Fort Lauderdale Miscellany

Time to pack-up and set-sail. But first a couple of miscellaneous observations about Fort Lauderdale...

Yesterday was much fun. I bet I walked at least ten miles or so. It was cloudy and breezy (sorry, no pics); but that made walking much more comfortable and I legged-it up to the the Galleria Mall to buy some sailing books. Got the bio of Dr. Franklin I was looking for, a Rumpole of the Bailey novel, and Carl Hiaasen's latest called "Nature Girl." Should keep me in reading material for awhile.

On my walk to the mall, I came upon a young man standing in the median of the very busy road holding a sign that read "Free Rent." The sign also had the name of a local property management agency and a phone number. As I walked past the kid, I could not help but notice that on the other side of the highway were four obviously homeless people sitting on a bench watching the traffic and the kid waving his sign at oncoming motorists. Hmmmm. You never have a camera when you really need one.

I contemplated crossing over to the sign bearer and pointing out the obvious possibility of doing a deal with the aforementioned street people - although I am quite confident that the kid's employer was not aiming at that particular demographic. But the youngster looked hot and tired and I doubt if he would have appreciated the advice in any event so I continued on my mission...

And speaking of signs... On the ocean front boulevard something approximating the following is posted every couple of hundred yards or so: "Street lights may be dimmed or out between March and October for nesting turtles."

Another hmmm... Given that several thousand homo sapiens are on the beach every day engaged in serious recreation (including plenty of young kids with sand castle construction equipment), I would imagine that street lights would be the least of the problems faced by any turtle intrepid enough to lay her eggs on Fort Lauderdale's public beaches. Still, I guess you have to appreciate the sentiment...


Last evening I walked down the beach and ended up back at Lulu's Bait Shack. It was hopping...the beach crew had completed their outdoor duties for the day and were in high spirits...both literally and figuratively. Lulu's next door neighbor and competitor is the local Hooters; but Lulu's is a great deal more informal and clearly has the competitive edge - including in the attractive server department. I had a great time.

I was sitting at the bar next to a server's station and noticed during the course of the evening that the help seemed a tad cranky. It is the end of the season here in Florida and I thought I recognized the symptoms of overexposure to drunken bozos that also characterizes the hospitality industry staff in Juneau by the end of September. My observation prompted the following exchange:

Elmer (speaking to a very attractive female server person): "Having a bad day?"

Attractive Server Person: "I'm fuckin' tired of all the fuckin' people."

Elmer: "I understand."

In conclusion, I have had a good time in Fort Lauderdale and would be happy to return. Next time I would probably want a car and certainly my golf clubs...

Well, time to pack-up and blow this pop stand. I have to check-out by 11:30 AM...not sure what I'll do 'til boarding time. Go sit at the terminal I guess...

Next Post: Dateline the M/S Zuiderdam at sea...