February 24-25, 2009: Driving Home to Dallas
	February 12, 2009: Touring St. Augustine
	Return to the Index for Our Florida Trip

We've come down to Fort Lauderdale so many times that there are getting fewer and fewer new things to see, and consequently fewer and fewer new pictures to add to my album. For this trip, I'll just create a section for each day on which we took some pictures, and only then if the pictures are some that are new and different.

February 14: At the Condo; At Ron and Jay's

Today is a lazy day. As usual, we hung around the condo in the morning, surfing the Web and just relaxing. Today was Valentine's Day, and along about noontime we saw a boat come by that we hadn't seen before- a Venetian gondola. Apparently, it's just for today. Fred took a couple of pictures of it and a catamaran that came by about the same time, and you can see these pictures if you click on the thumbnail images at left.

This evening we've been invited out to Ron and Jay's for dinner. Brad is in town to visit his friend Todd, a former AA pilot, and they were invited also. As usual, Jay put a wonderful dinner together. Ron Drew hadn't seen Brad in a while, so there was some catching up to do there. We took a few pictures of various groupings of the six of us; you can see them if you click on the thumbnail images at right.

February 19: Riverwalk Lunch; Afternoon Walk

As usual this morning, we've laid around the condo until past noon, when we finally decided we should go out and get some lunch. We are going to walk up the Riverwalk to the Briny Irish Pub where we like to eat.

Above, on the aerial view of the part of Fort Lauderdale along the New River between the condo and Riverfront Center, you can see the route we took to lunch and back. This walk along the river is one that we take frequently as there is always lots to look at. On the way to the Briny Irish Pub, we took quite a few pictures, but we'll only include some of them here. Click on the thumbnail images below to see the full-size pictures:

We got to the Briny Irish Pub about one-thirty, found a table and ordered lunch. The Briny Pub is that place that has the incredible display of all things nautical- including the fake shark hanging out front that you can see in the picture at left. Most of the nautical items are all over the ceiling, but many are hanging out front. Click on the three thumbnail images below to take a look at some of these items:

At the Briny Irish Pub While Fred and I were waiting for our lunch, I made a movie of the pub and its surroundings.

When we were done with lunch, we wandered around the Riverfront Center for a while, and then headed back down the Riverwalk towards the condo. On the way, we took a number of good pictures, including the one of Fred and one of the beautiful yachts that are moored along the river. If you click on the thumbnail images below, you can see some more of these pictures:

As we turned at the south end of the Riverwalk to head back over to Las Olas, we had a beautiful view downriver past the Riverside Hotel and in the direction of the condo. From there, we go a block north to Las Olas and then turn right, passing in front of the place where the Hyde Park Market used to be. Since it was torn down, years ago, there has been a sales office for a proposed condo tower called the Icon Las Olas. I think that the tear down and proposal have occurred at just the wrong time in the Florida real estate market; it is so overheated and has declined so badly that many buildings are much less than fully sold or rented. In the past couple of years no one has seen any evidence that this tower will actually be built.

As we walked down Las Olas just enjoying the afternoon, Fred stopped in front of a gallery to take a picture, but got intrigued with the reflections in the glass. He made a number of attempts to get something artistic, and ended up with a good result that you can see here. A block east of the Riverside Hotel we turned south to 4th street and found that the entire block east of the hotel was being demolished. The facades of the buildings were still there, but everything behind them was being torn down. Ron Drew had told us that the hotel had purchased the rest of the block on which it stands, and was planning to expand, and I guess this is the first step in that process. In any event, I thought I would record the demolition process so that on future trips down here, I can take additional pictures to show how this part of Las Olas is changing. From 1989 until now, Las Olas has not changed much at all. Only one new building has been built east of the tunnel, although stores have gone in and out of existing spaces. The addition to the Riverside Hotel, which also housed The Cheesecake Factory, was the last major change, and that was five or six years ago. It will be interesting to see how this change evolves.

February 23: Our Last Evening in Fort Lauderdale

Well, tomorrow we will be starting out for home, and so we've taken this opportunity to have a final frozen drink down at the dock as the sun goes down, and before we head out to Ron and Jay's to see them for the last time this trip. So the last three pictures from Fort Lauderdale this trip are sunset at the New River and Fred and I with our frozen drinks. You can click on the three thumbnail images below to have a look at these pictures:

You can use the links below to continue to another album page.

	February 24-25, 2009: Driving Home to Dallas
	February 12, 2009: Touring St. Augustine
	Return to the Index for Our Florida Trip