale. Here, the warm, humid air is your caressing friend.

So what prompted this little rhapsody on humidity, of all things? Well, as I mentioned, the relative humidity was low for a few days last week, relatively speaking. Low by South Florida standards anyway, meaning below 50 percent. I was surprised when the spell of cooler-than-normal temps and drier-than-normal air ended - surprised to find how relieved I felt when I opened my door in the morning and breathed in that lovely moister air again.

Not that I want August humidity year round, mind you. The ebb and flow of temperature and humidity down here suits me just fine, for the most part. Hot, tropical, intense in the summer; mild, temperate, gentle in the winter. No, it's only that I recognized, in a way I hadn't before, how much I genuinely enjoy humidity specifically. Not just Florida heat, but Florida humidity too. This made me reflect back on those humidifiers that northern folks plug in during the long winters. I recall that, when I was really broke in my 20s, I actually would place pans of water on my radiators so the evaporation added moisture to my apartment. When you start doing something like that, it's dry. At the beginning of this blog, I kidded that humidity is a relative thing. It's true, really. I've met Caribbean people living here now who can't stand air conditioning at any time of the year. They grew up with humid heat and that's how they like it. I've also known many New Englanders who feel they can't breathe on a moderately warm July day. As for me, I'm quite happy with today's weather, thank you. Fort Lauderdale's temperature is 77 degrees and the air is just humid enough to feel. Which sure beats putting out aluminum pans of water all over your home.

South Florida is a place that offers hope. Perpetual sunshine, endless summer. And winter flowers. If you're feeling down, all you need to do is look around. As a northern transplant, I can't seem to lose my amazement at year round flowers. Flowers crowding outdoor beds, flowers clustering on bushes, flowers filling the branches of trees. In the dead of winter. To my eye, there's something slightly suggestive of Eden in a community where trees blossom in February. Not to get carried away here - nowhere is a perfect paradise, at least nowhere I've been. But when I look at the calendar and then look out my window, it can feel kind of surreal. This is especially true since I moved into my new condo in Dania Beach. Just beyond my patio, a grand old tree is loaded with delicate purple flowers. But the really amazing thing is that it's been in blossom since October.

I've learned that I have something called a Hong Kong Orchid tree in my backyard. It seems to be in bloom for about half of the year. This particular tree is perhaps 40 feet tall and around 20 feet across, a dense lacework of delicate branches and thick stems holding thousands of broad, heart-shaped leaves.

And those purple blossoms. I have no idea how many but they must number in the hundreds anyway. The Hong Kong Orchid tree turns color slowly, first in little pastel buds that pop out here and there. As the weeks pass, the buds increase noticeably and then start to open as the stately green tree becomes intensely purple - a natural vase providing water and nutrients for a growing bouquet of flowers. This season around, the tree began blooming about mid-October at the time some family members came to visit me. Now, in early February, the flowers are slowly fading but still there, still pretty, still a hopeful sign during a difficult winter for many people. The flowers will be gone soon. But before too long, the cycle will repeat itself all over again. In 2008, the tree bloomed twice if I recall correctly so we'll see what happens this year. But my point really is just this: that South Florida is a blossoming, bountiful place that can remind us all to look beyond our immediate problems. Things are going to be all right. Somewhere in our country, at this very moment, it's still summer. Flowers are hanging from trees and strawberries are growing plump and red and the sun is shining most of the time. If you can come for a visit, you'll see what I mean. If you can't right now, maybe just keep us in mind from time to time. Because if nothing else, it's sort of nice simply to remember we're here.

On Sunday, I mixed some history with my football. No, I didn't miss the opening kickoff of course. But a friend and I finally made it to a Fort Lauderdale historical landmark that I'd never visited before. A pre-game hour spent touring the Stranahan House made for a very special Super Sunday for us. I'd tried at least two or three times before now to get into this attraction, which is formally named the Historic Stranahan House Museum. But I had always arrived at the wrong moment and missed making the tour. It sits directly on the New River downtown, not far from the newspaper where I worked for years. I've passed this place probably hundreds of times. And to be perfectly honest, I had always thought basically, "Hmmm. Just looks like one of those small musty museums that's been around forever. Probably not that interesting."

When I'm wrong, I have no problem admitting it. I was wrong, for instance, about the Super Bowl. I'd predicted a boring game with a lopsided Pittsburgh win. Oops. I also was wrong about the Stranahan House. It's a very cool experience and I honestly recommend it if you have any interest in history.

Built in 1901 by Frank Stranahan, this house was at various times a trading post, bank, post office, community center, restaurant - and home to two fascinating people who were well ahead of their time. Along with his wife, Ivy, Frank worked to preserve wildlife, to encourage fair trading practices with the Seminole Indians and basically to create Fort Lauderdale. They ran a ferry service across the deep swift-moving New River. They bought and sold properties. Ivy even developed close relationships with the Seminoles so they would let her educate their kids. The house tells the story of this intelligent couple. And the story of Fort Lauderdale's earliest days. Besides all that, it's a beautiful place, the kind of home many of us would love to own today. Uh, assuming it had air conditioning now. It is full of rich Dade County Pine walls and floors along with some wonderful furnishings, gadgets and photos from the period. Our guide, Becky, was great too. Her knowledge and charming personality helped the history of the Stranahans feel vividly alive for the ten of us on the tour. For more information, call 954-524-4736 or visit their website at http://www.stranahanhouse.org/. I'm really glad I was wrong about the Stranahan House. And the Super Bowl. I enjoyed them both a whole lot more than I'd expected.