Aug 10: Way Charming

I think it's the most charming street in Fort Lauderdale. And I almost hesitate to write about it. I've thought of this little waterside road as my personal find since 1994, when I discovered it on a walk around my neighborhood in the Harbordale/Rio Vista area of the city. I don't live near there anymore. But I still go back to this street. Was there on Friday, as a matter of fact. Between business appointments, I grabbed a hamburger and drove to my secluded spot to park in the shade for 15 minutes, eat my burger and soak up the surroundings. Hmmm, ok, I haven't told you where I'm talking about yet, have I? Can you tell that I'm stalling, as if I don't want to reveal my secret? I really am going to name the street. Really. After all, the whole purpose of this blog is to write from an insider's perspective about some of the best things Greater Fort Lauderdale offers. So here goes.

To me, the most charming street in all of Fort Lauderdale is SE 12^th Way. You can find it by taking Cordova Road north off SE 17^th Street and following Cordova to SE 14^th Street on the left. Turn there and go straight for a block or so until you bump into SE 12^th Way.

You'll know it when you find it. There's a pretty, lazy canal running the length of the short street, with lovely but mostly modest homes on the other side. Very nice folks live here, based on my many experiences with them over the years - so if you do go, please be considerate. What's so special about SE 12^th Way? It feels as if it exists in another time. A less hurried, less techno-wired time. The canal looks like some swimming hole in an old movie about the South and, until fairly recently, kids did routinely swing off a rope tied to a low tree branch that extended over the water. Just as in those films I have in mind, youngsters grabbed the rope and dropped into the water to cool off on hot summer days. But the canal also is teeming with turtles and ducks and moorhens, with ibis and cranes often seen along its banks. Large old ficus trees stand on the water's edge at both ends of the canal, giving the road a stately, shaded beauty. Maybe it will just look like any other residential street to you. I'm not sure. But to me, SE 12^th Way is some place special. Not a typical tourist attraction by any means, but rather a slow, delightful piece of the past.