May 12: The Downtowners

There's a famous song from the early 1960s about going downtown. Because downtown is an inviting place, the singer reminds us. Full of color and people and life. And fun. I might say the same about one of Fort Lauderdale's most established saloons. Called the Downtowner Saloon, this is a watering hole that sits directly beside the water - downtown, appropriately enough. Just take the Andrews Avenue drawbridge over the New River from Las Olas and hang your first left, then one more quick left and you'll see the parking lot. There's plenty of free parking and, yes, color and people and life. And fun. I have a real history with this place but, oddly enough, I hadn't been there in a few years until very recently. Now I'm finding myself meeting friends at the Downtowner a couple times a month.

When I was a reporter at the Sun Sentinel, my colleagues and I often walked over to this bar after work to drink and complain about our editors. Typical reporter stuff. A little later, when I left the paper to write on my own, I was in a band with three friends. We both rehearsed and performed our blues/rock tunes at the Downtowner for more than a year.

Several weeks ago, an old friend from the newspaper and I reconnected. We decided the Downtowner was the best place to meet. I felt as if I was discovering this great saloon all over again. The staff is friendly. The prices are very reasonable, especially for being located, well, downtown. And there's some enjoyable music, including a terrific blues musician named Graham Wood Drout who sometimes plays the Downtowner. On Friday, I met a close buddy for Happy Hour and we sat there for two hours just chatting and drinking and generally having a swell time. We didn't eat dinner but this is a bar that's always had good food. Judging by all the folks chowing down on Friday, that's apparently still true. Plus there's a lovely view of the city center, with the condos and the office towers and the park arrayed directly in front of you. The boats float by just a few yards from the outdoor tables and the breeze off the river helps keep you cool. It's a delightful place. And I'm very glad I've found it once more. It turns out the Downtowner is still a lot of fun for me - even without any newspaper editors to complain about.