Where were you 22 Years Ago on 9/11?

It appears that "Season" is upon us, so consider this a Service Advisory from your friendly Fort Lauderdale Residence.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed below are solely those of the author.  They should not be associated with any other Fort Lauderdale or South Florida resident.  That said if these pointers seem appropriate, and applicable to you they probably are.  If they seem inappropriate and not applicable (want to bet) then please take them in the humor they were intended.

For those of you, who comment on the lack of seasons in South Florida as a reason not to live here that is not true.  We do have seasons here, and they seem to parallel your own.  You in the north call it winter: We call it snowbird season.  You look for an early spring getaway: We call that cruise ship season.  You call it summer: We call it summer.  The scientists aren't sure but our seasons appear to parallel yours and seem to start depending on your own impending weather.  Those seasons of winter that get cold early, tend to have that early arrival of the snowbirds and tourists.

Since many of you may never have visited here before. (At least it appears that way watching you.) I thought I would share that South Florida is really a collection of cities dominated by Miami, Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.  Yes there are the Keys, but that requires a separate blog article and can be written more appropriately by a local resident.  And yes, Matilda, I have lumped West Palm Beach and Boca together into the Palm Beaches and please forgive me.  And for many on the west coast, South Florida is the southernmost part of the continental US and yes we tend to keep our warm climate through much of the winter.

In addition, snowbird / tourist season, can be broken down into different time frames and as a fair service to all who visit South Florida I thought I would share.  There is Thanksgiving and Christmas season which tends to open to the early snowbird arrival, and those of you who do not want to celebrate said holidays at home with your own family and friends or are visiting from across the pond.  This tends to be followed by bowl season, which has people arriving from all over the country who seem to be in amazement that South Florida exists beyond the football stadiums.  Then post New Year’s day that is full blown tourist season welcoming many of you for boat shows, cruises, and beach time.   Honestly, 15 years ago there was not as many visitors off season but we tend to stay pretty popular year around these days but this is for the main winter season.

The following pointers are centered on Fort Lauderdale and its little gay community Wilton Manors.  I will leave it up to the residences of the other communities to validate or add based on your personal adventures:

1) First and foremost, many of us live and work here year around.  There are over 1.8 million people in Broward County (where Fort Lauderdale is) and almost 6 million people living in South Florida and most of us enjoy it.  (There are a few curmudgeons who mention the missing of northern climates, or missing California.).  So, please remember we love tourists.  Because of your arrival we don't have state income tax, and we appreciate your smiling and friendly faces.  You happen to also put a nice lense on the reasons we live here, because as we live our day to day lives we tend to forget as you do from your hometown.  So, please enjoy our community but remember we are living and working here and unless in the service industry not part of the local tourist bureau for your service.

2) If you want to understand some of the reasons we live Fort Lauderdale, take a water taxi and see why this is called the Venice of Florida and you can see the wonderment of Fort Lauderdale.  I say this, because it is slightly irritating for the following behavior of tourists who believe if they have visited South Beach they know what Fort Lauderdale is like and ask how often you go to Miami, Boca or West Palm Beach and appear to be quite surprised that we enjoy Fort Lauderdale.



3) There are good restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, they just don't tend to be dominated by a bar in them.

4) For those of you from San Francisco, New York, Provincetown or other gay communities.  It might come as a surprise, since the gay travel magazines don't seem to separate us out, but Fort Lauderdale and in particular Wilton Manors is a gay oasis of its own and more so these days than many other places including South Beach and Key West, so I think it fair to answer a few appropriate questions:

a) Yes there is a gay bar for _________  (Bears, leather, twinks, dancing, eating, seeing, breathing).
b) There are too many Thai and Sushi restaurants on the drive (AKA Wilton Drive) and not sure why.
c) It is pretty much like this year around.  We don't roll out the rainbow carpet just for your arrival.
d) No, we locals don't tend to tour all the guest houses, so we don't really know which is the nicest one, the quietest, cleanest, or most likely to spontaneously break out in a party.
e) For you of the straight persuasion it is ok for PDA's in public in all locations.  We may be gay, but our community is quite straight friendly.
f) Oh and if you are here for a gay cruise, gay rodeo, or gay weekend tell me.. I mostly have missed that in the rags and would like to know what to expect or what I may be missing out on.

5) For you tourists, who compared to snowbirds are only here for a short while (generally a week or less), I think there maybe a few pointers you may feel valuable:
a) Please as you pack your clothes pack your common sense as well.  (AKA please look both ways when crossing the street, and drunken behavior at the beach is normal but typically not in morning hours).
b) We are glad you are here, but most of us aren't part of the welcoming committee.  However, we are happy to give pointers and recommendations.
c) Sort of fits in with the gay guest house comment above but I think it should be noted that (at least for me) I do not know:

• What are the nicest hotels at the beach? (I live here not staying in them.).
• I am not aware of which cruise ships are the best, nor the best tricks to getting your own liquor on the boats. (Sorry not been on a cruise.)
• You might consider getting off the beach and seeing more than the ocean.  (Although I personally understand why you may choose not to venture inland too far.).
• Yes, it is terribly hot and humid in the summer.  (We tell you that any way.)
•  I do not know where there are good real estate deals left.  Frankly, I think they are gone and the market is a little off at the moment.  But, I can recommend a friendly realtor (Dale Palmer) who would be happy to try and find you a valued property.
• Most of us have come from elsewhere, and we do not miss where we came from. 
• Sorry to say, no I don't know where to get a good bagel here.  

d) If you brought inline skates and choose to use them at the beach on the sidewalk, um... there is a special place for you called the bike lane.

6) For Snowbirds, this may be a shocking section for you.  Snowbirds, fly down between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and tend to stay till early spring.   You may be shocked to hear some of the below from a year around resident (Who was for many years a snowbird so a little bit embarrassed at times):

• We have not been waiting 8 months for your arrival.  We have been living our lives, enjoying it here, and frankly wondering about why the parking lots are all of a sudden more crowded.
• If we don't jump for joy on your arrival, it is because you will leave any way so we may enjoy your company but expecting a long deep friendship for 3 or 4 months is not likely.
• You may think that having this be your second residence makes you more interesting or intelligent than the local community. (Are you really sure about that?)
• If your second home here is a condo, starting a phrase with you know we are in " ___" for 8 months would you mind checking on our place, starting our car occasionally, or let us know if there is anything unusual going on is really not a considerate idea.  Please consider what to do with your own car (covering it may seem wise but we have to look at that for 8 months!), please don't leave your crap on the balcony when you leave, be considerate when you arrive and do not make unusual noises or obnoxious parties as this is our home and we think yours as well. Lastly, remember this is not only your get away but an investment and real estate.  Meaning, don't expect to care less, pay less, or spend less energy protecting your investment here as compared to your main home in Iowa.

This is mostly meant in jest.  I do frankly love living here year around, and do look forward to the parade of visitors, and truly do love watching your eyes at the morning sunrise or the awe looking at all the yachts and lovely waterways in a place I get to call home.

Whether you are here for a cruise which means you typically have a night here and may wonder why you are getting on a boat; visiting here for a bowl game in amazement of what is around here even outside of tailgating or the game, or have typically found your way to the palm beaches or South Beach and may be in amazement that Fort Lauderdale really is a unique oasis in South Florida I am glad you are here.  I wake up every morning with a sunrise over the beach, and a sunset outside my window and feel quite grateful for my life and am happy you can enjoy.