South Florida - Ft. Lauderdale & Environs

[scifan57]

Thanks again for some wonderful stories and photos. If I ever get to Ft. Lauderdale, I'll certainly have a good idea where to eat and what to visit.

 

[giradman]

Thanks again for some wonderful stories and photos. If I ever get to Ft. Lauderdale, I'll certainly have a good idea where to eat and what to visit.

Hi Scifan.. - thanks for your comments and glad that you're enjoying the travelogue - also, great to have a 'local' (i.e. Bob) chime in w/ his perspective - probably have a couple more posts. Dave

 

[BobbyBoomer]

I'm really enjoying this. It's like a trip back without using any gasoline

Thanks.

 

[suenc]

Ft. Lauderdale - Canals, Mansions, & Yachts - Part 2

The canals are magnificent to view from the water, many w/ boats (or yachts) of varying size - the houses and mansions also are quite variable in size & architecture, most of the 'smaller' homes start at least in the $1,000,000 - $2,000,000 range and go to 10X or more that price according to our guide - also, many of the largest and most expensive homes are usually unoccupied, i.e. probably used mainly as winter 'get-aways'. Below first few pics from the web and one of my own showing several of these houses - notice the parallel canals in the second image.

Docked next to many of these mansions are boats and large yachts - the bigger ones likely equal the cost of the house - the remaining pics are my own from the tour boat showing some of the larger yachts or 'ships' seen - the two named Wheels belongs to a famous NASCAR driver or promoter - cannot remember his name - he actually had four boats around his mansion. The older looking boat belongs to the actor Johnny Depp and was actually built in 2001 (quote below from HERE). The last pic is Steven Spielberg's ship (second quote below) which is nearly the length of an American football field and cost $200,000,000 - our guide stated that Spielberg rents the ship for one million dollars per day - any takers! Dave

P.S. These types of mansions & yachts are not unique to Ft. Lauderdale; Susan & I have take numerous boat rides in other south Florida cities (e.g. Ft. Myers, Naples, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Miami) and the same sites are seen!




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Those palatial mansions are sure impressive, but those are only their WINTER homes! I keep thinking that there are better things to do with their money.

 

[BobbyBoomer]

And if you think those are big, they are dwarfed by the ones in Palm Beach and Manalapan. Some people just picked the right parents and/or made the best of their opportunities.

 

[giradman]

Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens - Part 1

My in-laws use to live in Delray Beach which is just north of Boca Raton and we had made several visits to the Morikami Gardens (click for their website) in the past; from Ft. Lauderdale, just a fairly quick ride up I-95 (see map; red arrow & pin), where we toured the gardens and had lunch - then to the Boca Raton Museum of Art for the afternoon. Some of the early history of Japanese in South Florida quoted from the site - much more information, if interested, on the link above - take a look!

From the website's description - "The 16 acres that surround Morikami’s two museum buildings include expansive Japanese gardens with strolling paths, resting areas, our world-class bonsai collection and lakes teeming with koi and other wildlife. The wider 200-acre park features nature trails, pine forests and picnic areas." In the third image below, I placed a white arrow which is the starting point of the garden tour (of course, one can go in the other direction - ) - the trail (less than one mile) winds around the lake; the building across the lake was the original museum and now contains historic exhibits related to Japan, the Japanese immigrants, and the establishment of the gardens. The new museum (the larger & newer building) has some wonderful exhibits, especially related to artsy Japanese woodworking and a small but excellent gift shop. Dave

Visitors are surprised to discover a century-old connection between Japan and South Florida. It is here that a group of young Japanese farmers created a community intended to revolutionize agriculture in Florida.

In 1904, Jo Sakai, a recent graduate of New York University, returned to his homeland of Miyazu, Japan, to organize a group of pioneering farmers and lead them to what is now northern Boca Raton. With the help of the Model Land Company, a subsidiary of Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad, they formed a farming colony they named Yamato, an ancient name for Japan.

Ultimately, the results of their crop experimentation were disappointing and the Yamato Colony fell far short of its goals. By the 1920s the community, which had never grown beyond 30 to 35 individuals, finally surrendered its dream. One by one, the families left for other parts of the United States or returned to Japan.

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[giradman]

Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens - Part 2

Below more pictures of the gardens from various perspectives - stops along the way include the various 'rock' gardens, small waterfalls and streams, the bonsai exhibit in the old museum outside grounds, a bamboo water gizmo that fills w/ water, then pivots to empty.

We lunched at the Cornell Cafe - checkout the menu HERE - mainly pan-Asian selections w/ a Japanese influence, as expected (quote below from their website). Beer, wine, & sake are available - Susan had the vegetarian Bento box and I had the one w/ sushi & sashimi, both excellent (below several pics from the web which more or less were similar to what we were served). Dave

The perfect way to top off your Morikami experience is a stop at our Cornell Cafe. The open-air cafe on the terraces (there is also an air-conditioned area) overlooks the tranquil gardens and serves a Pan-Asian inspired menu from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday.

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[suenc]

Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens - Part 1

My in-laws use to live in Delray Beach which is just north of Boca Raton and we had made several visits to the Morikami Gardens (click for their website) in the past; from Ft. Lauderdale, just a fairly quick ride up I-95 (see map; red arrow & pin), where we toured the gardens and had lunch - then to the Boca Raton Museum of Art for the afternoon. Some of the early history of Japanese in South Florida quoted from the site - much more information, if interested, on the link above - take a look!

From the website's description - "The 16 acres that surround Morikami’s two museum buildings include expansive Japanese gardens with strolling paths, resting areas, our world-class bonsai collection and lakes teeming with koi and other wildlife. The wider 200-acre park features nature trails, pine forests and picnic areas." In the third image below, I placed a white arrow which is the starting point of the garden tour (of course, one can go in the other direction - ) - the trail (less than one mile) winds around the lake; the building across the lake was the original museum and now contains historic exhibits related to Japan, the Japanese immigrants, and the establishment of the gardens. The new museum (the larger & newer building) has some wonderful exhibits, especially related to artsy Japanese woodworking and a small but excellent gift shop. Dave


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If I lived there I would go to those gardens once a week--better than Xanax

 

[suenc]

And if you think those are big, they are dwarfed by the ones in Palm Beach and Manalapan. Some people just picked the right parents and/or made the best of their opportunities.[/QUOTE
Since my parents used to live in Delray, we've driven past those as well. Of course we couldn't get a look at all of them because they were hidden by gates and hedges. I still can't help thinking that the owners are probably showoffs who could put their gains (ill-gotten or not) to better use. Well at least they can provide employment to several dozen servants.

 

[suenc]

Since my parents used to live in Delray, we've driven by those as well. We couldn't see some of them because they were hidden by gates and bushes. I still think that the owners are probably showoffs who could put their gains (ill-gotten or not) to better use. Oh well, at least they provide employment for a couple dozen servants.

 

[giradman]

And if you think those are big, they are dwarfed by the ones in Palm Beach and Manalapan. Some people just picked the right parents and/or made the best of their opportunities.

Hi Bob - in our past frequent visits to Delray Beach to visit the in-laws, we would usually fly into the Palm Beach airport, rent a car, and quickly get onto HW A1A for the drive south to their condo. Also, we would try to do a 'day trip' and often drove back up A1A to Palm Beach - the mansions mentioned, either on the ocean or the intracoastal waterway are usually 'invisible' from the road due to their location and/or vegetation/landscaping - SO, spent a little time googling some images of these palatial places and decided to add a bonus post - if you're traveling along the south Florida Atlantic coast then a stop in the Palm Beach is highly recommended.

First, a map showing the locations of Delray Beach (red arrow) & Palm Beach (blue arrow) - the drive on A1A is beautiful w/ the ocean on one side & the intracoastal waterway (ICW) on the other - mansions can be located in either place; after the map, the next 3 images show several of these BIG homes (the third one w/ the house on the ICW). The next 2 images are of Donald Trump's former mansion in Palm Beach w/ a view from the ocean and one from the entrance - quoted below is the negotiated price when sold to a Russian mogul (cannot imagine the entire cost of this place, i.e. the property, buildings, and contents, especially the art work); but not to worry, Donald had another place (next image) which he developed into a private beach club.

The next image is the Henry Flagler Museum (his former mansion) and a MUST visit if in the area - Flagler (1830-1913) was a Standard Oil magnate who was mainly responsible for bringing the railroad into Atlantic coastal Florida and the development of the area (known as the 'father' of Palm Beach & Miami, but he did SO much more). The last two pics are two views of The Breakers hotel on the ocean - stayed there once for a medical meeting. Another recommendation in West Palm Beach is the Norton Museum of Art. Dave

For an average person, a messy divorces usually means custody of the car, the family dog, or that giant flat-screen TV. Not the estranged wife of billionaire Russian fertilizer mogul Dmitri Rybolovlev. She wants his $95-million Palm Beach estate, which is filled to its 33,000-square-foot brim with masterpieces by the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet.

Elena Rybolovleva has reached out (from her other home in Geneva, Switzerland) in order to keep her claws on the home on 515 N. County Road. The fertilizer king's palatial spread has 475 feet of unobstructed oceanfront on 6 acres and was purchased, with cash, from Donald Trump in 2008. (Trump paid $41.4 million for the property in 2004.)

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[suenc]

Beautiful, even romantic, also mind-boggling.

 

[BobbyBoomer]

I played the Breakers a few times (in a band), and it's quite an elegant hotel.

The Norton Museum is a must-see, I agree.

Although I grew up in Pompano, my parents retired in Delray. The once sleepy downtown area of Delray is happening, as is Lake Worth (near West Palm Beach). A few decades ago they used to be "God's Waiting Room".

It's good to see downtown areas revived and alive. The population moved west in the late 1960s and pretty much deserted the downtown areas.

When I was a kid, Dixie Highway (US1) was about as far west as people lived. West of the tracks were the Blacks and the Farms (yes, it was very backwards then). US 441 had swamps on both sides and there were 10 miles of pine trees on US1 between Pompano and the northern end of Fort Lauderdale (Sunrise Blvd). It's all grown up now.

Bob

 

[giradman]

Hi again Bob - thanks for the additional information above - my first visit to Florida was in the early 70s, so can only imagine through reading & looking @ photos of earlier times. We enjoyed The Breakers, but for those contemplating a stay the rooms are quite expensive, especially the fancier ones, AND location is important - you could be on a lower floor overlooking a roof w/ no view of the water. Dave

 

[giradman]

Riverwalk & Las Olas Boulevard

Well, this will be my last 'informational' post, but will certainly make future comments if others post questions.

The Riverwalk meanders through the downtown area w/ the river eventually reaching the intracoastal waterway - see schematic map below; easy access can be made after a visit to the Museum of Technology & Science (blue arrow) - a convenient parking lot is across the street w/ just a one block walk to the river. We saw some of the Riverwalk from our electric boat tour but had been there before and did not explore the area this time - pics below of some of the locales including small restful parks. Apparently, this area has gone 'downhill' in recent years, reading some of the reviews HERE, so be forewarned - maybe some of our other members from the Lauderdale area can 'chime in' w/ their comments.

Now just a block or so from the Riverwalk is Las Olas Boulevard (red arrow on the map) which is the main shopping street in downtown and also has a variety of restaurants - two of our dinners were at restaurants on the street - the first was the Lobster Bar & Sea Grille (3 pics below of the outside, inside, and the fish stand we passed while being seated) - click the name for their dinner menu. The other was the Wild Sea Oyster Bar & Grille (last 2 pics of the outside and a portion of the inside seating area) - again click the name for the dinner menu. If interested in the kinds of foods we choose to order, check the food thread. Dave

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