Ft. Lauderdale, here we come. January 23, 2020

We were up and running at 4:25 am to catch an 8:05 flight to Ft. Lauderdale. It’s cold outside and according to the weather reports, Ft. Lauderdale has been pretty chilly itself. We are staying two nights in the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard before boarding the new Sky Princess for a seven night Caribbean cruise.

Who says flying isn’t fun. We paid extra to get more spacious seats, 9D & E, and generous legroom. We were one row behind the bulkhead. We boarded in group 4 of 9. Time enough to place our carryon luggage in the overhead compartment. The third passenger in our row, a tall, really tall, gentleman, made his way to the window seat, folded himself in and buckled up. JoAnn was comfortable and I was fussing around with my satchel; the bag that houses my camera and other necessities.

All the while people kept streaming into the aircraft and unbeknownst to me the seats in front of us were soon occupied. After adjusting my seatbelt, I reached to put my little black bag under the seat in front of me. It was then that I discovered that the woman in 8D had commandeered the space under her seat, the place where my bag and feet were destined to travel. Not everything could fit in that place and, more importantly, I paid for the privilege of stretching out and she was in bulkhead and knew there was no storage in front of her.

Confronted with this turn of events, I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she would move her valise to which she replied, “I’ve no where to put it, it has to go there.” I pointed out to her that I needed to put my feet there and not everything could fit in that little space. It became apparent that she was not giving up without a fight. I was afraid it was going to be like the Hatfields and the McCoys, or even worse, like the Democrats and the Republicans. Were we going to need Chief Justice Roberts to take control?

Diplomacy is what was called for. Just then, the flight attendant, our Chief Justice, came to the rescue. She took her bag and found storage for it in first class. So, in the end, we got to ride in the back and her darn bag got first class treatment.

You see, this is why you don’t sit in bulkhead seats, there is no place to stow your luggage and if you dawdle in getting on the overhead space will disappear.

Here is the view from my seat looking into first class.

Except for that, which turned out to be no big deal, the flight was very comfortable. We even landed 15 minutes early. Our luggage arrived on the carousel in the first avalanche of bags and before we knew it we were arriving at the Riverside.

We haven’t been to Ft. Lauderdale in about five or six years. After checking in we decided on lunch at the Indigo Cafe, in the front of the hotel on the sidewalk, facing Las Olas. Great place to sit and people watch. Only problem was, the Indigo was closed so we opted for outdoor seats at the Golden Lion bar. Things are changing and we need to adapt or be left behind. Here is a photo of Las Olas taken from our table.

When lunch, a shared turkey club sandwich and bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, was over, we made our way down the hotel corridors

to room, 1132, an executive corner room with a balcony overlooking the Intercoastal waterway. The room is very pleasant, bright and airy. Have a look.

Here is a view of the Intercoastal taken from our balcony.

After lunch we strolled along Las Olas Boulevard to see what changed and what remained the same. The only real constant is change and businesses here on Las Olas are moving all over the place.

The weather forecast is for a 50% chance of showers. If you are a betting man I suggest you bet on the rain. We got a couple of blocks from the hotel, walking in the direction of the beach and ocean beyond, when we began to sense more than feel moisture in the air. Dark clouds ahead foretold of the rain to come. I snapped a shot before we turned and started a mad dash for the safety of our hotel.

After running ahead of the storm, we decided to return to 1132 and relax. JoAnn took a nap and I worked on this blog. As the rain got worse, starting with a drizzle and progressing to a drumming downpour, I wrote and wrote. I even took a few photos of the home bound traffic on the roadway which cuts through and under Las Olas.

Later, around 5:30 we walked over to the Boathouse, one of the casual restaurants at the hotel, for early evening libations and some dinner. Here’s a shot inside the restaurant.

It’s an open, airy place situated on the Intercoastal. We had a number of small plates which we shared and around 9pm we returned to 1132 to turn in. I decided to take a couple of evening shots of the area. The first photo is from the dock at the Boat House and the second is from our balcony.

Good night Ft. Lauderdale.