Hollywood, Here We Come

Many years ago, Gary and I were down this way and we drove through Hollywood, Florida.  We may have been with his cousin George Fisher (we gave Elliott his middle name of Fisher to honor this wonderful man).   I loved the feel of the place and enjoyed the seemingly slower pace of life there.  Walking by some of the smaller hotels, you would see older folks playing cards and laughing.  Kids were playing in the surf while their parents sunbathed or slept. 

We got up early and got under way at about 4:30 and slid nicely under the bridge; no boom ballast for me or Elliott.  Yay!

Moving slowly through the water, we worked our way around Peanut Island and headed for the inlet.  Very little traffic to contend with, which we were thankful for since it was dark.  It was another great sail down to the Port Everglades inlet.  We had a fairly narrow canal to contend with, so boat traffic there was trying.  It seems quite a few boaters cannot read the signs that say, "No Wake, Manatee Zone."  Really annoying.

We passed bars and hotels and condos and some really cool boats anchored to sea walls. 

Gary made arrangements with a dock affiliated with the Diplomat Resort and Spa for us to spend a few nights as a holiday treat.  When we saw the slip we were supposed to slide into, we got a little nervous.  Looked a little less wide than we'd need, but with us all working lines all over the boat, we made it in stern first (the hardest way to dock a boat in any circumstance).  We tied up regularly and then were hit by one of the stupid boaters' waves and realized we'd need a lot more lines to stay safely put. 

The dockmaster had left a key for us in the electric box, so we checked out our surroundings.  The hotels was crazy awesome and the pools were beautiful and two levels.  There was also a hot tub I hoped to employ at some point.  The beach was gorgeous as the light began to dim.  We hopped a trolley to visit one of the bars we had passed along the way; Le Tub Saloon.  They are supposed to renowned for their burgers, but what we loved most about them was the ambiance.  Supposedly built of flotsam and jetsam (and looking like it, too), it was probably the most unique place we'd visited yet for dinner.  It was a bit of a wait as the people on holiday poured in through the doors at an alarming rate.  We got a table right by the water we had just motored by in.

Next morning, we met Chuck, our dockmaster.  He is one of the nicest people we'd met; I loved that he had a bright orange whistle, which he used a lot to call to the speeding boaters on the ICW.  He complimented us on our tying up job and said he could tell we knew what we were doing--a nod to Captain Gary, for sure. 

We departed for a walking tour of the downtown area.  A glass-blowing center caught our eye; as we were looking in the gate, a guy came to the door and asked us if we were scheduled for the next class.  I swear to God he sounded just like Javier Bardem.  We loved the park as it had a really fun play area.  Had a few homeless living there, but we were not bothered as we played.  I photo stalked a white heron as it stalked a lizard.

We hit the grocery store before hopping the trolley back to the boat because we were having guests in the later afternoon and we wanted some little nibbles for the time they were on the boat. 

Sharon and Allen are cousins of Gary's and we had not seen them in years, so we were excited for the visit.  They brought us a nice bottle of champagne and delivered a package from the office.  One of the insurance companies we deal with, Seaworthy, is owned by Warren Buffett, so it was fabulously appropriate that we got a box of See's Candies (which Buffett also owns).  What a wonderful surprise!  I LOVE See's candy!!!  I used to get their coffee bites back in the day, but I can't find them anymore

. 

We talked for a while and then I noticed the water level going down which could make exiting the boat onto land a little tricky; everyone made it off okay, if a little shakily (myself included).

We had dinner out and then reluctantly said goodbye, as I could have spent many more hours talking with them.  If we head north again during this trip, we'll hook up with them again.

While the downtown was not too exciting on the time we had to run around, I definitely wanted to spend some time discovering the Hollywood Broadwalk (and it is BROAD, not BOARD, just the way it is).  We took a trolley the next day to the beginning of it and walked to the end, stopping for a bit of carbs to eat and, not surprisingly, met up with yet another friend from up north.  When I posted our location on FB, a friend said she was just down the way on the beach.  "Look for our big hats," she wrote.  We did and we found her and spent about an hour on the beach talking to her and her husband and her cousin. 

By the time we got back to the hotel, we all were hot and sweaty (walking on sand is hard work!), and we went for a cooling dip and a thirst-quenching Margarita.  Perfect way to end the evening.