So time to update/revise this old post ,that I did with pictures from my last trip there in 2015. I never lived here but worked and lived in cities around them. This was a nostalgic trip and it has turn out as the last time was in the USA back in 2015, and to a memorable city as well. Therefore, let me tell you my take on this is Fort Lauderdale !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Times flies, this was my last stronghold in the USA before leaving permanently to France in 2003. I had not been back there since with the family in 2009, and now2015, had 3 great days in the area. This is the South Florida area where I still have lots of family there!
I was lucky to have on my way back from Mexico the company ok to attend a finance conference in Fort Lauderdale arriving at Miami airport on American Airlines. Afterward ,I was taken to my conference hotel at Fort Lauderdale, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel; right off the ocean drive and very near Las Olas blvd chic area. This was heavens of course, and this time at no cost! Sublime and I fully enjoyed walking my old area all over. OF course, the hotel was top luxury, the room well the apartment as it was two rooms with living room and bedroom, TV in both in addition to a smaller one in the bathroom. There had bathtub and shower and lavs for two. The wonderful beachside restaurant was wonderful too. A great place ,location, and friendly prompt service. Memories forever. Recommended, my family back in France were jealous! Hotel webpage: https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/florida/fort-lauderdale
The evening had the chance to eat dinner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel overlooking the ocean and Fort Lauderdale beach , nice oysters, shrimps, and cocktails mojitos was wonderful right at the bar with a friendly bartender. Needless to say went to bed very late into the morning hours lol!!!
Once the Finance conference was over, we were invited for dinner as part of it, to the wonderful Brazilian charrusqueria Chima’s right on Las Olas blvd and about 15 minutes walking back to the hotel which me and a group of warriors found out. Chima’s has a wonderful front terrace to mingle and drink, and then great laidout indoor tables for the feast of bringing those different cuts of meats charrusqueria style (call here steakhouse) all night long with wonderful glasses of red wines. Good company and pleasant evening afterward on the way back and at the hotel bar ::) Webpage: https://www.chimasteakhouse.com/
Finally ,my cousin depositing me at Miami airport for the trip back home. A nice nostalgic if short trip to what was once call home ::) At Miami before the flight home…. had some snacks at La Pausa in concourse J Mia for a mahi mahi sandwich fries and a glass of California Hogue cellars red wine. A nice send offs indeed. More on the resto here: https://www.shopmiamiairport.com/directory/la-pausa-south-terminal-h-terminal-j-connector/
The flight back was my first ever ,believe or not, delayed in an airport, happening after a heigthening of security tension for the atrocious terrorist acts in Paris, they found two bags checked-in but no passenger so the plane was asked to return to gate!! wait and wait finally departed to Paris. There, as was getting ready to board my last flight to Nantes, once already in the passerelle to the plane we were asked to return back inside as they was a fuel leak on the plane, wait wait, finally took off. Arrive home five hours late missed my twins birthday outing and needed to catch up next day lol! Now ready for another long journey tomorrow to Brazil!!!
And why not give you a glimpse of a city very dear to me as lived closer to it than Miami. This is Fort Lauderdale. The City of Fort Lauderdale sits along the eastern coast of Florida known for its beaches and boating canals. It is the site of Broward county, The city stretches along the coast for approximately 11 km and across the coastal marshlands west of the Intracoastal Waterway for nearly 8 km. It is located 31 miles from Miami, 47 miles from West Palm Beach, 189 miles from Key West and 28 miles from home at Miramar along the I75 expressway north to right lane I595 Fort Lauderdale East then bear right onto exit 10A on I95 dir West Palm Beach then again bear right onto the SR842 Broward Blvd downtown then right again on Davie Blvd ,then left turn on SE 3rd Avenue go over the SE 3rd Avenue Bridge over the New river and bear right onto Las Olas Blvd and the beach. The city runs mostly along the Interstate 95 and its connectors such as Interstate 595 as well as U.S. Route 1 which runs through the city from north to south. All glorious roads taken for many years !!!
Things to see here is defintively to go to Las Olas strip , a promenade bordering Route A1A and the ocean, featuring upscale outdoor restaurants, bars, shops, and luxury hotels. Other attractions include the International Swimming Hall of Fame with pools and a museum of memorabilia,and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, which offers trails and a lagoon.The hub of cultural activity is located in the western part of downtown/city center, extending from Las Olas Boulevard. This area includes the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA), a complex with two performance venues, and the Museum of Discovery and Science; further east lies the Museum of Art, which hosts major traveling exhibitions. Also along the New River stands the Stranahan House, the original trading post that gave rise to the city. Near the beach is the Bonnet House, a 15-hectare estate formerly owned by society painter Frederic Clay Bartlett; it is particularly prized for its grounds, which preserve vegetation native to South Florida. The Stonewall National Museum & Archives houses a collection comprising over 20,000 books, 1,000 DVDs, 60 periodical titles, and 5,000 artifacts related to LGBT history and culture.
A bit of condense history I like tell us that the area was originally inhabited by the Tequesta indians, who lived there for a thousand years before Spanish explorers surveyed the region in the mid-16C. Interactions with these explorers, combined with numerous conflicts with their southern neighbors, the Calusa led to the Tequesta’s decline, and they vanished within less than 200 years. By the time Florida came briefly under British control in 1763 following the Treaty of Paris, only a very small number remained, and they were deported to Cuba. The U.S. government subsequently established a series of forts; the first was built in 1838 near what is now downtown/city center Fort Lauderdale on the New River by a detachment of 50 soldiers under the command of Major William Lauderdale, who gave the city its name. The forts were abandoned in 1842 at the end of hostilities, and the area remained virtually uninhabited until the late 19C. When the United States entered WWII in 1942, Fort Lauderdale became a training center for U.S. Naval Aviation personnel and a major U.S. Coast Guard base.
The City of Fort Lauderdale on its heritage : https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Explore-FTL
The Fort Lauderdale tourist office : https://www.visitlauderdale.com/
The Florida State tourist office on Fort Lauderdale : https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/southeast/fort-lauderdale/
The French in America on Fort Lauderdale : https://frenchdistrict.com/floride/articles/journee-fort-lauderdale-visites/
And our association French American while living in Florida, Miami Accueil : https://miami-accueil.org/
Hope you enjoy the short trip ,for me a memorable spot always will be. I am thankful of all my previous experiences no matter what, it always enrich your mind and soul! Again,hope you enjoy this post on this is Fort Lauderdale !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 