The Lauderdales

Two SoFla Saturdays Explained
Ft Lauderdale Beach, FL

Left our oceanfront hotel this fine Saturday evening with two dollars and a ukulele, returned with six dollars and a wilted pink rose (the ukulele is also still intact).

But my Floridan story begins almost two weeks ago. Last week I found myself in Key West, paying upwards of $350 for the privilege of camping in what was forecast to be a weeklong torrential tropical downpour. After the lovely folks at the campground agreed to refund me the rest of the week I'd prepaid, I packed up my soaked gear, booked a cheap hotel room on the mainland, and drove northwards to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

For the geographically challenged, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is just north of Ft Lauderdale, which is just north of Miami, which is just north of the Keys, which is just north of Cuba. For $50 a night I managed to get myself a room on the beach with a balcony overlooking the ocean for two nights, and though the weather was not conducive to serious use of neither balcony nor ocean, I definitely appreciated the contrast to my soggy camping hammock. I probably shouldn't have spent the money, but I needed somewhere dry to plan my next move.