The first week of February my wife and I were in South Florida. We flew from New York LaGuardia Airport to Ft Lauderdale. At the car rental desk the helpful customer service person handed us an Area Guide Book. I usually don’t pay much attention to the guidebooks since I’m a lousy tourist. However, I browsed it that evening. I was glad I did. The first thing I noticed is that they claim Ft. Lauderdale has 3000 hours of sunshine per year. I already liked the place. Reading on, I see a reference as follows: Jazz lovers flock to the Riverwalk in downtown Fort Lauderdale the first Sunday of every month for the SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch. Jazz bands and solo artists perform from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on five outdoor stages along the New River. We just happened to be there the first weekend of February. Being jazz enthusiasts, we couldn’t resist. Besides it was February, 80 degrees, and we wanted our share of the 3000 hours of sunshine.
From Miami, where we were staying, we took the downtown Ft. Lauderdale exit off Interstate 95 and easily found convenient parking for the Riverwalk event. The guidebook said people flock to this event and that wasn’t an exaggeration. Carloads of people were pulling into the parking area, unloading lavish picnic baskets with all kinds of delicacies including wine and champagne. The lawn areas were covered with couples and families sprawled in their lawn chairs or on their blankets partaking of all kinds of food and drink along with the music. It would probably be a good idea to arrive early and stake out your spot.
There are a number of outdoor restaurants along the Riverwalk which were serving their various forms of brunch to those who chose not to bring their own or who didn’t know enough to, like us. The music performers change each month. A schedule is provided on the website (then go to Parks and Recreation special events). We heard some incredible music on the three stages. First there were Davis and Dow Hot House Swing Band. Moving down the Riverwalk we caught the Blues Therapy Band (my favorite). Finally, we encountered an incredible Latin Jazz guitarist, David Fernando (Katherine’s favorite).
The New River winds just to the South of Downtown Ft. Lauderdale and is lined with marinas, docks, Water ferries and tour boats. If you tire of people watching you will find just a few feet away, a parade of every type of boat you could imagine. They ranged from kayaks to huge, gleaming white yachts adorned with bathing beauties (my favorite).
We walked to the end of the Riverwalk and continued into the downtown shopping and restaurant area of Las Olas. The Big City Tavern attracted us. It provided great service in an elegant but relaxed setting. The brunch turned out to be delicious and reasonably priced. I enjoyed a steak with asparagus and baby baked potatoes adorned with hollandaise sauce. Katherine ordered Rigatoni pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. “Delicious,” she exclaimed after every bite!
If you are in South Florida on Sunday, the first weekend of the month, head for a good time with music, friendly people watching, food and a parade of boats that never ends. It’s free! And the sunshine and warmth is mind-boggling.
Stan the Man
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