Fort Lauderdale to Hollywood and back

Stephen Spielberg's yacht

We’re both eager to get out and about this morning, the reason, we want to explore on the water taxi. The stop is a short walk from us through the lobby of the Hilton hotel and the concierge is only too willing to sell us tickets. The yellow water taxi soon arrives and as we cruise along captain draws our attention to places of interest. Right now, he says this is where the working class live, Dave and I look at each other, that’s right he continues they’re only millionaires here not stupidly rich like further on! That’s the house Mr Wells owns (founder and owner of Wells Fargo Bank), that’s where Jane Fonda used to live, that house sold recently for $23 million, that house was given as a wedding present to his niece it’s now worth $48 million, the list goes on and on and our mouths open more and more. Then there are the yacht’s, initially the ones we pass are only 2 or 3 storey’s high, then we come to the really big boys including Steven Spielberg’s yacht which is more like an ocean-going liner! Apparently, we could hire it for a week for $1.2 million excluding gas, food and tips!

Bahia Cabana

Then there's the celebrity stories the most notable one about the Bahia Cabana, it has 2 periods for happy hour, 4pm - 7pm and 7.30am - 10.30am the latter being specifically for Nick Nolte when he was living here in Fort Lauderdale, apparently he liked to drink late or was it early!  

Lunch at The Downtowner

As we want to go to Riverside we have to change water taxis, the next one goes up the river under bridges that have to keep opening for the large boats. Being nosey we want to travel to the end until the taxi turns around on its return trip, then get off at the first stop. This however gets lost in translation and we end up getting off at the second stop. What a fortunate error, there’s a man playing soft guitar jazz and blues at The Downtowner, which makes for a perfect lunchtime spot to watch the boats coming and going while sipping a cold glass of wine and eating spicy chicken tacos and a mahi mahi sandwich. A stroll along the riverside shopping and hotel area afterwards is pleasantly accompanied by window shopping in some very high-class shops, shame they’re shut, but Dave feels this is the best time to go shopping!

Margaritaville

The taxi now takes us back to the under the bridge exchange point to go to Hollywood. The double decker taxi arrives and departs with us sunbathing on the top deck while listening to the captain tell us about the intercoastal waterway which runs all the way to Texas, hope the taxi stops before that point! It takes 30 minutes to reach Hollywood or Margaritaville, past the huge cruise ship which is like a city, past the container port and the airport and the national west lake park. Now Margaritaville is completely different to Fort Lauderdale, younger, more vibrant and noisy. The beach flows off the boardwalk and on the other side are lots of bars and restaurants. It’s strange to think that on one side of this strip of land is the Atlantic Ocean and on the other the intercoastal waterway with the everglades beyond. All this is too much for me we retreat to the bar by the water taxi stop. Well as it says on the sign, “It’s 5 O’clock somewhere”, 2 margaritas’ later the taxi arrives and the trip back begins along with more banter. “If you’re goin’ out drinkin’ tonight take the taxi, let us do the drivin’, or better still we’ll come drinkin’ with you, heck I’ve only hit 2 icebergs this week!”

The walk back to the hotel is hot and very sweaty but after a cold shower and an hour rest we’re ready to stagger to Franco and Vinnies just down the road. For once it’s a more European pace for eating, food appears at a more leisurely pace and the chicken and sausage special and chicken with aubergine are both huge and delicious. We can’t manage all the food or wine, I don’t think I’ve ever been given a doggy bag of wine in a plastic container before.