Greater Ft Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau

Monday, July 31, 2006

July 31: Cocoa Power

I love chocolate. I like to think I don’t look like I love chocolate, though, eating it in moderation. When I do indulge, I prefer the good stuff, thank you. I gave up Hershey bars when I was in college. These days, I want the best.

So I was more than a little pleased to find that a very special chocolate shop has opened in Fort Lauderdale. Galler is a fine Belgian chocolate sold in only one location in the United States: on chic Las Olas Boulevard. It’s in the 900 block on the south side of the street, beside Tommy Bahama’s, a bit hard to find actually. But if you love chocolate as I do, I recommend persistence. Galler (pronounced “gah-LAIR”) has been open for only 10 months, offering fabulous varieties of chocolate, gelato, even fine teas. Galler chocolates are made from pure cocoa, with no preservatives, no artificial anything. They taste like pure indulgence.

I tried my first Galler chocolate a few days ago and – wow, it really was great. I sampled a solid chocolate egg with hazelnut, small enough to pop the whole thing in my mouth. If you’d been watching me at that moment, you’d have seen my eyes close in that expression of food-delight we all know. If you’d been listening to me, you’d have heard mostly one sound: “Mmmm!”

Galler also has a good website at www.gallerusa.com. There you can find a blog, information about ordering online and a feature called “the truth about chocolate.” I liked that last part especially. These myth-shattering truths include the fact that refrigeration is just fine for chocolate, contrary to what I’d believed. You also can learn the best way to taste chocolates. (Enjoy solid chocolate by popping small whole chunks on your tongue to melt; filled chocolate should be eaten in small bites that mix the filling and chocolate.) So to my fellow chocolate hounds, this blog’s for you, baby! Just remember not to bite into those solid chunks. Why waste something as good as this?

Thursday, July 27, 2006

July 27: Comedy by the Sea, Part Two

We’ve spent a lot of time at the ocean recently, both in the blog and in person. And what better time of year to be by the water? My next blog will be for chocolate lovers but, after a morning at the beach, I couldn’t resist a follow-up to our March “Comedy By The Sea” piece. Because this is what I saw during 20 minutes Saturday morning, sitting in one spot on the sand: Dancing Man, Hysterics Woman, Towel Lady. Dancing Man was onstage, uhm, I mean on the beach first. When I arrived, this dude is at the water’s edge and I mean he is cutting serious figures while listening to his iPod. Arms waving, torso swaying. He’s bouncing, man, he’s bobbing, he’s rocking leg-to-leg, all in time to sounds only he hears. This performance would draw major attention in a club, much less the beach. But what made it so funny was, he didn’t seem to care. At all. Dancing Man was in his own world – and remained there, gettin’ down without a break for at least 20 minutes.

Then Hysterics Woman entered, with her friend. I’m not sure what happened to set her off but I think a fish tickled her foot or something. She peered into the water – and then began to laugh, as hard and loud as she possibly could laugh. She’s holding her stomach, head back, bellylaughing. What’s more irresistibly funny than someone letting go like this? So I’m chuckling at Dancing Man and now laughing with Hysterics Woman when, right on cue, Towel Lady makes an appearance. A player in our March blog, Towel Lady covers her entire head with a large towel, peeking out while walking the beach with both arms raised straight overhead. This time, she was walking forward rather than backward. But she still makes an impression.

Dancing Man, without missing a beat, watched her approach. Curious, I suspect, to see a fellow actor in this oceanside theater-of-the-absurd. As she passed, he appeared to look directly into Towel Lady’s eyes. I couldn’t tell, of course, but I like to think they winked at each other. Just some sign of respect to suggest to another comedian, “Hey, that’s a pretty good shtick you’ve got there!” All in 20 minutes – but it made my day.

Friday, July 21, 2006

July 21: Parrots and Photo Ops

Several weeks ago, in a blog called “Summer Seasonings,” I promised to write about some of the small personal moments and relaxed pleasures of the South Florida summer. Since then, I’ve talked about watching rainstorms come and go over the sea, and the cool breezes of waterside cafes, among other warm weather enjoyments. But lately, I’ve noticed more wild-parrot-gawkers than usual. Not wild parrots – same number of them, as far as I can tell anyway. Just more visitors-gawking-at-the-wild-parrots. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the summer or what. But for whatever reason, I’m seeing it more often this summer. And I’m sure getting a kick out of it.

South Florida now has a fairly large population of both wild parrots and wild parakeets. They weren’t native creatures, though they’ve flourished in the tropical climate. But many tourists are, understandably, surprised to catch sight and sound of these colorful birds, which are animals most people expect to find only in a cage or in some jungle somewhere. Recently on Las Olas, necks craned seriously to find one parrot squawking, and hiding, among the palm fronds. “There he is!” a tourist announced, pointing. (I assume she was an out-of-towner since few locals point out parrots so enthusiastically.) And she stood there smiling, and pointing, so her companion could follow the trail from her finger to the palm frond – and the parrot. Others nearby were equally amused by this sole parrot. I was amused by their amusement.

And just yesterday at the beach, same thing. Two women, obviously tourists, were walking under some trees when … “That’s a PARROT! Look, there it is,” one of them said. Enthusiastically. This time the bird obligingly hung out for a photo op. One lady grabbed her little digital camera and started snapping away while her other friend just gawked and smiled a lot. So maybe this is the summer of the parrot, and the parrot-gawkers. I only hope these visitors can handle the excitement if they find out about our wild iguanas.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

July 19: Motion in the Ocean

As promised, part one of your guide to all things water has arrived. Let’s start with the obvious: the ocean. It’s what we’re known for, hands down, and we’ll take it. I mean, with 23 miles of beach here in Broward you can’t go wrong. There’s always room for you and your towel…and the water always welcomes one more boogey-board, surfboard, snorkel, pair of fins, boat, waverunner, parasail…you get the picture.

In fact, the ocean practically begs you to come out and play. The waves taunt you, challenging you to explore. So why not? Take the challege. There are so many avenues you can pursue when it comes to the ocean. You’ll find something.

Maybe you’re board-saavy. You pick the board; as long as you can stay on it, I’m impressed. I see young and old out there every time I go to the beach and they look like they’re having a blast. And you can look at it this way: every fall is just a refreshing reward for a job well done.

Maybe you’re an underwater explorer. This one totally appeals to me. Whether it’s snorkeling closer to shore or delving deep for a really great view, you’re staying as cool as cool can be in the vast Atlantic. Not to mention seeing our amazing marine life and getting a great workout while you’re at it.

Maybe you’re a boater. In this case, you might be spending a little more time on the water than in it, but you can’t beat the ocean breeze. And spray. With the wind in your hair and in your sails (so to speak), the heat will be the last thing on your mind.

Maybe you’re an adventurer. Sure, you want to get in the ocean, but in a different way. You want to zip around on a waverunner or try your hand at parasailing, or maybe even manage to get up on some water-skis. Whatever the case, you’ll be having too much fun to realize the sun is even out.

And if all of this seems just a little out of your league or just plain unappealing, you can always go for a good old-fashioned swim…or wade if you so desire. Just get in the water, and I’ll guarantee this: the second you step one foot in you’ll feel cooler already. And that’s the whole point I’m trying to prove, now, isn’t it?

So stay tuned, because there’s many more ways to prove my point. Coming soon: Part Two.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

July 18: Pumping Up, Seaside

I have belonged to various gyms around Broward County for the past 12 years. They’ve each been good, in different ways, and I was fairly disciplined about going three times a week. I belonged to a gym, that is – until about two months ago. Now my fitness center is the beach, or a small part of it anyway called the Fit-Trail. Let’s just say the view is better now. Nothing like wiping the sweat from your eyes to see the Atlantic Ocean staring back at you.

The Fit-Trail is east of the South Beach parking area, a couple blocks south of Las Olas on the Fort Lauderdale beach. You’ll see it beside the basketball court, maybe a 100 yards from the sea. At first glance, the Fit-Trail just looks like a bunch of wooden posts and metal bars. That’s what it looks like, sure. What it really is, though, is a very tough workout in a very public place. So be prepared to put your ego aside for a while. I mean, honestly, how many pull-ups can you do? There are no machines here that can make you appear like Vin Diesel when you’re really Owen Wilson. Just your own body weight to heft around, baby.

The Fit-Trail has 18 stations, each offering some way or other to work one of your muscle groups. For example, there’s an overhead bar for all those pull-ups, and a very low bar for push-ups. There’s a vertical metal bar beside thick wooden posts – you balance against the bar while doing toe-raises on the posts for your calf muscles. There are benches, both flat and inclined, for sit-ups. There’s a series of 2X4 boards to leap frog, one long jump after another. None of this is easy, mind you.

Few people seem to use the Fit-Trail regularly, from what I’ve seen. It’s rare to find more than two or three other folks on the equipment. That’s fine with me. I’m not really craving an audience for this kind of workout yet. Not until I can do pull-ups like Vin Diesel.

Friday, July 14, 2006

July 14: Here Comes the Sun

I thought this was supposed to be the “slow” part of the tourist season here, or the “second season” or something. You wouldn’t know it today at the beach in Fort Lauderdale. It looked almost like January, with clusters of sunbathers spread up and down the length of the golden sand and lots of little heads offshore bobbing on waves and surfers bellyflopping all over the place. Sheesh!

That’s ok. It was still “slow” enough that I got a nice shady table for a café au lait after my exercise and meditation. And I understand why everyone’s out, though it makes me wonder who’s working today. The sun returned this morning after a couple days or so of intermittent rains. We’re so accustomed to nearly constant sun here that 48 hours without much of it seems like forever.

I can remember when I lived in Burlington, Vermont – not exactly the sun capital of the globe, though it’s a beautiful place I still love. There was once a stretch there, in the summer no less, when the sun didn’t shine at all, not for a minute, in six weeks. For the first week or two, the cloudy skies seemed almost normal. Not here, not in South Florida. One day without your body casting heavy shadows can feel like a pleasant change from the usual climate. But when the cloudiness continues for much longer than that, many people start to pine for the sun’s return. And when it breaks through after that brief hiatus, all feels a bit more right with the world again.

I had planned on writing this blog about a special beachside exercise area. It’s a great place called the Fit-Trail, with free equipment right on the sand, within 100 yards or so of the sea. But after working out and then walking around for a while, I realized I’d have to save that one for later. The story today is the sunshine. After all, the endless-sun is why we’re in South Florida, whether tourist or resident. It never goes away for long around here but when it hides, even for a little while, everybody wants a piece of it.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

July 11: Shooting the Breeze

I’ve just come back after a bite of lunch and iced coffee at a waterside café. It’s warm today, of course – hey, it’s July and this is Florida. But I found the weather perfectly suitable for sitting outside in the shade, even dressed as I was in jeans, a t-shirt, socks and shoes. Why? Because there was a pleasant breeze, as there often is anywhere around the water in this part of the country. And that flow of cooling air makes all the difference in your comfort level outdoors.

There are lots of places around Broward County to choose among when you’re looking for activities, meals or drinks by a breezy body of water. But one of the best-known spots is Shooter’s. It had been a while since I’d visited there. Going back with my girlfriend, riding the Water Bus up the Intracoastal to the dockside restaurant, reminded me what a great stop this makes, whether for lunch, dinner or Happy Hour.

If you’re taking the Water Bus, Shooter’s is the northernmost destination, meaning you enjoy a nice boat trip along the way. Once there, you can grab an outdoor table to soak up that breeze I mentioned, sitting just feet from megayachts at the dock. We had some wonderful coconut shrimp and clam chowder, but Shooter’s offers everything else too, it seems. And an extensive list of drinks, includes tropical specialties such as a Miami Vice – a combined pina colada and rum runner. You can hang at your waterfront table for as long as you like, as the boats cruise by and the breezes blow and you order another round of something or other. This is a perfect time of year to go too. We had no wait for our table, and that’s not always true at Shooter’s during the winter months.

So if you’re visiting this area in summer, head for some waterfront shade, wherever that water may be. The sea, the Intracoastal, a canal. The temperatures usually are comfortable there, naturally air conditioned. Just right for an iced coffee. Or whatever.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

July 6: Stormy Thursday

I'll call it Stormy Thursday, to paraphrase the old blues song. It was beautiful. And to my taste, all too rare. But for this lovely morning, I had the beach almost to myself. Well, almost. And the clouds rolled in and the thunder … But I’m getting ahead of my story.

In South Florida’s summer, rains come and rains go. Usually quickly and typically only in the afternoon. The classic pattern is this: sunny morning, a brief tropical soaking sometime in mid to late afternoon, then a nice clear evening. I’ve always enjoyed that, though lately we haven’t had much rain at my house. On occasion, we’re lucky enough to get a dramatic morning storm. These are among my favorite times at the beach and I’ve only had a few to savor so far this year. This morning, I savored every moment.

I arrived late, around 9 a.m., and when I walked on to the sand I could see exactly six other people spread up and down the beach. By now, a dark arc of thunderclouds was sweeping north along the gray sea’s horizon, encircling the clear sky. It was so unusual that a car from Georgia pulled off along A1A for a photo op. I sat down on the beach for my meditation just as a light dew of rain began to fall. The air was fresh and sea-scented by the breeze and the water droplets felt cool on my arms and back. The grand swirl of clouds now nearly covered the blue and wide flickers of lightning darted into the ocean. A second or two after each bright flick, the boom of thunder echoed. As the rain got heavier, I left the beach for a waterside café, sitting at an umbrella table for 45 minutes with a café au lait and a weathershow too few of us were around to appreciate. The whole beach felt moody, welcoming only the diehards who went running or walking or coffeesipping anyway.

By the time I left, at about 10:30, the show was over. Large patches of blue sky were breaking through from the south and I barely felt a drop on the short walk back to my car. But it had been a very special morning on the beach, a stormy gift given by this early July day, one of the joys possible during summer in South Florida.

Monday, July 03, 2006

July 3: A Black Widow Returns

They call this woman the “Black Widow” and I can tell you she sure does wear a lot of black. And she has to shop for this stuff somewhere. She also can play a pretty mean game of billiards, which I saw first-hand several times this past weekend. Jeanette Lee, Korean-American face of women’s pool, recently was voted the third most beautiful female athlete by ESPN.com readers. I was close enough to her often enough to say she deserves the honor.

So where does the lovely Black Widow shop? Well, this weekend it was all around the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, where the big pro women’s billiards tournament was held. Jeanette didn’t win. Karen Corr, “the Irish Invader,” nabbed the title. But I’m not sure Karen shops as well as Jeanette. So when we wanted some thoughts about the Hard Rock’s stores and other amenities, we went to the Black Widow.

She’s stayed at the Hard Rock before. And loves it. “They have really good shops, like a Black and White store, which is great for my needs,” she told me. “So there’s excellent shopping. But I also think it’s a beautiful casino and I love the pool. They have this wading pool that’s so child-friendly.”

Jeanette says she travels about 40 percent of her time, often with her toddler daughter. That’s a lot of hotels, a lot of resorts, a lot of different cities. Here’s what the Black Widow said about Broward’s gambling resort: “Hard Rock is one of the few places I would bring my entire family on vacation.” That’s fairly major praise from a famous world-traveler. Somehow I suspect she’ll be back.

Oh yeah – I’d promised to pass along the pool-playing tip she gave me. I had asked her, “How do you female pros get massive breakshots when strong amateur guys like me can’t do that?” It’s all in the arm position: Cock your rear shoulder 90 degrees to your body, using your elbow to move the cue. Watch the experts. You’ll see they hit every shot this way. That position allows stick control. With practice, you can then learn to add body force to breaks while still controlling the cue. That’ll impress your friends. Especially if you wear lots of black.