Fun, Food, and the Fabulous in Fort Lauderdale



Fort Lauderdale is known as “The Venice of America” because it has over three hundred miles of navigable canals that are part of the intracoastal waterway.  Prior to our recent visit, I had read about the system and was curious about it.  A local travel agent told me that we could take a water taxi and get a great tour of the area.  So on our last full day in Fort Lauderdale, we hopped aboard.  An adult unlimited pass is $22.00 and a child’s unlimited pass is $13.00.  This allows you to get on and off as many times as you want in one day.  Our plan was to ride from the marina near our hotel and get off at Las Olas Boulevard to have lunch and do a little shopping, the climb on again for the ride back.

Well, it was quite a tour!  Each boat has a captain who drives and a narrator who speaks over the intercom system, telling stories and a history lesson along the way.  Ours was quite entertaining and engaged the passengers, making it a really fun way to get from one point to another. 

The homes along the intracoastal, are the homes of the wealthy.  Some were the homes of  celebrities and others belonged to business moguls, homes bought and sold for millions. 

Here are just a few . . .

This sprawling estate goes on to include a dozen buildings, each aquired as they were sold by neighbors.

Kind of a White House on the water.

Note the sculpture on the lawn . . a fortune cookie.  This is the property of the P.F Chang dynasty. 

The million dollar mermaid fountain.

The oh so casual outdoor bar and hot tub.

The whimiscal dancing frogs at water's edge.

This little number belonged to Sonny & Cher when Chastity was born. 
The story was told that the neighbor on one side was the inventor of Alka Selter and on the other side the Seagram's heirs, so everyone could have drinks and music and be medicated in the morning. 

Along with the waterfront living comes the need for suitable transportation.  I don’t imagine you could like in places like these and ride around in a pontoon boat.  No . . .

You need a yacht. 

This one belongs to the Yankee Candle folks.  It's named "Parafin".  How cute. 

In some cases, a megayacht. 

Supermodel Elle MacPherson's little boat.

The 78 million dollar yacht belonging to Judge Judy.

Steven Spielberg's 235 million dollar yacht. 

We got off the water taxi at Las Olas Boulevard.  I had read about the district famous for unique shopping.  But we were hungry for lunch and were thrilled to see a restaurant that specialized in crepes.  We love crepes!  My French Canadian Memere made some awesome crepes, but they were simple, and we ate them with brown sugar and maple syrup.  The crepes at La Bonne Crepe on Las Olas, were anything but simple.  An incredible selection of stuffings and toppings was on the menu.  My daughter ordered the banana split crepe and I went savory with the tomato and basil crepe.  They were delicious and reasonably priced.

Banana Split crepe

Tomato, basil, crisp crepe . . delicious!

For dessert, as if a banana split crepe calls for dessert, we had gelato from the Italian bakery Pane’ Dolci.  Smooth and creamy and cold, we stood outside in the sunshine to eat it. 

My salted caramel gelato

Gelato like artwork in the cooler.

We stopped in a few shops but quickly found that Las Olas shopping was not meant for people on a budget.  At one store I picked up a cute pink tee shirt, held it up to show my daughter and quickly put it back when I saw the price tag; $98.00.  For . . . a  . . . tee . . . shirt.  Gulp. 

 

Soon we found the way back to the water taxi stop and sat in the grass while we waited.  Late afternoon sun streaked across the water as the yellow boat pulled up to the dock.  Again we saw the yachts and homes and heard the stories about Sonny & Cher and the inventor of Alka Selter.  Again we passed Spielburg’s yacht.  Finally back to the dock near our hotel and I was exhausted from the walking and shooting and eating and from the feelings of frustration that arise from the thoughts of equity and social justice . . and living a life of limitation. 

While I enjoyed, in a voyeuristic sense, this glimpse into the lives of the rich, famous, lucky, and ostentatious, it certainly brought to mind the huge gap in our society between these homeowners and the homeowners in my little middle class neighborhood in Maine, and even more when you consider how many people struggle to keep the roof they live under.  It prompted questions about the curious connection between celebrity and wealth.  Why does that job – acting in movies, for example, pay so much more than another job?  What is our pay scale based on?  It can’t be based on the value of the contribution to the general good, or the importance in a human sense of the job’s end result.  Why in the world does Judge Judy make 45 million dollars a year, making her able to afford a yacht that costs 78 million dollars?  Why is her job – a television judge – more valued than the job of a drug and alcohol counselor who helps people get clean and sober?  Why does that counselor have to settle for the low pay when there is such unfathomable wealth in other sectors? 

I haven’t involved myself in the 99% vs. 1% fight that’s going on out there in the country, but if there was any time I’ve felt fired up about the discrepancies in income it was after that water taxi ride and the exposure I had to that other side of the golden coin.

When I step back into my cozy little home with my family and take a moment to appreciate the wonderful life I have, I can’t see where a big house on the water could make this any better.  I don’t see where a yacht fits into the picture. 

Ok . .  maybe a small one could be worked in right over . . . there.     

Appreciate the simple things . . .

Hotel Review: Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel

the view from our room

In my recent blog post, Seas The Day, I wrote about the trip I recently took with my daughter to Fort Lauderdale.  Today’s post is about our digs while we were there. 

the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel; walkway to Marina Tower

We stayed at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel.  The event I was there for, our Maine tourism promotional luncheon and reception was being held at the hotel.  A Starwood member, it was easy for me to go along with the others in my group when they said they were booked at this hotel. 

ships on the horizon

When I saw its location on the map, I thought it would be great.  I booked the two days of work there and while I did look at other hotels for the two days I had to pay for myself ($250+ per night) I did end up staying there for the remainder of my trip, using our Starwood points. 

I had read some Trip Advisor reviews of the hotel.  Some had written that it was “tired” or “dated” and described the mix of confusing buildings and passageways.  After deciding that we’d go for it despite the reviews, I am very happy we did. 

cool art on the walls in the lobby

Upon arrival, I was immediately thrilled with the look and feeling of the lobby.  It was painted in such a great aquamarine color, with coral accent colors and lots of cool rattan furniture.  The aquamarine was set off by white accent walls.  The whole scheme was SO Florida!  Yep, folks down here might tire of the tropical colors, but baby that’s why I was there.  I don’t want to go to Florida and be surrounded by New England conservative décor.  No! I want it bright and crisp and Floridian. 

great wall color in the rooms; loved that!

The color palette continued in our room.  I had requested an ocean view room if it was available and indeed it was.  The ocean view rooms are not beach front rooms although they are true to their promise of viewing the ocean.  The building we were in was the Marina tower, attached to the parking garage but across the street from the main building. 

 

And our view:

sunrise view from our room

Awesome huh?  How can you not enjoy waking up to that?  Port Everglades was not far away so we saw ships cross the ocean and onward out to sea.  Wake up, there’s a cargo ship.  Come back to change for dinner and Royal Caribbean has set sail.

The hotel is sort of shaped like a ship, the main building is in a triangular configuration with one end open to the sky.  In the center, accessed from the 2nd floor, is one of two pools on the property.  Bright and sunny, the area was energized with people enjoying the day.  My daughter spent some time one afternoon alternating between texting her friend in Maine and swimming in the pool.  We both enjoyed this pool each evening after dinners out.  It was really nice from the surface.

one of the two pools

I had read somewhere that there used to me or there was a mermaid show at this hotel.  A strange concept, but okay.  As we walked through the hotel lobby and cafe one morning something from inside the darkened bar caught my eye.  It was closed but we went in for a moment and realized that from that level of the hotel, the windows of the bar looked into . . . wait for it . . THE POOL.

the view from the bar's windows into the pool.

Kind of cool.  Kind of creepy.  We imagined guys slumped over at the bar, staring at girl's legs kicking underwater, oblivious to the spectacle that they were involved in.  One day, we saw the lower half of a girl wearing light, flowing green, kind of like . . . a mermaid.  It was a little much. 

Directly across the street was the entrance to South Beach Park, a public beach area.  Each morning there were runners and walkers and bikers and folks just strolling with coffee. 

the walkway at South Beach Park

ahh . . the beach.

We had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, Dos Caminos, a Mexican place with a patio café outside.  It was so great to be able to sit outside for breakfast.  The coffee was good and strong and the menu was varied.  The first morning I had Huevos Rancheros.  The second morning we had the continental breakfast included with our room.  Sounds kind of boring but the pastries were so good and fresh.  It came with yogurt and fruit and cereal with milk.  Our last morning before leaving, my daughter had the spinach and cheese omelet, which was so good she wouldn’t share.  I had the blueberry pancakes which were so good I hesitated giving her a bite, but I did (that’s what Moms do, right?). 

wall decor in Dos Caminos restaurant

One of our evenings ended there at Dos Caminos, too, with a bowl full of warm tortilla chips and their made to order guacamole.  I’m kind of a guac snob, having perfected my own recipe over the past year and I must say the guacamole at Dos Caminos was fabulous.  But the chips were the star of that show, thin and crisp, salty and fresh.  To round out the night that night we ordered coffee and dessert.  For me, it was ice cream.  Not much of a variety of flavors so I got the Mexican chocolate.  Now I’m not really a big fan of chocolate ice creams, much more into the vanilla based flavors and caramels, but with the hint of cinnamon in the ice cream, it had me craving it every night after that. 

looking north on Fort Lauderdale Beach

The best best best part of the whole place . . . the beach!  Soft clean sand, waves big enough to body surf but not so rough as to bowl you over if you weren’t paying attention.  The water was warm (well, warmer than it ever gets in Maine) and on our last night, we swam and surfed for hours.

nice plush towels and chairs on the beach for you.

 

The part of the beach in front of the hotel had chairs and umbrellas set up.  Guests get two chairs and as many towels as you might need.  You can get an umbrella for an extra charge but we didn’t.  After some time in the sun, we went to the beachfront pool, which was bathwater warm.  Sitting in the chaise lounge chairs with a lemonade and some cheesy fries, with palm trees waving over head, I felt as if I could stay there for life.  Between the beach and the pool and the food and just being able to read my book in the sun, it was paradise, even for a short time. 

So if you’re looking for a great beachfront place to stay in Fort Lauderdale, this is it.  If you’re in need of somewhere to stay before you depart on your cruise, the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach would be a great choice.  At the south end of the beach, it’s far enough away from the spring breakers to stay sane and close enough to the marina to be able to hop onto a water taxi for an afternoon’s tour of yachts and mansions.  If I had known how close it was to so many restaurants, I would not have rented a car.  We only took it out one time, to go get souvenirs at Walgreens (you read that right).  We were able to walk to dinner each night at a different place and afterwards go and enjoy the pool and work off our meals. 

This trip was a wonderful experience for me and my girl.  Can I go back yet?  It’s still not all that warm here in Maine.  The flowers and lush green leaves, wearing shorts and sundresses and sandals, ahhh . . . please? 

LIFE on Life’s terms: Living in the moment or “Seas the Day”

Like many people, I struggle with the bucolic concept of living in the moment.  My daily planner is planned out months in advance.  Each week I plot out my goals for the week, my appointments, and my dinner menu.  There are very few moments that I’m not at least partly considering the next moment rather than the one I’m in.  Perhaps I’m the oddball, but I suspect that this is pretty common amongst people today.  Everything is about what’s next. 

Living in the moment . . . what does it mean?  Is it akin to so many other phrases that denote the need for appreciation for what you have or what you are or who you are at any given time? 

Is it a reminder that “life is short” so “seize the day” but don’t forget to “stop and smell the roses?” 

Those expressions wouldn’t have gained overuse prominence if there weren’t truth to them. 

This is what has prompted my little life appreciation lesson.  I was fortunate enough to “have” to go to Fort Lauderdale for my work.  Leaving Maine in March to go somewhere warm and sunny is something I dream of every January. 

This trip came up fast and took a lot of work to pull together.  With a little help from some hotel points and a supportive spouse, I was able to extend the trip two extra days and bring my daughter with me.  We had a wonderful, sunshine filled, causal couple of days. 

The evening before our 8:00 am flight home, after touring around on a water taxi and seeing the yachts and mansions of the rich and famous, we took a walk on the beach before dinner.  Always prepared, we both were wearing our bathing suits and decided to take a swim.  The water was warm, easy to get into and the waves were just raucous enough to be fun.  We have beautiful beaches in Maine but the water rarely reaches above sixty degrees and swimming in it is, well, numbingly uncomfortable for me at this age. 

We splashed and bobbed and floated for two hours.  It was getting dark and we hadn’t had dinner yet.  The guys who worked for the hotel were clearing the beach, stacking lounge chairs and picking up towels.  I felt that pull of responsibility and got out of the water to dry off.  My daughter protested and made a case for staying in, claiming she’d only rinse off in the pool rather than swim for another hour once we left the beach (she lied). 

So I gathered up our things and sat in the sand with my camera.  Watching her jump and flip around in the waves made me curiously sentimental for days when I had nothing to worry about, nothing to plan or prepare for.  Truthfully, I can’t even remember feeling like that although I must have as a child.  We had seen a boat earlier in the day that was named “Seas the Day” and I loved the play on words with one of my favorite sayings.  It was a struggle for me to just sit in the warm sand, digging my feet in, shooting the beach and waves and my sweet little daughter just playing in the ocean. 

I have returned home.  I’ve thought about those moments quite a few times, that churning in my stomach, a gnawing feeling that I should be doing something else (like packing for our early departure).  For me, recently diagnosed with ADD, I wonder if it is that “driven” feeling that is a symptom of the disorder.  Or is it’s a byproduct of a busy life?  Perhaps my Catholic school guilt which says that I shouldn’t stop and enjoy myself, that I must always be productive.  I don’t know for sure why I feel the way I do about it but I know I’m on a quest to practice more mindful behavior.  Allow myself to take pleasure in the small, wonderful things about my life, like being able to type this post with one of my cats just over my shoulder and the other nestled on the desk in front of me. 

And I will sit in the sand and watch my daughter play in the sea.  I will live in the moment, even if it’s just for a moment.  This moment.