It Is Finally Time To Leave The Storm-Tossed Seas Of Florida, And The Heat, Behind!

It has been a pleasant late winter and early spring here in Stuart, Florida, and my sister Susan and I have enjoyed our time here, but it is finally time to head back to Denver. Places to be, appointments to keep, festivals to attend, the list goes on. It is starting to get hot down here in South Florida, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and we hope to come back down here in mid-summer, when we will at last be able to finally find a parking space and a table on the patio at the Sailors Return Restaurant at Stuart's Sunset Bay Marina. No problem about the heat and humidity on that patio. They have fans. The snowbirds will be only a distant memory. And by the way, I took the photograph above up in Vero Beach, Florida, on a particularly windy day. And I must say, virtually the entire time we were down here, rain or shine, the winds along the ocean have been very strong. The red flags at the lifeguard stations seemed to be up most of the time, and many of beaches have been dealing with serious erosion. If that keeps up and those beaches are not restored, that could play havoc with the tourist season. But on the other hand, that would finally take care of that damn snowbird problem. Just sayin'.

Visiting The Jones' Pier Conservation Area

There was a story on one of the television news programs here in South Florida about the dedication of the Jones' Pier Conservation Area along the Indian River, a 16.5-acre site on Orchid Island. This park is part of the original 160-acre tract settled by the Jones family back in 1889 and located just north of Vero Beach, Florida. The family farmed citrus, and in 1907 built Jones Pier, which was one of the first maritime commerce businesses in the county, and seen in the photograph on the left. At that time, there were no bridges to the mainland, and this bridge was vital to the farmers on the island who needed to get their product to market.

This is a pleasant park, and consists of the pier, a fruit stand, seen in the photograph on the right, and a bungalow, built in the late 1920s and the original residence of the Jones family. The bungalow is now a museum, but is only open certain days and hours, and was closed when I was there. I got information about the place from a plaque attached to a post on the pier. What I want to know, and would have asked if the museum had been open, is if the family homesteaded there in 1889, and the bungalow, built in the late 1920s, was their original residence, where did they live between 1889 and the late 20s? In a tent? In a boat tied up along the pier? The local Motel 6? Questions, questions, but no answers. At least until my next visit. 

Cruising Las Olas Boulevard

After taking a stroll along the Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this past Saturday afternoon, my sister Susan and I decided to cruise down Las Olas Boulevard, that city's main drag, on the way home. It starts out as a high-end shopping district, with many restaurants, bars, and shops, as seen in the photograph on the left. And I must say, the trees in the median lend a nice touch to the atmosphere. It was just after 5:00, and so a lot of people were heading into that district for a bit of Saturday night fun. We were headed east toward the ocean, and the traffic coming towards us from that direction was bumper to bumper. I was very glad I was going the other way and resolved find a different way back to the freeway when we headed home to Stuart. Once you leave the business district, you cross a series of yacht-filled canals, along which are condos, apartments, and very large homes. Eventually you cross the Intercoastal Waterway, and Las Olas ends at Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, which parallels - wait for it - Fort Lauderdale Beach.

On the northwest corner of this intersection stands the Elbo Room, a legendary bar and local landmark, and seen in the photograph on the right. Fort Lauderdale was the birthplace of spring break, beginning back in the mid-1930s. It all began with college swim teams looking for a warm place to train and evolved into the spring break tradition we know today. Fort Lauderdale became the epicenter of this college gathering, and the crowds only increased after the release of the 1960 film, Where the Boys Are. The Elbo Room, which was established in 1938, was featured in this film, and instantly became ground zero for partying students. The peak of spring break in Fort Lauderdale came in 1985, when 350,000 college students showed up. After that, city fathers decided enough was enough, instituted stricter laws, including banning alcohol on the beach, and made it very clear that students were no longer welcome. But as you can see from the photo, the Elbo Room is still very popular and was the site of the Florida Panthers' celebration the night of their 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup championships.

This is one busy intersection. There is always a long line to turn in either direction on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, and once you turn you can see the crowds walking past the shops and bars, not to mention the throngs across the street on the beach. I wouldn't even attempt to find a parking spot around here, especially on a Saturday night. I simply kept driving north, leaving the crowds and traffic behind until I saw a sign pointing the way to I-95, and headed that way. And so, in case you were worried that the end of spring break in Fort Lauderdale led to its demise, relax. Thanks to the pandemic, huge numbers of people moved to Florida to avoid strict Covid regulations and to work from home in a much more pleasant environment, now making Florida the 3rd largest state in the union. And they all seem to descend on the intersection of Las Olas and Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard every Saturday night.

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.

Holy Cow! The White Sox Are On A Roll!

I watched my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, play the Washington Nationals last night, and it is beginning to look like the Sox are turning into a pretty good baseball team. Although they do have some budding stars on the team, such as shortstop Colson Montgomery, first baseman Munetaka Murakami ("the Japanese Babe Ruth"), and closer Seranthony Dominguez, most of their players are pretty young. But you can tell that the team wants to win, and hustles on every play. After a slow start, they are beginning to win games. Last night, after to returning Rate Field after a 4 and 2 road trip, they came from behind twice to beat the Nationals 5-4. And it was a very exciting game. For the first time in a long time watching the White Sox play, I was on the edge of my seat over the final 3 innings.

White Sox television announcers Steve Stone, on the left in the photograph on the right, and John Schriffen, on the right, were very enthusiastic about the way the team has been playing. In the photograph, Schriffen had just put on a pullover shirt that will be given out at today's game, and it was just after that the Sox rallied twice to win the game. Which means that now he can't take it off during the entire home stand to avoid jinxing the team. And if they keep playing well, perhaps the entire season. A small sacrifice to see the White Sox in the playoffs again. Meanwhile, their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, are currently tied for 1st place with the Cincinnati Reds, although I am still convinced they will choke by the end of the season. As for my adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they are only one game worse than the White Sox, and both clubs are 5 and 5 over the last 10 games. Most surprisingly of all, there are currently 6 teams with worse records than either the White Sox or the Rockies. The world turned upside down.

Round Island Park: A Pretty Spot With A Lot Of History

I recently read an online article about Round Island Park, located on North Hutchinson Island about 8 miles south of downtown Vero Beach, Florida, and decided to check it out in person. This park has two parts, Round Island Riverside Park, which borders the Indian River and is where the actual island is located, as seen in the photograph on the left, and Round Island Oceanside Park, which is directly across the street along the Atlantic. What made me want to visit was that the article mentioned the river side of the park was teeming with manatees and dolphins. I think they mentioned unicorns, too, but I could be mistaken about that. In any case, the area is very pretty, with a number of people out on kayaks or on the boardwalk fishing, but the only wildlife I saw was a single crab attached to one of the boardwalks pilings. No surprise there.

I headed over to the ocean side next, and it is indeed a very nice and uncrowded beach, as seen in the photograph on the right. But what really got my attention was a sign about its history during World War II. This beach was the site of amphibious training connected to the former Fort Pierce Amphibious Training Base. Just to the south, closer to Fort Pierce, is the National Navy SEAL Museum, located on the former training grounds of the original Navy combat divers, the Frogmen. What was especially poignant was the plaque that said a U.S. tanker, the Java Arrow, was torpedoed 8 miles off the coast from this park by a German submarine, the U-333 back on May 5th, 1942. Two sailors were killed and the rest were rescued by 3 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers in a 30-foot fishing boat. The survivors were taken to the Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station. That same night the U-333 sunk 2 more ships, the Amazone and the Halsey, off the coast of Fort Pierce. I have never given much thought before to how close that war came to the shores of our country. Very scary times indeed. Definitely makes you stop and think.

A Murky Mystery In The Closing Of The Jensen Beach Mulligan's

Mulligan's Beach House Bar and Grill in Jensen Beach closed on April 5th after 23 years in business. The restaurant, at the corner of Jensen Beach Boulevard and Indian River Drive, directly across from the Indian River, always seemed to be the center of the action in downtown Jensen Beach, and it is sad to see it go. The owner, George Hart, said that business was great, but the high cost of rent drove him out. Hart's landlord has pointed out that Hart originally owned that building in Jensen Beach where Mulligan's was located, and when he sold it, he wrote the 10-year lease for $40,000 per month himself. When asked about this, Hart said he didn't want to talk about it anymore. There were originally eight Mulligan's throughout the area, but only two now remain open, in Sebastian and Vero Beach. The Vero Beach location is where I took the above photograph. That particular Mulligan's is right on the ocean, with an outdoor patio with wonderful views of the sea. I sure hope they don't close that one down. In any case, there has been speculation that Hart is downsizing in preparation for retirement, which might explain closing the Jensen Beach location due to the high rent that he himself wrote into the lease. And by the way, the Mulligan's in Jensen Beach was a key organizer of the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in that city. Hopefully, another restaurant will take the space over and carry on that tradition. Otherwise, next St. Patrick's Day, instead of a parade and street party, we might be seeing Irishmen sitting despondently along the curbs crying into their beer. Talk about depressing.