Impromptu Florida Trip ... Last Chapter, Hollywood

By this time I have finally embraced our trip, but unfortunately it was now our last day. Determined to make the most of it, we got up early and headed down to the fitness center. Checkout wasn’t until noon, so we changed and headed to the pool. We were the only ones there, but our solitude was broken by the sound of a loud generator attached to some kind of power cleaner. The sound was deafening and, it goes without saying, annoying.

Hotel's Infinity Pool

I jumped in the pool, which I had to myself, and happily swam laps … but that noise, ugh. I rested at the pool’s edge and gazed out at the great expanse of ocean. It would have been heaven if it wasn’t for that relentless noise. It finally drove the two of us inside but we could hear it just as well from our room.

Ready to jump in the shower, there was a knock at the door … the door that had the ‘do not disturb’ light on. The housekeeper inquired: “Aren’t you checking out today?” “Well, yes we are … at checkout time, an hour and a half from now.”

Showered and packed up, we decided to go down to the Breeze outdoor café for a coffee prior to heading out. It was about half an hour before checkout, so we called the front desk to ask if it would be okay if we happened to run a few minutes over, "No problem.” was the reply.

Our coffee was interrupted by more rain so we headed up to gather our belongings, running right into the same housekeeper who was once again banging on our door. “Oh, I thought you had forgotten to turn off the ‘do not disturb’ light.” she said. What is with you? ... I felt like asking … it still wasn’t noon, the hotel was mostly empty, and we had checked with the front desk to make sure there wasn’t a big demand for our room. “We will be out at noon, at checkout time.” we reminded her. She waited, standing as though she had rooted herself in front of our door, while we finished up inside.

Between the annoying generator and annoying housekeeper, our last impression as we left the hotel was not a positive one. Incidents like that can ruin your experience, guaranteeing that you won’t return or recommend the hotel to others. Hopefully the new management is doing a better job.

Fort Lauderdale's River Walk

On the road again, heading south this time, we took the coastal route all the way to Fort Lauderdale. Stopping downtown, we decided to check out the Fort Lauderdale river walk area. Unfortunately, this was a good idea that somehow went wrong. Whether it was lack of funds or poor planning, the river walk looked sad and was mostly full of abandoned restaurants. Hopefully it has since been rejuvenated as it really needed it..

Moving on we arrived in Hollywood and checked into the Marriott right on the beach. We stayed there our last night due to its close proximity to the airport. The room was very strange … large with a huge empty space in the middle. The bed, which practically needed a ladder to climb into, was off in an alcove, about a mile from the other furniture in the room. One would have needed binoculars in order to see the TV. The tiny balcony provided the only clue that we were on the water, if you could find enough room to twist your body and look to the left.

Hollywood Boardwalk

Walking outside we were delighted to find a paved “boardwalk” for bikers and walkers that seemed to go on forever. To me it really wasn’t a boardwalk, not made from boards like the kind we have at home on the Maryland and Delaware shores. This reminded me of the “strand” I used to live on in Redondo Beach, CA. The strand there was also paved, was divided for both pedestrians and bikers, and went on for miles, town after town, from Torrance Beach to Santa Monica.

After a little walk, we returned and had lunch at the hotel’s restaurant right on the boardwalk, very nice. Later in the evening we returned to walk the length of the boardwalk, first north, then south. The beach was wide and beautiful and the street lamps were adorned with festive holiday lights. Walking along with the locals and tourists was a delight.

Finding somewhere for dinner proved a little difficult as most of the places along the beach were bars or served only "boardwalk-fare." We settled on a little place called Las Brisas  and were seated right on the boardwalk. The restaurant has since closed, but I am writing about it because it was a most interesting and entertaining evening.

Billed as Argentine with an Italian flair, the menu seemed more to us like Italian with an Argentine flair, but anyway …

We asked the waiter, who looked like Paul Sorvino's twin, if they had any Italian wine. The answer was: “No, we don’t have any Chianti or anything like that, if that’s what you mean.” Okay. When asked if the egg battered fish was heavy, the answer was: “No, I don’t think it’s heavy, but that’s me, you might think it is.” Okay.

Hollywood Boardwalk at Night

We ordered and were thoroughly enjoying sitting right on the beach when it started to rain. It was light and we didn’t think it would last long, so when they offered to move us inside we declined and said we would just push in under the building’s overhang. They helped to push our table back, which made it a bit wobbly. Suddenly a young man, who had been walking the boardwalk with his girlfriend, came up and said: “That table is unstable.” He ran inside to get something to fix it. In a flash he reappeared, fixed the table and continued on his way.

Okay …that was weird. When the waiter returned, we asked: “Who the heck was that?” He replied: “I thought you might be wondering about him. He works here but it’s his day off and he just happened by.” Okay.

Another staff member appeared and told us: “You know with most people, the minute there’s a drop of rain they run inside whining. But you guys didn’t let it bother you.” He then began to tell us his life's story, and his dreams for the future. Okay. When he finally left, we asked our waiter if the guy was the owner or manager, "No, he is just another waiter." was the reply. Okay, why was he spending all that time talking to us?

We finished our meal all the while enjoying the view, the people watching and the craziness of the restaurant. We ordered an additional glass of wine for dessert. A couple came up, the woman wanted to sit outside but her date didn’t, saying it was too windy. We told him it was nice out there, but the mysterious waiter from earlier appeared and said: “Don’t listen to them, they’ve been here all day and they’re drunk.” Okay, it’s 9:00, we’ve been there about an hour, we are enjoying our second glass of wine, and are certainly not drunk.

Such a crazy dinner, and a great way to end our trip to the not so sunny “sunshine” state.