Life’s a Beach

I am a sucker for an airport gift shop. What better way to fill the yawning hours pre-flight after disrobing in front of hundreds of strangers and emerging disheveled and hastily dressed on the other side of a TSA security area?

An airport gift shop offers a quick look at what’s “local,” which usually involves a tasteless variety of salsas, an assortment of chocolates tinged with coconut, and the perennial T-shirt emblazoned with the convention and visitor bureau’s slogan of the month. If I have had a particularly memorable time in the airport’s city or region, I’m happy to put a few more dollars into the local economy and buy one of those T-shirts.

Thus, my weekend walking attire will now include a yellow T-shirt on which a neon pink palm tree appears, outlined in purple, with the words “Ft. Lauderdale” placed just above it, printed in handsome cursive. Every time I wear it, I will remember my unexpected, love-at-first sight affection for this city.

Ft. Lauderdale offers, in this gal’s mind, the ultimate combination of qualities that add up to a near-perfect urban enclave: an easily definable size; safe, walkable sidewalks; a good business-to-residential ratio of downtown structures; and plenty of independently owned shops and restaurants.

Oh, right, and there’s the beach. This city has a great beach, an honest-to-God beach, with blue-green water and soft sand–all right there at the city’s edge. It’s a wide welcoming beach I could live near, walk along, and daydream forever on. In my next life–and I don’t know when that next life will begin–I know it will include a beach chair and an umbrella and Sundays and Mondays off to dig my toes into this sand.

I love this town.

I love how everyone–from parking lot attendants to store merchants to the local beat cops–all engage you in conversation, first. Are people really that much nicer here? Or is it simply the absence of the no-eye-contact, me-first, hurry-up edge that exudes from so many in my city? Whatever it is, I am pretty sure the five-second proximity to the beach has much to do with this relaxed “Hi, how are you?” attitude.

I loved getting seated at the worst table in one of the best restaurants in town, because a group of regulars with no reservation was soon seated next to us at the “back-pocket” table. We became fast friends when the senior woman of the group asked Mr. Restaurant Gal, “How’s your entree? That’s what I’m serving at an an anniversary party I am having here.”

Which led to a long discussion with me about what she was planning for this party, and her asking if I could I help suggest a simple flower centerpiece?

“What do you think about favors?” she asked.

I told her candy was always good, and that vintage candy from the 1960s was even better. And photos? She asked. Sure, I said, place photos from all four decades, of all her family, all over the place. And don’t forget the wedding album, I added.

There were no rules of etiquette governing how to make this party her own, I assured her. Would I look at the space with her? she asked. I told her it was my pleasure, because it really was.

I loved working the work I love, for those few moments, when I was very far away from work.

I love the colorful, tight-fitting, so “Florida” attire that everyone of every age and every shape wears. I watched my city’s black-, brown-, and gray-clad pedestrians scurrying home from work today, and I laughed to myself at how they would all look dressed in every-day vivid south Florida finery.

I love the exotic cars and too-loud choppers that parade up and down the boulevard. I love the tiny hairless dogs and too-huge spotted dogs that lumber along in the heat with their buff owners.

I hate having “beach hair,” but I love the warm, sultry air that makes it so.

I love a friend’s generosity and warm welcome that gave us a reason to experience this place for 48 hours.

In my next life, I swear….


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5 responses to “Life’s a Beach”

  1. Kim Ayres Avatar

    Wistful sigh…

  2. Liquor Store Stories Avatar

    I love Florida in general, but Ft. Lauderdale is great, even by Florida’s lofty standards. If you like the beach and a friendly urban setting, it can’t be beat. St. Petersburg and Jacksonville are also very nice. I’m personally attached to Orlando, but it’s pretty far from the beach (40 miles). I don’t know why I’m complaining about that, because I now live 800 miles from the nearest beach. What was I thinking?

    Steve

  3. Brave Astronaut Avatar

    Kim stole my line . . .
    With weather turning ever better every day here in our nation’s capital, I long less for the beach. However, having grown up on Long Island, where I could be in the ocean in under half an hour, I readily admit that I wish I were closer to the beach.

    I spent several lovely days in Ormond Beach (you may know more of the larger city next door, Daytona) on business. When making my plans to go, I requested a few extra days on either side of the one day event that I was supposed to be at. Luckily, my employer had no problem with it. It was such a hardship to have to do this one thing and then swim, golf and soak up sun the rest of the time. Well we all have our crosses to bear.

    I have a friend who lives in Tampa – I should call him.

  4. FloridaDawn Avatar
    FloridaDawn

    I guess it takes the a new set of eyes to make you really appreciate what you have. I’ve lived within 10 miles of the ocean at Jacksonville Beach for 38 years–within 3 miles for the last 10. The pace is much more relaxed than in town and, because this is the south after all, there is always that great southern hospitality. Although not one for the overly floral beach designs often seen, it is great to be able to get by with wearing flip-flops for 9 months of the year.

    As I was having lunch last week, there was a large group of about 10 people of all ages that were visiting from CT. I overhead them trying to figure out how to get to the main road that takes you to our airport. They could have driven 2 miles in traffic on a commercial road (not an overly difficult route) or simply turned right instead of left when leaving the restaurant to get on a connector to take them to the main road. Hopefully, I made some small impact on their impression of Florida.

    Anyway, what I take away from this post is to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Maybe I’ll start taking my morning walks in the sand again.

  5. restaurant Gal Avatar

    A belated welcome to Liquor Store Stories and an envious welcome to FloridaDawn. Thank you for reading and taking time to share your thoughts.

    Kim and Brave Astronaut–as always, many thanks for chiming in.