In short, the answer is: YES.
Why?
1) Cabs (taxis) are very expensive. A ride from the airport to Fort Lauderdale can easily end up in the three digits.
2) Public transportantion doesn´t reach everywhere.
3) Distances are far. Las Olas Blvd is a good half an hour on a bike to ride from the Broward Center of Arts (where the shops and entertainment start) down to the beach. So figure that out walking?
That said, there is two ways to get around in Fort Lauderdale that doesn´t involve cars or buses: one is the SUN TROLLEY. It´s a bus styled as an old trolley that goes around Las Olas and down to the Beach and the Coral Ridge Mall. You can hear it´s annoying little bell sounding on every corner of the loop. It´s aimed mostly at tourists so it is rather slow, but it´ll take you there. And it´s not like you didn´t come to relax right? I believe you just flag it down whenever you spot it and it´s a dollar each ride. Personally I have never taken it. The website where you can check the loop and get more info is www.suntrolley.com
The other alternative is the WATER TAXI. Don´t forget Fort Lauderdale is called the "Venice of America"! So there´s lots of canals and this service works as a bus -despite the "-taxi" in the name you cannot choose the route. It has a fixed loop that takes you from the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale to the beach on the Galt Mile and almost to Pompano Beach. It is an attraction in itself so even if you rent a car I would recommend taking a tour on this lovely little boat. They sell tickets for a whole day and you can hop on and off as many times as you want. The website with more info is www.watertaxi.com
So and now there´s the only CAVEAT about renting a car. If you´re staying in South Beach and you absolutely don´t plan on seeing anything else but the beach, the nightclubs, the restaurants and the shops on Collins Ave., then don´t rent a car. Parking in South beach is a pain! And expensive too... And you really can walk up and down Ocean Drive.
But there is so much more to South Florida than South Beach! If you want to visit the Everglades, or go to a big mall, or visit some other attractions, don´t count on a cab. It´ll be cheaper to rent a car!
2/17/2010
2/16/2010
First things first... the weather
Whenever I don´t say otherwise, I will be referring to southern Florida (Miami - Fort Lauderdale area).
Most of the year we have gorgeous weather. In my own opinion, march and april are the best months, because it isn´t extremely hot yet (around the 70s) and the snowbirds are gone! Sorry but the older people coming in winter make for more cars on the road, in the stores, restaurants, etc. It may be great for economy but when your regular drive to the supermarket that takes you 10 minutes in summer turns into over half an hour in winter, it´s kind of a bummer, right?
January and february tend to be cold (sometimes lower 50s, generally in the 60s), agust and september extremely hot (the 90s).
OK, there´s a "little" problem... so yes, we do have hurricanes. 2009 was a realtively quiet year but there´s never a guarantee there won´t be a hurricane this year.
Oficially, hurricane season is from june 1st to october 31st. However I personally in 7 years have not seen a bad hurricane before August 15th. Between this date and end of september usually there are 3 to 4 hurricanes, so if you can, avoid these dates to come visit. That said, it is of course the season where the hotels are the cheapest, so if money is any concern, by all means, do come indeed!
And now the "gory" stuff. As you´ve probably learned in school, a hurricane is a bad thing... it starts with a total calmness the day before, and the most glorious sunset you´ve ever experienced. That is because the hurricane is absorbing all the moisture from the air. Only the high clouds moving rapidly, like in a sci-fi flick, while there is not a single breeze down where you are, betray the imminent storm. And then... beware! Gales of wind...palmtrees bending... trees being uprooted... roofs being blown away... windows exploding... I´ve seen a car being thrown into the air, landing on the other side of the street, all twisted. A car! Some people enjoy being out in such a storm but it is irresponsible and that is part of why you read there were such and such fatalities each time a hurricane hits us. Of course there are deaths that were not caused by irresponsability. But some others, unfortunately, were. A hurrcane is not the time to go surfing in the ocean or taking a walk down Las Olas Blvd!
If you ever are caught in a hurricane, make sure you have enough water supply to carry you on for a week. Water may be cut off, as well as electricity. Have some canned food and a manual can opener. Please stay away from windows (if they brek they could hurt you). If you hear a noise like a train engine coming towards you it´s probably a tornado. So get into a room with no windows (a bathroom f.i.) and stay low, like inside a tub. I´m telling you this from experience.
So I´m just telling you this to warn you. I sincerely hope you will never be caught in a hurricane and that you will enjoy many sunny visits to our lovely Florida!
Most of the year we have gorgeous weather. In my own opinion, march and april are the best months, because it isn´t extremely hot yet (around the 70s) and the snowbirds are gone! Sorry but the older people coming in winter make for more cars on the road, in the stores, restaurants, etc. It may be great for economy but when your regular drive to the supermarket that takes you 10 minutes in summer turns into over half an hour in winter, it´s kind of a bummer, right?
January and february tend to be cold (sometimes lower 50s, generally in the 60s), agust and september extremely hot (the 90s).
OK, there´s a "little" problem... so yes, we do have hurricanes. 2009 was a realtively quiet year but there´s never a guarantee there won´t be a hurricane this year.
Oficially, hurricane season is from june 1st to october 31st. However I personally in 7 years have not seen a bad hurricane before August 15th. Between this date and end of september usually there are 3 to 4 hurricanes, so if you can, avoid these dates to come visit. That said, it is of course the season where the hotels are the cheapest, so if money is any concern, by all means, do come indeed!
And now the "gory" stuff. As you´ve probably learned in school, a hurricane is a bad thing... it starts with a total calmness the day before, and the most glorious sunset you´ve ever experienced. That is because the hurricane is absorbing all the moisture from the air. Only the high clouds moving rapidly, like in a sci-fi flick, while there is not a single breeze down where you are, betray the imminent storm. And then... beware! Gales of wind...palmtrees bending... trees being uprooted... roofs being blown away... windows exploding... I´ve seen a car being thrown into the air, landing on the other side of the street, all twisted. A car! Some people enjoy being out in such a storm but it is irresponsible and that is part of why you read there were such and such fatalities each time a hurricane hits us. Of course there are deaths that were not caused by irresponsability. But some others, unfortunately, were. A hurrcane is not the time to go surfing in the ocean or taking a walk down Las Olas Blvd!
If you ever are caught in a hurricane, make sure you have enough water supply to carry you on for a week. Water may be cut off, as well as electricity. Have some canned food and a manual can opener. Please stay away from windows (if they brek they could hurt you). If you hear a noise like a train engine coming towards you it´s probably a tornado. So get into a room with no windows (a bathroom f.i.) and stay low, like inside a tub. I´m telling you this from experience.
So I´m just telling you this to warn you. I sincerely hope you will never be caught in a hurricane and that you will enjoy many sunny visits to our lovely Florida!
Welcome to my blog
Hi friends and new friends,
I´ve created this blog to answer some of your questions about our beautiful Florida State.
I hope you visit soon and... Enjoy!
I´ve created this blog to answer some of your questions about our beautiful Florida State.
I hope you visit soon and... Enjoy!
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