A Saturday Afternoon On The Riverwalk

Yesterday afternoon my sister Susan and I drove down to Fort Lauderdale and took a walk along the Riverwalk, which runs along the New River in the heart of the city and seen in the photograph on the left. This is a really beautiful place, although a lot of the trees and landscaping seem to have been removed, which I later learned was done to improve pedestrian flow and make more room for outdoor dining. However, you can still look at all the yachts, both docked and cruising down the river, and do a lot of peoplewatching, too. This area is filled with high-rise condo buildings, apartments, and upscale restaurants and shops, but there are still many historic buildings along the pathway, too. A while back, Susan and I stopped at a restaurant called Salt, which had an outdoor bar and patio right off the Riverwalk. They had great happy hour prices, and you could sit on a sofa or at a table and watch the people and boats as they passed you by. It was later closed down and evicted from its space for not paying its employees, which explains how the happy hour prices were so good. The space was still vacant when we passed by on Saturday. 

Years ago, there was an outdoor shopping mall called Los Olas Riverfront on the Riverwalk, which was very popular. It had a lot of upscale shops and restaurants, including Cafe Tu Tu Tango, where Susan, my mother Mary, and I once had lunch. I remember Susan liked the restaurant's napkins so much she swiped a couple of packages of them on the way out. My mother and I kept a bit of distance as we left, in case Susan was arrested, which would allow us to deny knowing her, but nobody chased after us and we continued our stroll along the river. When the big recession hit in 2007, many of the shops and restaurants closed and the mall was taken over by the homeless for a while. 

Las Olas Riverfront was eventually torn down and replaced with a couple of high-rise apartments buildings, as well as a The Wharf Fort Lauderdale, which according to its website has "foodie-friendly popups" from "Fort Lauderdale's most sought-after chefs" and an "open-air setting designed for socializing, music, and entertainment." They also boast about their "stunning riverfront views." Susan and I stopped in there a year or so ago, and the music was deafening. Also, the place is surrounded by a fence with plants along the top which blocks any view of the river whatsoever. So much for the stunning view. Best to stick to a brisk walk along the river and if you want to stop somewhere for a drink, make sure it is a place where you can see the damn river, such as Pirate Republic, seen in the photograph on the left. It is across the river and would involve figuring out how the hell to get there, but it looks very nice.