May 3-26, 2023: A Trip to Fort Lauderdale
	January 17 - February 14, 2023: Moving Into the Ecuador House
	Return to the Index for 2023

We returned from Ecuador early in the morning of February 15th, and were going to spend another week here before heading home. We didn't take all that many pictures in these few days. The ones we did take were on the 19th- one set along the Riverwalk and another set at the site of the new Deck Park above the Kinney Tunnel.

Along the Riverwalk

We have walked along the Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk more times than I can count, and you may well have seen a good many pictures taken along it on previous pages for previous trips to Fort Lauderdale (including our two weeks here before leaving for Ecuador. In case you haven't become familiar with it, here is an aerial view of the current Riverwalk:

Let's take a look at today's pictures from the Riverwalk.

Near the 3rd Avenue Bridge, this is the relatively new Alluvion.

Looking back towards the Laura Ward Park, this is the Las Olas Grand

To get to the beginning of the Riverwalk from the condo, we have to walk a block or so west along SE 4th Street to come to the entrance to the Boatyard Restaurant, which is part of the Riverside Hotel complex. Beginning there, we can walk a hundred feet through their garden to a gate that brings us to the Laura Ward Park atop the Kinney Tunnel. Just through that gate, the is the view of the Riverwalk ahead of us:

On this side of the river, from near to far, are the Laura Wark Park, Stranahan House, the Icon Las Olas, the Las Olas Grand, and the Water Garden. On the other side of the river is the large Nu River Landing complex.

From the walkway in front of the Stranahan House, this view looks south across the river. The Rio Vista community is to the left, and the Nu River Landing complex is to the right.

This is the new Alluvion.

Across the river are two new high-rises.

The Riverwalk has been amazingly well-done. It is always pleasant for us to walk along, and it attracts a huge number of other pedestrians, both locals and tourists. As you can see, there are boat slips along both sides of the river; these are maintained and rented by the city of Fort Lauderdale. They are very expensive to rent, but obviously there is no shortage of wealthy boat owners.

On the south side of the New River are the new Regatta at New River and the Harbour at New River (still under construction).

The Riverwalk comes to an end at the Broward Performing Arts Center (right) and the Symphony Condominiums (left).

We continued walking towards the end of the Riverwalk, and near Old Fort Lauderdale we could look across the river and see both the Regatta and Harbour at New River. In that picture, that is the FEC Railway bridge across the New River. It only comes down when necessary to allow a freight train or the Brightline to cross.

From a point right where the Riverwalk bends around the curve in the New River, I stopped to take a panoramic picture. The Regatta/Harbour are at left, the Esplanade on New River in the center, and the Symphony at right:

We always enjoy walking along the Riverwalk, and it is something we do frequently.

Progress on Tunnel Top Plaza

Construction of Tunnel Top Plaza began in late 2021, and will be finished early next year (2024). Long an eyesore, the plaza will extend from Laura Ward Park on the river to a new raised deck being built over the entry to the Kinney Tunnel. Gone will be the ugly wall that kept Las Olas pedestrians from tossing garbage down into the tunnel entry, replaced by a 2000-square-foot plaza with seating, artifical turf, and a performance stage.

Before we look at the pictures we took on this visit of the work being done on Tunnel Top Plaza, I want to try to show you what the finished product is supposed to be like.

At left is an image from the website for the new Veneto Las Olas, a 50-storey highrise which will be the tallest in town (for a while) when it tops out later this year. This picture may be real; it is hard to tell. If it is, it must have been taken a year from now, when Tunnel Top Plaza is supposed to be finished.

If it is real, it was taken from a drone or helicopter a few blocks north of Broward Boulevard and along US 1. I've marked the Riverside Hotel, the Veneto Las Olas, the Laura Ward Park, and Tunnel Top Plaza. I've also marked the Rio Vista area which lies just across the New River from Riverview Gardens.

This image will give you a good idea of what the finished product is going to look like. I am sure that on our first or second visit here next year I'll be able to show you my own photos of the finished project.

Anyway, with little comment, here are the pictures we took this week looking around the site of Tunnel Top Plaza and at the new Veneto Las Olas going up:

(Click on Thumbnails to View)

The Trip Home

We left Fort Lauderdale on the 21st, after being gone for seven weeks. The trip itself was uneventful and, as usual, were heading towards the Florida State Line about 5PM. At this time of year, that's sunset, and we were treated to a very nice one just past Pensacola.

As usual, we stayed in Lafayette for the night and were home the next afternoon. As always, it will be great when we finally get transporter technology, but for now driving will have to do.

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

	May 3-26, 2023: A Trip to Fort Lauderdale
	January 17 - February 14, 2023: Moving Into the Ecuador House
	Return to the Index for 2023