tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-263494232024-03-13T14:03:59.983-04:00sex and the beacha single woman's guide to chronic livingMaria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.comBlogger713125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-54301618287018556772016-06-12T08:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T12:47:30.866-04:00Romance Row: Lauderdale By the Sea<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GNSABzdYZAW44U3K6lL4yofKiI_tr3gnxztoILQ3u0NpsJ4mAjyDVoS4jzZ_fowYjM8eb2Q7iIjXp_jwIJTvElbsTZc-EVa_lrax7iAGEidSdo0n4m4JjINiC8Z3es2HyUwX/s1600/lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GNSABzdYZAW44U3K6lL4yofKiI_tr3gnxztoILQ3u0NpsJ4mAjyDVoS4jzZ_fowYjM8eb2Q7iIjXp_jwIJTvElbsTZc-EVa_lrax7iAGEidSdo0n4m4JjINiC8Z3es2HyUwX/s640/lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.lbtsevents.com/" target="_blank">LBTS</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. During my stay, I laid my head on the pillows of ten different boutique lodgings that are adjacent to each other, a.k.a. Romance Row. I also took time to relax and reflect on my life’s passion – writing – and how the sea has always been my muse. It was romantic in the traditional sense, to be sure, as my beau also enjoyed part of this stay with me. But I also romanced the destination. Or perhaps more appropriately, the destination romanced me. I left a little of my heart in this seaside town. Here are my <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html" target="_blank">stories</a>.</i><br />
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Sunday, April 17 - Saturday, April 30, 2016<br />
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<h3>Houses of Refuge</h3><br />
Florida’s east coast settlements have a long history of rescuing shipwreck survivors.<br />
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In 1715, a strong hurricane hit what is present day Vero Beach, shipwrecking eleven of twelve ships carrying treasure from the New World to Spain. Those who survived and made it to shore established a camp and received food and aid from local Indians, the Ais, who were hunter-gatherers. Today, the location of the camp can be found at the <a href="http://www.atocha1622.com/mclarty.htm" target="_blank">McClarty Treasure Museum</a> just south of Sebastian Inlet.<br />
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Further south on Hutchinson Island stands the only remaining of ten U.S. <a href="http://www.houseofrefugefl.org/" target="_blank">Houses of Refuge</a> built in the 19th century. Houses of Refuge were designated as havens for shipwrecked sailors and travelers. Today, it’s a museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<br />
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Even further south sits a newer haven for modern travelers: <a href="http://www.lbtsevents.com/" target="_blank">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a>. Anyone wrecked from the daily grind can surely call the row of ten small lodgings in this Broward city “houses of refuge,” where locals are more than happy to help world-weary folks retreat and revive.<br />
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<h3>It's the Little Things</h3><br />
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a sweet spot I almost want to keep to myself, like a child greedily holding on to candy.<br />
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Sometimes, the quiet beach was enough to refresh my burnt out writer’s soul. The path of dunes guided me to the sea; she was beckoning me to listen to her simple song of waves and wind.<br />
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Sometimes, I craved company and ventured out from my comfortable beds to make friends with this curious and quirky place. I had to pinch myself. It’s as if I had I traveled back to a time before I was even born, some dreamy version of the 50s: I found exquisite homemade chocolates at a mom and pop shop, a seaside village square, a fishing pier, innkeepers who became family, food made with love and so much more -- the best of which was sometimes just nothing.<br />
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Nothing short of idyllic, really.<br />
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It took me a few days to decompress in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.<br />
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When you go into a dark room after being out in the bright sun your pupils adjust and you gradually begin to see things in the dark you couldn’t see in the light. My third eye, my intuition, opened up to the painfully obvious as I meditated in my cozy little apartments.<br />
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Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was protected by some miracle from the stressful grind I had just left behind in Miami-Dade, a place that thrives on a consumerist drudgery and gobbles up all my energy. The glaring absence of high-rise condos, massive parking garages, loud music and disrespectful people was truly liberating.<br />
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Yes, that was it: South Beach and Key West had the perfect baby, with none of the dysfunction of the latter city. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a functional haven for the Miami-wrecked because it has nothing to prove. It likes itself the way it is. I like it, too.<br />
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Houses of refuge, indeed.<br />
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Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-driftwood-beach-club.html">Driftwood Beach Club</a><br />
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<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
lovefl #lovelbts<br />
<br />
All photos in this series by author unless otherwise noted.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-8677005177267335862016-06-12T07:30:00.000-04:002016-06-14T12:55:53.009-04:00Romance Row: Driftwood Beach Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodo_9xnqYbdg7Reg5My-yT2iA8Pcxcst6VXxrBBdd6jfgsZanj6-Q_Ij2Tq3-F_9GkyMc_ySUDCKv8QNAThxMDcPIXyeLYwkCZeC9X_1uLes3jOS8azUeJCHKOS4GHHuGI3Ri/s1600/driftwood-beach-club-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodo_9xnqYbdg7Reg5My-yT2iA8Pcxcst6VXxrBBdd6jfgsZanj6-Q_Ij2Tq3-F_9GkyMc_ySUDCKv8QNAThxMDcPIXyeLYwkCZeC9X_1uLes3jOS8azUeJCHKOS4GHHuGI3Ri/s640/driftwood-beach-club-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Sunday, April 17, 2016<br />
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<h3>Highway to Bliss</h3><br />
I arrived in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea with a friend who drove me 50 miles from Palmetto Bay to this seaside village. The journey is worth noting because it involved local Miami traffic and a trek up I-95. This time, the highway from hell led me to this magical place. It’s not quite as dramatic as crossing the 7-mile bridge in the Florida Keys, but the feeling is similar. “I’m here,” I thought. “I can breathe now. I’ve really left it all behind.”<br />
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That morning, this jaded Miamian and her luggage were schlepped up to the lovely one-bedroom apartment at the <a href="http://driftwoodbeachclub.net/" target="_blank">Driftwood Beach Club</a>. Before I even unpacked my bags, my stomach began to growl. I had spied a <a href="http://www.laspadashoagies.com/" target="_blank">LaSpada’s Original Hoagies</a> on the way down Commercial Boulevard and craved one of those fresh, mouth-watering sandwiches. Not being owned by a car is a benefit in In Lauderdale-by-the-Sea; just about everything I needed was within walking distance. If I were to feel particularly lazy, I could always take the village’s free trolley, the <a href="http://www.lbtsevents.com/the-free-pelican-hopper" target="_blank">Pelican Hopper</a>.<br />
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The sandwich shop staff was eager to accommodate my vegetarian variation on their Italian classic. LaSpada’s slogan is “best damn hoagies in town,” but I would add “it’s always a sandwich with a smile,” which is one reason why they’re so yummy. (I would see this Lauderdale-by-the-Sea smile many times during my stay.) With hoagie in tow, I walked back to the Driftwood Beach Club and across the street toward the beach for a little private picnic on the sand.<br />
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<h3>Are we there yet?</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjB1nSa0wEV4bJeUfZ3p3EfYg06wiSSryZRlsH4eTaVjS-L3wx5UYHVcV_gquf4OBuFdBMYFRf8W2mr8doZIcAQQFrD4IXT0l7FX5_Uy5p11kPdZvX_jjRaBy3raQ7vS-CyJa/s1600/driftwood-atlantic-beach-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjB1nSa0wEV4bJeUfZ3p3EfYg06wiSSryZRlsH4eTaVjS-L3wx5UYHVcV_gquf4OBuFdBMYFRf8W2mr8doZIcAQQFrD4IXT0l7FX5_Uy5p11kPdZvX_jjRaBy3raQ7vS-CyJa/s640/driftwood-atlantic-beach-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
The Driftwood Beach Club is located one block from the beach; a small linear park shaded by palm trees leads to the sea. On the way, a marble bench engraved with the words “Love… and the Beach” beckons lovers to sit. What’s not to love? The natural beauty of the dunes, the sea and an uncrowded beach impressed me, no doubt.<br />
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But just as impressive was the apparent respect this village has for its natural surroundings. A recycling bin and an educational sign about turtle nesting were in my line of sight on the way to the shore. I was hard pressed to find a cigarette butt in the sand. I truly savored that sandwich on this beach, bite by bite. I took my time to chew each bite.<br />
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Time. What a commodity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-OE6LY21x_oDFTi9rxM2IQUJR8GASMbOi9t_BKVHo12RHhOdIojBSl7maFUfYTqEmcsxZF5dV13c4ih4RgmQ1kmt4WiaYkAbVhR7nYxuEHPXUYk_tMLYfMHCmIt4yBCC_rAP/s1600/love-and-the-beach-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-OE6LY21x_oDFTi9rxM2IQUJR8GASMbOi9t_BKVHo12RHhOdIojBSl7maFUfYTqEmcsxZF5dV13c4ih4RgmQ1kmt4WiaYkAbVhR7nYxuEHPXUYk_tMLYfMHCmIt4yBCC_rAP/s320/love-and-the-beach-lauderdale.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Driftwood Beach Club was comfortable and its guests were friendly. A regular from Massachusetts was working the front desk just because; the Driftwood is her home away from home. A family, pregnant last year, had returned with newborn baby and grandparents. They were barbecuing by the pool situated in a courtyard. People here know each other. They celebrate together. They even eat together at weekly “Wine Wednesday” pot luck dinners. It was calm. Just calm. No loud music. No attitude. No fussing. No hassle. Everyone just being.<br />
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Later that day, however, the wind really picked up, blowing quite a few knots. At dusk, I sat by myself under one of Driftwood’s small tiki huts by the dunes and just took it all in. It was here I really started to decompress from Miami.<br />
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“I’ve arrived,” I thought. “Finally.”<br />
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The name of the place resonated with me: Driftwood. Was I drifting? Had I been drifting and ended up on these shores? I started to feel a strong pull to the sea. I hadn’t heard her in a long time. She was seducing me in this little spot at the Driftwood Beach Club, me this drifter. I was happily alone, romancing the sea.<br />
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I went back to my room at the Driftwood to get ready for the evening. I chilled some wine in the fridge of the suite’s kitchen and lounged on the sofa in the casual chic living room, enjoying the beach-inspired calm.<br />
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That night I slumbered peacefully in the arms of my beau, loving my first night on Romance Row.<br />
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Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-yacht-southern-seas.html">My Yacht Experience and Southern Seas</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-sea.html">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-49410641297820459762016-06-12T07:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T12:57:01.066-04:00Romance Row: My Yacht Experience and Southern Seas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjreulDe-1yoW-szhQhQ5GBJ61YubtC4YMywvH_OgQa5eVq-WJwAF4ryZVWWjBxWpha1_VbnzMju7OR7k4CC_poNoQhogwo9nTx__SH9BzSWRaEMhnH-kyzo70w_sHqhIPGNIVI/s1600/sargasso-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea-southern-seas" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjreulDe-1yoW-szhQhQ5GBJ61YubtC4YMywvH_OgQa5eVq-WJwAF4ryZVWWjBxWpha1_VbnzMju7OR7k4CC_poNoQhogwo9nTx__SH9BzSWRaEMhnH-kyzo70w_sHqhIPGNIVI/s640/sargasso-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea-southern-seas" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<em>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the </em><a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html"><em>story map</em></a><em> to navigate this travel memoir.</em><br />
<br />
Monday, April 18, 2016<br />
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<h3>My Yacht Experience</h3><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWp4nNOVYR_TnAkds4N3wM6zeNoItY6IVq_nzmMt0YSgs81KubNPC8I2_9Cpn32zXsXE-mFf3jg4SLcb_vk9AAO3w9HJsOxHQ26aeqUWx2sEfZ-JX9e9sZACJ1Htio3eLvor3/s1600/my-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="my-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWp4nNOVYR_TnAkds4N3wM6zeNoItY6IVq_nzmMt0YSgs81KubNPC8I2_9Cpn32zXsXE-mFf3jg4SLcb_vk9AAO3w9HJsOxHQ26aeqUWx2sEfZ-JX9e9sZACJ1Htio3eLvor3/s320/my-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale.JPG" title="my-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale" width="240" /></a>On the second day of my of journey, I was whisked away from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to cruise Broward county’s Intracoastal Waterway aboard captain Mark Husk’s yacht <i>Don’t Blink</i>.<br />
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We met affable Captain Husk of <a href="http://www.myyachtexperience.com/" target="_blank">My Yacht Experience</a> at the dock located behind Bokamper’s on the Intracoastal, about three miles south of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.<br />
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We cruised smoothly, feasting our palates on fresh fruit and our eyes on the spectacular luxury waterfront properties that line this body of water in the Venice of the Americas, so named because of the more than 300 miles of canals in the Fort Lauderdale area. I had seen these homes before when taking the water taxi around Fort Lauderdale from the 17th street bridge up the New River, but the <i>Don’t Blink</i> was fully a pleasure cruise. I sat back, enjoyed crisp mimosas served by Captain Husk’s wife and first mate, Nancy, and talked to the Captain about many a thing nautical. The service was impeccable but unobtrusive. They spoiled this jaded Miamian.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AHj6zoVCC6gLbBBveibZZcysnKX9pWySxexGI6RHtIRFw6c2woIpUoyHQSwZdvrqy2Y17VnAbJ8_AE-fDUbf2r_LsUMphr_zl3BMCAWEBd619E0jKnHOPaWVFsr15rKnUk5/s1600/captain-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale-intracoastal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="my-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AHj6zoVCC6gLbBBveibZZcysnKX9pWySxexGI6RHtIRFw6c2woIpUoyHQSwZdvrqy2Y17VnAbJ8_AE-fDUbf2r_LsUMphr_zl3BMCAWEBd619E0jKnHOPaWVFsr15rKnUk5/s320/captain-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale-intracoastal.JPG" title="my-yacht-experience-fort-lauderdale" width="320" /></a></div>On the way back to Bokamper’s, I went below to the after berth to receive a phone call. The gentle movement of the boat lulled me into a brief but delicious nap. This wasn’t a speedboat with loud obnoxious music, the kind of which you frequently find on Miami’s waters. My yacht experience was all about relaxation aboard a delightfully comfortable vessel.<br />
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During the cruise, we fantasized about which home we’d call our own -- I was partial to Wayne Huizenga’s multimillion dollar estate on the New River and its bell tower featuring blue tiles -- but the simplicity of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was pulling my heartstrings. I longed for a simple room by the sea.<br />
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<h3>Southern Seas</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SxzPd2lC__LQh4cyJrLa7IvrOgPJFeAg6ww-uYwSPQwzJAOUrJd5rmLypfMXIo6nV0OQkU-2qitO5rsvig3jWnWCICszAMZuPFtlk1AAL1qs8Xk4dlvtqjfxLvz8SZFZZOTn/s1600/seagrape-tree-south-seas-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea-southern-seas" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SxzPd2lC__LQh4cyJrLa7IvrOgPJFeAg6ww-uYwSPQwzJAOUrJd5rmLypfMXIo6nV0OQkU-2qitO5rsvig3jWnWCICszAMZuPFtlk1AAL1qs8Xk4dlvtqjfxLvz8SZFZZOTn/s320/seagrape-tree-south-seas-lauderdale.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea-southern-seas" width="320" /></a></div>At <a href="http://www.southern-seas.com/" target="_blank">Southern Seas</a>, I got what my heart desired. A magnificent sea grape tree greeted me at this intimate, two-story resort. I held my breath for a moment: the only imposing structure between my body and the ocean was this native Florida tree. I thought about that for more than a moment: <em>just one tree</em>. <br />
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Years ago, when I lived in South Beach and construction cranes became more common than herons wading in Miami’s waters, I gave Miami Beach a new name: Beachhattan. At that point in the island’s history of unregulated development, the tide had turned. All anyone can see today at ground level is cars and concrete. The best views of the ocean belong to the one-percenters who live in their gilded towers.<br />
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Except here. <br />
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<div style="border-image: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIGWKeDbkEW-eh70tiHgAYr0NVb5qO8GOhlArG1Y1kjMVuVGTPUMWpsR4yEfldhS89gRiLZ43tqY-qXMMISgpllLXsd_9TUX544DFTcbPzK0Jt9d0NFAbc1OYT2XtpAjFC33X/s1600/south-seas-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea-southern-seas" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIGWKeDbkEW-eh70tiHgAYr0NVb5qO8GOhlArG1Y1kjMVuVGTPUMWpsR4yEfldhS89gRiLZ43tqY-qXMMISgpllLXsd_9TUX544DFTcbPzK0Jt9d0NFAbc1OYT2XtpAjFC33X/s320/south-seas-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea-southern-seas" width="320" /></a>During the yacht tour earlier in the day, I had seen million dollar homes and concrete giants along the waterway. And here, at Southern Seas, all that invaded my senses was this tree, a few coconut palms, beach grass on the dunes – all residents of the plant kingdom who are perfectly at home by the shores of the Atlantic. The modest building seemed like a respectful afterthought to nature. “This is all I need,” I said. “All I need.”</div><br />
My lovely room afforded me an unobstructed view of the sea and after some rest, I headed out to the beach where the only the only trash I found was a garland of seaweed. A gift from the sea.<br />
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I whispered these words into the wind: “This is all I need.”<br />
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Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-breakaway-inn.html" target="">Breakaway Inn</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-driftwood-beach-club.html">Driftwood Beach Club</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SxzPd2lC__LQh4cyJrLa7IvrOgPJFeAg6ww-uYwSPQwzJAOUrJd5rmLypfMXIo6nV0OQkU-2qitO5rsvig3jWnWCICszAMZuPFtlk1AAL1qs8Xk4dlvtqjfxLvz8SZFZZOTn/s1600/seagrape-tree-south-seas-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-86066390750973223562016-06-12T06:30:00.000-04:002016-06-14T12:57:59.143-04:00Romance Row: Breakaway Inn and Guest House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEvJWobGRYoYeW2IRISRiaARfTo9i3MUb1HfiHMUJ8vpVJiiJ7nvfD_lEQDXCjiVSQyOlbyAfEBWt_kTkI3beZMrAeV-v45m7nTkaGonUp8ZfsA5NJuJgR5g9Jk6r7v4Xzg3e/s1600/breakaway-inn-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEvJWobGRYoYeW2IRISRiaARfTo9i3MUb1HfiHMUJ8vpVJiiJ7nvfD_lEQDXCjiVSQyOlbyAfEBWt_kTkI3beZMrAeV-v45m7nTkaGonUp8ZfsA5NJuJgR5g9Jk6r7v4Xzg3e/s400/breakaway-inn-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRLTxxa_65cnHtwnqwoxVwaqdErBqNG904lCZ06nRFIECCTjSDgRUeC7VPOtY1rLs8hQ51fDv9wKpVhqnMylRPwTbAjk5if0oDumnZP9MRckqwVWTDSZoabr1BMPrMvL0zp4k/s1600/breakaway-inn-cat-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
</div><i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Tuesday, April 19, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>Mi Casa es Su Casa</h3><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRLTxxa_65cnHtwnqwoxVwaqdErBqNG904lCZ06nRFIECCTjSDgRUeC7VPOtY1rLs8hQ51fDv9wKpVhqnMylRPwTbAjk5if0oDumnZP9MRckqwVWTDSZoabr1BMPrMvL0zp4k/s1600/breakaway-inn-cat-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRLTxxa_65cnHtwnqwoxVwaqdErBqNG904lCZ06nRFIECCTjSDgRUeC7VPOtY1rLs8hQ51fDv9wKpVhqnMylRPwTbAjk5if0oDumnZP9MRckqwVWTDSZoabr1BMPrMvL0zp4k/s320/breakaway-inn-cat-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" /></a>After my day of quiet and solitude at Southern Seas, I spent a different kind of day with a new set of friends who treated me like family. Margaret and Andrew Winiarczyk own and run the Breakaway Inn and Guest House along with Margaret’s sprightly, fashionable mother Michelle and three very lazy cats, Frosty, Goober and Mimi.<br />
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<a href="http://breakawayinn.com/" target="_blank">The Breakaway Inn and Guest House</a> is located about 300 yards from the beach, which takes it off “romance row” on El Mar Drive. But that’s just fine. The Breakaway Inn does “break away” from the row because the owners live on the premises. They would be completely justified in putting a sign on their front door that reads “welcome to our home” because it feels like home.<br />
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<h3>Romancing the Mango</h3><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MR6SOc-NfjdWbg4M2ckxbpN773GcGXvngNVTDkwRyC11u9Tn5shr0hRF09oEAy_9fOffE2gI36DCVvYygXj4MYg3odeGmIV6OjTiai8HafG9BkVPp9WBxCbYMx_3h5GIi6jb/s1600/breakaway-inn-mango-jam-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MR6SOc-NfjdWbg4M2ckxbpN773GcGXvngNVTDkwRyC11u9Tn5shr0hRF09oEAy_9fOffE2gI36DCVvYygXj4MYg3odeGmIV6OjTiai8HafG9BkVPp9WBxCbYMx_3h5GIi6jb/s320/breakaway-inn-mango-jam-lauderdale.JPG" /></a>Save for sleeping in my cozy room and taking an evening dip in the pool, I spent most of my time at the Breakaway Inn with Margaret, Andrew and two other couples in the main courtyard by the barbecue. We lazed the hours away talking about everything under the sun and later, the moon.<br />
<br />
One couple was from Vancouver, the other from Berlin; each couple has stayed at the property every year for nearly a decade. That’s an impressive number of repeat visits for a boutique property that has been open for 14 years.<br />
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One of the benefits of staying in small lodgings with equipped kitchens is the opportunity to share food with friends. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a village that attracts friendly visitors who bring their own brand of hospitality. An impromptu potluck happened and they insisted on sharing their meal with me.<br />
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The couple from Vancouver made their version of a sushi roll with sockeye salmon they had caught in Canada. The Berlin couple shared boiled shrimp and homemade tzatziki. Wine flowed just as easily as the conversation.<br />
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I took a little tour of the property and discovered that Andrew was growing herbs, greens and vegetables in raised beds in a narrow alleyway. The garden plantings include mint, parsley, dill, lettuce and even green onion.<br />
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And then Margaret offered me a jar of homemade mango jam from a large tree behind the building. I acted like a giggly child, as if I could believe in Santa Claus again.<br />
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I have been on press trips to some of the world’s most luxurious five-star properties. Five-course gourmet dinners lasting several hours with multiple sommeliers at my service is an experience I can scratch off my bucket list.<br />
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Yet this simple mango jam tops any swag from the world’s finest. Take your Ritz-Carlton turndown service pillow chocolates any day. I’ll keep this jam!<br />
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The jam is perfect because it’s not overly sweet and how could it be? It would upstage the heart of the woman who made it with love.<br />
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I went to bed somewhat begrudging the fact that I’d have to pack up and leave the next morning. I said farewell knowing that from now on, every time I visit Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, I will stop by and say hello to Margaret, Andrew, Michelle and three very lazy cats.<br />
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Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn.html">Tides Inn</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-yacht-southern-seas.html">My Yacht Experience and Southern Seas</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-40388406254885314882016-06-12T06:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T12:59:07.155-04:00Romance Row: The Tides Inn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_F2BdVlHXwywJkoA7jjell7_SOg6yUz0DQYjbwD474PdcnJEfxG2DlNJ-Vo6y-A04NERWoGklVf9abzrnyEu0umKSRSyJNfED-1iE1tEEa21SJu0fb6cg0BT25_H5ZrIV8m2/s1600/tides-inn-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_F2BdVlHXwywJkoA7jjell7_SOg6yUz0DQYjbwD474PdcnJEfxG2DlNJ-Vo6y-A04NERWoGklVf9abzrnyEu0umKSRSyJNfED-1iE1tEEa21SJu0fb6cg0BT25_H5ZrIV8m2/s640/tides-inn-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Wednesday, April 20, 2016<br />
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<h3>Retro Relaxation</h3><br />
My time enjoying great company at the Breakaway Inn and Guest House was short-lived. But as a writer, I also welcome solitude. <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn.html" target="_blank">The Tides Inn</a> afforded me just that in an updated 1950s boutique hotel appointed with chic, retro décor.<br />
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Writers are peculiar: we need to be with people in order to write but we also need to be alone in order to write. And four days into my journey, I got that precious gift: a whole day to myself.<br />
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The Tides Inn, like Southern Seas, offers guests completely unobstructed views of sea and sky. My God. What to do with all that space?<br />
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When we live in congested cities full of buildings and cars, clutter and confusion becomes normal. Our senses adjust to the stress of constantly having to deal with jarring sounds, and the fact that there is something or someone around you always interrupting the flow of your energy, your personal space.<br />
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But at places like The Tides Inn, there’s an opportunity to make “silence” and “space” the new normal. For some, it’s bewildering. Most people who live in noisy cities for too long can’t handle silence: it’s “deafening” and unnerving because the nothingness of it can be scary. Wide-open spaces are equally daunting for city dwellers. Silence and space force us to look in the mirror and see who we truly are without all the distractions of the urban hustle.<br />
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Faced with the prospect of open skies, the Atlantic ocean and the sound of surf and wind, there is nothing left to do but relax and be fully present in the moment. During my 14-day stay in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, I never once turned on a television.<br />
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And so after a dip in the cool ocean and some lazy floating in the climate pool -- I just couldn’t seem to get enough of the water that day -- I took a soothing hot shower with the hotel’s line of heavenly scented bath products, slipped on the soft bathrobe the hotel provided and rested quietly with my thoughts while looking out at the sea.<br />
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<h3>Zen by the Sea</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2RW3p-GfUXT-PylSsCp4zh-1t50nkwCtYv-Bpm4EYfn3Tnxnvkz8JXJ-zrjnSCQWsqr4b24PCOTeXebzxE-3RiFLvQyTJveSVbl6YbIBeFOgho8hsELqdtrKZ7EfT-MQMwNT/s1600/tides-inn-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn" border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2RW3p-GfUXT-PylSsCp4zh-1t50nkwCtYv-Bpm4EYfn3Tnxnvkz8JXJ-zrjnSCQWsqr4b24PCOTeXebzxE-3RiFLvQyTJveSVbl6YbIBeFOgho8hsELqdtrKZ7EfT-MQMwNT/s640/tides-inn-lauderdale.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn" width="500" /></a></div><br />
The wind had picked up in the afternoon and I mused about the physics of sailing, of mastering the wind and waves to steer a course. I remembered a time when a friend of mine was preparing to compete in a regatta and went as far as sawing his toothbrush in half to lighten the sailboat’s load.<br />
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Prior to this press trip, I had taken my material possessions out of storage to take stock of my “things,” which really meant reevaluating the inventory of my life. I couldn’t believe how much I actually owned or rather, how much of it owned me.<br />
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“This is why we go on vacation,” I thought. “So that we feel free and light, unburdened by our things. Yet some of us overpack, thinking we are going to need more than we actually do. We do the same in our own closets and in our needlessly stressful, cluttered lives.”<br />
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While looking out my room’s window at the ocean and the sky, with nary a high-rise condo, a boom box or a crowd in sight – not even a palm tree! – I wondered if I could possibly live out of my modest suitcase for a long time. “Could I saw that toothbrush in half to sail through life, light and free? Could I lighten the load?” I asked myself.<br />
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The answer was yes.<br />
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“What are the things we hold on to? What are the things that truly matter?” I asked.<br />
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Well, of course, the answer is love. And then it came to me: can you hold a grain of sand or a drop of water in your hand? No. Can you hold love infinitely in your heart? Yes. And in order to do that, you must release everything in your life that you truly don’t need. Things bog us down. Love sets us free.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSU4Bwa8csQrB1UMVIb2M3oDOW7o9yL2kv2pUh0WqbSnb8vnsNTBUUmcd86AjdUmPnzzQ2bff1OJ1abGUv_xHMog14CcdhbIKPPzguwuZY4DY-YCNtm8ZDtk40WJUvm_Pc8_O/s1600/tides-inn-beachscape-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSU4Bwa8csQrB1UMVIb2M3oDOW7o9yL2kv2pUh0WqbSnb8vnsNTBUUmcd86AjdUmPnzzQ2bff1OJ1abGUv_xHMog14CcdhbIKPPzguwuZY4DY-YCNtm8ZDtk40WJUvm_Pc8_O/s640/tides-inn-beachscape-lauderdale.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
Miami’s South Beach is about accumulation. It has too much baggage. It sucks everything into its vortex and hoards. No one saws their toothbrush in half in this toxic beach, polluted by garbage and intangibles such as greed. South Beach has more than it can handle. It’s a big closet full of “things” that no one really wears and yet folks complain “I’ve got nothing to wear.” South Beach is about proving a point. It’s an island full of expectations for the already jaded; it caters to a culture of ennui and an energy of desperation. The weight of it: hi-rise condos are like ballast and the island is literally sinking. It’s impossible to relax in South Beach. There is absolutely nothing Zen about that heavily urbanized beach, which insults Mother Nature. Trashy vacationers dump their trash on her. You are how you behave. There’s no respect or dignity. Not even silence.<br />
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Yet about one hour away, there’s an enclave of Zen known as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea where an exhausted Miami writer can go sit with her thoughts, have no expectations and be rewarded with the gift of peace, silence and simple joys, like the orchid on a table and one simple carry-on suitcase she could live out of for weeks with just exactly what she needs.<br />
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Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is the kind of beach my heart desires now and I’m taking this lesson with me for the rest of my life. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a state of mind. A gift from the sea.<br />
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Can I hold a grain of sand or a drop of water in my hand? No. Because I don’t need to. I have all that I need. I am all that I need. And that is enough.<br />
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<h3>Choose Your Beach</h3><br />
The next time you choose a Florida beach destination for your vacation, think about that sawed-off toothbrush: a toxic place that is bogged down by things, like South Beach? Or a place that is light and free? Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and many other tranquil destinations in the Sunshine State rate high on Zen.<br />
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Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-tropic-seas.html">Tropic Seas</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-breakaway-inn.html">Breakaway Inn</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-80042557614700049762016-06-12T05:30:00.000-04:002016-06-14T11:48:06.226-04:00Romance Row: Tropic Seas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7AMGESdu0VEqKExrUyGkiMJiZLc6Y-WKjtmiy7jX4VBo2UiqPmpB9FBq-L-AKaFf2q9OaEnYrHpAcDg_0XuFSiCqM1z3o2Pv5sSBKgKMbp6TPkXu-Kr08xZMs7NT1Pmunyuu/s1600/tropic-seas-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="tropic-seas-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7AMGESdu0VEqKExrUyGkiMJiZLc6Y-WKjtmiy7jX4VBo2UiqPmpB9FBq-L-AKaFf2q9OaEnYrHpAcDg_0XuFSiCqM1z3o2Pv5sSBKgKMbp6TPkXu-Kr08xZMs7NT1Pmunyuu/s640/tropic-seas-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="tropic-seas-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Thursday, April 21, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>
Enchanted Shores</h3>
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On day five of my journey, I arrived at the <a href="http://tropicseasresort.com/" target="_blank">Tropic Seas Resort Motel</a>. An adorable “older” lady – it was hard to pinpoint her age as she was lively – greeted me at the front desk. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea mainly attracts families and retirees. The younger, hipster crowd? Not so much.<br />
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And that’s fine by me, because I’m in between at age 48 – not quite a baby boomer or a millennial – feeling and looking better than I did when I was physically younger. There’s a lifestyle choice that contributes to my health: when I go on vacation, I want laid back and real, not rushed and frenzied. The kid and the wiser adult in me felt comfortable spending some time together here.<br />
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Maybe that’s what makes this town so personable. Locals invested in the community were working behind the desk or managing many of the properties I explored during my stay. Some had played different roles in city government and one even served as an EMT.<br />
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I found it refreshing that people over 60 still play a vital role here, staying active and relevant in the work force. But I’d hardly call it a boring and sleepy town. Charming is a better word. Or maybe even enchanting.<br />
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My room was enchanting, too, sunny and uplifting -- painted bright yellow with blue decorative accents – two of my favorite colors in a coastal design palette.<br />
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<h3>
A Stroll on the Beach</h3>
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At Tropic Seas, I decided to enjoy another day of rest and contemplation, although there were plenty opportunities to enjoy non-motorized water sports in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The wind was still blowing a little too hard for my taste, but other more intrepid water babies were surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling and even scuba diving -- a reef is swimmable from shore.<br />
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I took a stroll down the beach at the water’s edge to Anglins Fishing Pier. The pier has been open since 1953 and on this day over a dozen fishermen had their lines in the water. One had just caught a small pompano. I walked to end and felt the power of the ocean rushing to shore under the wooden planks that separated me from the immense body of water. Piers are special places; they let you experience being out at sea while staying connected to terra firma.<br />
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Being out at sea: that’s another way to describe this seaside town; all of Romance Row feels like an island, as if it’s perched on the edge of the ocean without losing its grip from land.<br />
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<h3>
The Day Prince Died</h3>
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Legendary musician Prince lost his grip from land on the same day I was staying at Tropic Seas. His songs were the anthems of my high school years. Upon hearing news of his death, hits from <em>Purple Rain</em> flooded my memories. I was just 17 in 1984; the movie opened up a world to me of thrills and sex wrapped up in a dark and brooding melancholy. Prince’s candor was raw and magnetic. One lucky movie theater in Miami made good money off my popcorn budget in 1984. My friends and I kept coming back for more of this wickedly enthralling performer.<br />
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Over 30 years have passed since <em>Purple Rain</em>. Today, I author stories on <em>Sex and the Beach</em> and with quite a bit of sex under my belt – pun intended – I seek to regain some of the innocence lost in the drama of relationships I’ve known over the years. I am romancing myself now – something every woman should have the privilege to do in her lifetime.<br />
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Our current zeitgeist encourages us to validate our lives through social media, to covet all that it brings if properly exploited – fame, celebrity and wealth – and all this creates more baggage than any one person can carry. <br />
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Prince wasn’t carrying a simple grain of sand or a drop of water from the ocean. He lived in a compound called Paisley Park. <em>A compound</em>.<br />
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A brilliant artist like Prince must have found himself torn between the purity of his of otherworldly talent and the high price paid for the very same art that put him in the spotlight. Fame exacted its toll. <br />
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As I write this in retrospect, we still don’t know the cause of his physiological death. The burden of estate probate has already reared its ugly head and the body is barely cold. It doesn’t really matter what caused his body to collapse; he probably knew it was time to sing with the angels.<br />
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Prince left a great musical legacy to us all and Gabriel just found himself a lead singer in the chorus of heaven.<br />
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On the evening of April 21, 2016, the moon rose quietly above the sea. The moon, that glowing symbol of the feminine, just doing what it always does: nothing more, nothing less. I was alone, sitting by the dunes that evening, wrapped in a purple scarf, feeling in love with this place and with life.<br />
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I don’t need a compound. All I want is a little room by the sea. That’s exactly what I got at Tropic Seas. And that was enough.<br />
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Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-sea-food-tour.html" target="">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Food Tour</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn.html">The Tides Inn</a><br />
<i><br />
Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
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#lovefl #lovelbts<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-74051020243445121182016-06-12T05:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T11:49:43.221-04:00Romance Row: Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Food Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Friday, April 22, 2016<br />
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<h3>
Good Eats by the Sea</h3>
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All of the properties I explored in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea featured one-bedroom apartments or studios with well-equipped kitchens. Since I was bouncing around from one property to the next each day, I didn’t provision for groceries, even though cooking is my passion.<br />
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I’ll confess that I indulged in a pizza or two just out of sheer laziness – every avid cook needs a break -- which is something I never do when I’m in command of my own kitchen at home. Many of the restaurants in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea use Delivery Boys to send food to your door.<br />
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One night, I ordered a custom small pizza from <a href="http://www.carinaspizza.com/" target="_blank">Carina’s</a>. <br />
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I’m not sure if it’s something in the water or just the sunny disposition of people in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, but I could almost see the owner of the restaurant smiling on the other end of the phone when I placed a very picky request for specific toppings on a small pizza. “We can do that for you,” he said. His tone of voice was so friendly, happy to oblige. Face-to-face smiles were also the rule, not the exception, in hospitality service here, even at restaurants that weren’t part of my press trip.<br />
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This Isn't Lunch, It's a Feast</h3>
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The real foodie experience, however, came on the first Friday of my sojourn, when I spent two and a half hours with the delightful Christine Ferris of <a href="http://www.southfloridafoodtours.com/" target="_blank">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Food Tours</a>. Christine is a local who genuinely loves coastal Broward (she also leads food tours in nearby Pompano).<br />
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Christine is the kind of woman you end up calling “sunshine” after spending some time with her, enjoying all manner of delicious foods while talking about the destination. She’s knowledgeable and fun. It was a pleasure to break bread with her. And what bread! If you do this tour – and I hope you do – be prepared to eat and eat well. Let’s just say you’ll have your cake and eat it, too.<br />
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Our <em>Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Lunches</em> tour – all of which was done by foot over very a short distance -- began late morning at <a href="http://www.lacucinafl.com/" target="_blank">La Cucina Italian Market and Pizzeria</a>, where we enjoyed a fresh salad with homemade burrata and a hearty carbonara with homemade pasta. Could there be more? Yes. We then walked to <a href="http://alexsandrasrest.wix.com/new-cafe#!" target="_blank">Alexsandra’s Caribbean Café Island Cuisine</a>, where we sampled perfectly seasoned Jamaican-style jerk chicken, oxtail and Caribbean-style red beans and rice. (I’m pescetarian, but I did try everything.)<br />
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<a href="http://getreelceviche.com/" target="_blank">Get Reel Ceviche Taquería</a> followed the island fare with a fresh mahi taco served with handmade chips and a roasted poblano, garlic, lime and cilantro sauce. A refreshing strawberry wine margarita quenched our thirst.<br />
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Something sweet was in order. The health nut in me fell in love with <a href="http://www.drjuicehealth.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Juice</a>, the first raw organic juice bar in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. We enjoyed a vibrant and colorful acai bowl with fresh fruit called Almond Na Tigela.<br />
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And last but not least, I fell hard in love like a kid at a candy store at an actual candy store: <a href="https://www.janscandies.com/index.php" target="_blank">Jan’s Homemade Candies</a> serves up handmade chocolates in a quaint storefront that once garnered a mention in Paula Deen Magazine.<br />
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Every single restaurant on this tour was family owned and run. Each morsel of food was made with love. I could taste it. Love is just as important an ingredient as salt and pepper. Food made without love is bland in character, no matter how well seasoned it sits on the plate.<br />
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These restaurants were delightfully un-corporate and that’s precisely what inspired Christine. “I wanted to support small, locally owned businesses,” she said. “Keep people local, support the little guys, including myself.”<br />
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During the tour, we stopped by several colorful metal sculptures by Mexico-based artist <a href="http://www.huckfisher.com/index.php" target="_blank">Laura Fisher Huck</a>. Each sculpture pays homage to marine life and displays an educational plaque on its platform. <br />
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The tour concluded with a stop at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CoastBeInspired/" target="_blank">Coast Boutique</a>, which asks customers to “be inspired” by its wares made by local artists. The boutique, which sells handcrafted gifts, home accessories and jewelry, is heaven for a gal like me who loves coastal-inspired design. As tour guests, we enjoyed complimentary rum punch and left with the gift of a souvenir -- The Coast Pendant -- a short, delicate silver-toned chain necklace featuring a sand dollar design on a pendant. The design is actually the store’s logo. <br />
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Coast Boutique also sells t-shirts by <a href="http://stokedonsalt.com/" target="_blank">Stoked on Salt!</a> (SOS). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of SOS apparel supports SOS’ mission to preserve and protect living coral reef systems and create public awareness. SOS is based in Fort Lauderdale.<br />
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<h3>
Bon Appetit</h3>
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Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Lunches is just one of Christine’s offerings. She also hosts a dinner at one of her choice restaurants once a month as well as other food experiences. At this writing, the Lunches costs $49.99 per adult and includes all five plentiful tastings, one craft adult beverage and incentives for return visits to some of the restaurants. Service during the tour is faster than usual because of the nature of the experience. Expect slower service when you dine on your own. (If you’re rushing through a meal in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, however, you’re doing it wrong.)<br />
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Visit <a href="http://www.southfloridfoodtours.com/" target="_blank">South Florida Food Tours</a> for more information.<br />
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Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sea-spray-inn.html">Sea Spray Inn</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-tropic-seas.html">Tropic Seas</a><br />
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<em>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</em><br />
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#lovefl #lovelbts<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-10196641967633860502016-06-12T04:30:00.000-04:002016-06-14T13:04:26.907-04:00Romance Row: Sea Spray Inn<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqDweBGZsVHc5haRLOnrk7rRxtYRA0HhbBeamZW_hlS5UdwNv8lCSeYnp9x1rZXLhKm09d4q5WXpKF7NGuln2m9eW2AJ5R4itYbNXM4C225UGr-U9q2eZ3nsGn1qQi79efKco/s1600/sea-spray-room-interior-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="sea-spray-inn-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqDweBGZsVHc5haRLOnrk7rRxtYRA0HhbBeamZW_hlS5UdwNv8lCSeYnp9x1rZXLhKm09d4q5WXpKF7NGuln2m9eW2AJ5R4itYbNXM4C225UGr-U9q2eZ3nsGn1qQi79efKco/s640/sea-spray-room-interior-lauderdale.JPG" title="sea-spray-inn-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Sea Spray Inn</td></tr>
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<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Friday, April 22, 2016<br />
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<h3>Seashells</h3><br />
After the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-sea-food-tour.html">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Lunches food tour</a>, my tummy was pretty full. Fortunately, my next stop involved a tastefully decorated apartment at the <a href="https://www.seasprayinn-santabarbarainn-resort.com/ssi-home.html" target="_blank">Sea Spray Inn</a>, where a plush bed beckoned me to nap.<br />
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The exterior of this small, neatly landscaped property was painted my favorite nautical colors, bright blue and yellow. The interior of my suite, by contrast, was decorated in soothing whites, greys, soft yellows and metallic hues. A mirrored silver tray rested on a grey ottoman in the living room. Written on the white wall, in elegant cursive, was the following message: “Welcome. May all who come as guests leave as friends.”<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Sea Spray Inn</td></tr>
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I decided to hold off sleep for later. There was the sea, right across the street, which I could see part of as I sat on the balcony. I was content to simply watch the world go by, feeling satisfied and happy as a clam.<br />
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Once again, the mantra for this trip – “Can you hold a grain of sand or a drop of water in your hand?” -- shored up to consciousness. I brought the sand dollar pendant from Coast Boutique up to my chin. I thought about seashells, or more specifically, of the soft, fleshy creatures who call them home.<br />
<br />
Most mollusks create a hard, protective coating around their bodies made of calcium carbonate. The animal literally carries its home on its back and surrenders, to some degree, to the powerful currents of the ocean. At the end of its life, this “home” may wash ashore, much to the pleasure of beachcombers. (The best places for shelling in Florida are the islands of Sanibel and Captiva on the Gulf Coast. Their geographic shape and placement scoops up shell-laden currents.)<br />
<br />
The plucky hermit crab, who is technically a crustacean, is perhaps the most famous shell dweller. It squats inside a salvaged seashell and moves from one “home” to another several times during its lifetime. In between one piece of real estate and another, it becomes vulnerable to predators when its body is exposed.<br />
<br />
<h3>Happy As a Clam</h3><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmjRJPhGHsW33V1hJEFTs2Ow5EMCNn4uYgFG5t2r5KM7bx2FvMEBg47Et9qqvQygQ1Hk9sl9_dLi4McXpXh15UQz3ibKTYayzM8e8mDLxALFNbLpSnmjoqMh8uOqvPjd1lDD-/s1600/sea-spray-beach-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="sea-spray-inn-lauderdale" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmjRJPhGHsW33V1hJEFTs2Ow5EMCNn4uYgFG5t2r5KM7bx2FvMEBg47Et9qqvQygQ1Hk9sl9_dLi4McXpXh15UQz3ibKTYayzM8e8mDLxALFNbLpSnmjoqMh8uOqvPjd1lDD-/s640/sea-spray-beach-lauderdale.JPG" title="sea-spray-inn-lauderdale" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Sea Spray Inn</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
My beau was visiting me later that day. The apartment certainly provided a romantic setting for a quiet evening. While I waited for him to arrive, I thought about our first few months together and how this relationship required me to surrender and make myself vulnerable, much like the hermit crab when it moves from one borrowed dwelling to another. Most of this relationship has involved me coming out from hiding under my shell and dissolving a tough exterior. I had been a hermit in my heart in order to protect myself from hurt. I had been carrying the weight of old romances on my shoulders and here I was, in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, at a hotel whose motto is “The little resort with the a big heart,” contemplating how easy and liberating it would be to just live out of one suitcase. Baggage be gone!<br />
<br />
I’m keenly aware now of a different kind of romance that I wasn’t wise enough to endure in my younger years. Romance isn’t a Hollywood movie with a happy ending; it’s an ever-evolving practice. I no longer let the currents of a selfish passion toss me around like a hapless seashell, only to wash ashore wasted by misguided feelings of fear and insecurity. I work with the current of love now, not against it. I surrender. Letting go of control opens up my heart.<br />
<br />
Home is where the heart is but you can’t find your heart if it’s smothered by a protective shell. Yes, you do need some boundaries, some barrier between yourself and those who enter your space with negative energy – let those lovers bounce off away from you. Learn that lesson.<br />
<br />
But the heart can never expand and be free within the confines of a hardened exterior that carries so much pain. Love requires a certain vulnerability, a great deal of courage and surrender. A lover does more than penetrate past the shell into the soft, fleshy parts of the body; he enters the dark caves of a woman’s heart and embraces all that she is: her anger, fears and doubts along with her joys, hopes and dreams.<br />
<br />
Maybe that was that day’s gift from the sea: a lesson about the life of seashells. I may think the shell is being tossed about by the whim of ocean currents but perhaps the mollusk inside the shell is really happy to just drift along, trusting the process.<br />
I was happy as a clam here at the Sea Spray Inn, just sitting on the balcony, watching the world go by, waiting my for my love to arrive, feeling perfectly safe and protected, yet open enough to receive love.<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-high-noon.html">High Noon</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-sea-food-tour.html">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Food Tour</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts<br />
<br />
Photo credit: <a href="https://www.seasprayinn-santabarbarainn-resort.com/ssi-home.html" target="_blank">Sea Spray Inn</a><br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-28905663782420735572016-06-12T04:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T13:06:02.331-04:00Romance Row: Aruba and High Noon Beach Resort<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ps4fq_JO8R2MtELZEr4m73OiwzJ2Lzwc80j9q-ibnRAIGVi1c_2RxCey2D3kil5Bze8hsVizod8gfTulhdl4Q_69kO6ZLfG778-47xzgHdkW6G3t1poS46r3JsDsUsja3AwD/s1600/high-noon-hotel-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="high-noon-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ps4fq_JO8R2MtELZEr4m73OiwzJ2Lzwc80j9q-ibnRAIGVi1c_2RxCey2D3kil5Bze8hsVizod8gfTulhdl4Q_69kO6ZLfG778-47xzgHdkW6G3t1poS46r3JsDsUsja3AwD/s640/high-noon-hotel-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="high-noon-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Saturday, April 23, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>Journey First, Journal Later</h3><br />
After a good night’s rest, my beau and I headed to our next stop: <a href="http://www.highnoonresort.com/" target="_blank">High Noon Beach Resort</a> just up the street on Romance Row. At this point, after experiencing six properties with three more to go, I wasn’t sure if it was even humanly possible to write about them with any measure of detachment and objectivity. I’m glad I waited two weeks to start penning this memoir. Sometimes, you need to step away from being in the moment to describe that moment.<br />
<br />
And what moments they were. I never imagined that getting away from it all would bring so much back to me, so many flashes of insight just by taking precious time to just listen to the song of the sea.<br />
<br />
High Noon Beach Resort is a family owned and operated property consisting of four small buildings that face the ocean on El Mar Drive. I stayed at the High Noon’s main building, which features a lush tropical courtyard surrounded by palm trees and tiki huts. The centerpiece is a heated freshwater pool. My room, which the owner explained was renovated just last month, was stunning and decorated in my favorite hues of sunny yellow and indigo blue. My window faced the courtyard with the ocean in plain sight.<br />
<br />
As soon as we dropped off our luggage, we gazed into each other’s eyes eager to satiate an intense desire for closeness, but my tummy made funny noises. Hunger won out instead. Love would have to wait. We laughed and walked over to Aruba Beach Cafe for brunch.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3>Aruba Beach Café</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUsl12OUENoa7cq2sCAUxG7ON25WhrJGaO5OyKYhT-2V2PUKbIvgHUGV0hvNl5ef-OYyl7GGR5HNDBUiNrwtVAMl3FHlu1BvuxT9RUQX_GLQL6qhhMXYPKhXfowXgDNwDbHyM/s1600/aruba-cafe-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="aruba-beach-cafe-lauderdale" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUsl12OUENoa7cq2sCAUxG7ON25WhrJGaO5OyKYhT-2V2PUKbIvgHUGV0hvNl5ef-OYyl7GGR5HNDBUiNrwtVAMl3FHlu1BvuxT9RUQX_GLQL6qhhMXYPKhXfowXgDNwDbHyM/s640/aruba-cafe-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="aruba-beach-cafe-lauderdale" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://arubabeachcafe.com/" target="_blank">Aruba Beach Cafe</a> is a Caribbean-themed restaurant, bar and music venue located next to Anglin’s Pier and the village’s gathering place, Pelican Square. Late that Saturday morning, Aruba was packed with families but the atmosphere was relaxed and casual.<br />
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Floor-to-ceiling windows line the entire restaurant, so just about every seat affords a panoramic view of the beach.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cxdd1UUBi5_nzEd3G_TqqoHC8z8SdlRiulftB0oHq2wDjcxBCUjdlRL0JQIOqvCLt_xGuz6CivZDcHmjDqcuikKxDwYV8GuFNMLDL0J6ILf0_wbghfP6NN6QVAlCSR4Ip0cM/s1600/aruba-cafe-bread-butter-honey-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="aruba-beach-cafe-bread-lauderdale" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cxdd1UUBi5_nzEd3G_TqqoHC8z8SdlRiulftB0oHq2wDjcxBCUjdlRL0JQIOqvCLt_xGuz6CivZDcHmjDqcuikKxDwYV8GuFNMLDL0J6ILf0_wbghfP6NN6QVAlCSR4Ip0cM/s320/aruba-cafe-bread-butter-honey-lauderdale.JPG" title="aruba-beach-cafe-bread-lauderdale" width="320" /></a></div>We got lucky and sat front row for brunch. We savored a zesty Caribbean conch chowder, oysters on the half shell, a crunchy Aruba slaw, crispy coconut shrimp and the restaurant’s signature -- and may I add heavenly -- glazed Bimini Bread, which is baked daily and is served with honey butter whipped to melt-in-your-mouth velvety smoothness.<br />
<br />
Aruba Beach Cafe doubles as the closest thing to a nightclub in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. I stayed in every night during my sojourn, but I did stroll by one evening and found adults enjoying cocktails, live music and a twirl on the dance floor. No lines, bouncers or pretension here. Leave all that behind when you cross the bridge into city limits.<br />
<br />
<h3>Sacred Spaces by the Sea</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsYQRUMNS3rYw05fBRq1O-qsnS9d-xhxDQZ_D_5_eS5MeOaubgGB0Qn7x1caR_0v1nykOdRXpOnK3esmfBlkblx8umqi6pZ7tyaP2mV3L-V1mKjlm1gIpqliAex86rT59gE_r/s1600/drum-circle-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="beach-drum-circle-lauderdale" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsYQRUMNS3rYw05fBRq1O-qsnS9d-xhxDQZ_D_5_eS5MeOaubgGB0Qn7x1caR_0v1nykOdRXpOnK3esmfBlkblx8umqi6pZ7tyaP2mV3L-V1mKjlm1gIpqliAex86rT59gE_r/s640/drum-circle-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="beach-drum-circle-lauderdale" width="500" /></a></div><br />
Later that day, the beau returned to Miami for a spell, so I had the whole afternoon to myself. A couple of hours before sunset, I set out to the beach, which was only 50 feet from my room at High Noon. I longed to sit on the sand and just listen to the soothing sound of the waves cresting and crashing on the shore.<br />
<br />
Beaches are sacred spaces where mother ocean performs her song of the sea. Mother ocean is everyone’s mother. We spend the first nine months of our lives suspended in liquid inside our mother’s body, listening to her heartbeat, floating inside the womb, our first cradle. Birth is a rude awakening from that watery realm of comfort.<br />
<br />
Within a short while, I heard a distinct sound coming from the distance that wasn’t the song of the sea. I walked toward that sound and soon enough recognized something familiar to my ears.<br />
<br />
I had discovered a drum circle on Romance Row! <br />
<br />
Drum circles are also sacred spaces. Drummers conjure up spiraling energy around a circular space where dancers move in tandem with the earthly vibration of the drums. Drum circles on a beach connect with the rhythm of the waves.<br />
<br />
I knew from my experience as a drum circle drummer and dancer that you don’t just walk into that sacred space. I closed my eyes, expressed gratitude and asked silently for the honor to enter that space.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR1b7mFdcpJ7Q_JJbLZf0BDqiRuNxllt0xFrrOUaN3OThstDUEBnx3tMmLyzJoaXnJgZjyLQWfGgcMkZkXTzejXoA913ju3OFUcno8oFxHv9P8Qu8ms36qCJwfzRfzA6ZH0cB/s1600/drum-circle-djembe.jpg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR1b7mFdcpJ7Q_JJbLZf0BDqiRuNxllt0xFrrOUaN3OThstDUEBnx3tMmLyzJoaXnJgZjyLQWfGgcMkZkXTzejXoA913ju3OFUcno8oFxHv9P8Qu8ms36qCJwfzRfzA6ZH0cB/s320/drum-circle-djembe.jpg.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I had arrived at the end of the afternoon event, which the folks there, basking in the gleam of their own smiles, seemed to have enjoyed. The children continued to play with glee and I missed my African djembe drum terribly. But instead of focusing on what I was missing, I became deeply aware of what I was witnessing: a sense of connectedness and joy in a community that respects the beach.<br />
<br />
The drum circle tells a story of a community in tune with source; it manifests a moment in time in which a group of individuals agree to create music spontaneously as a collective whole. Drum circles enact this contract. Dancers enter the sacred space of the circle and translate the vibrant energy of sound into form. There is no right or wrong. Frenzied or slow, everyone is in it together. The result is nothing short of exhilarating.<br />
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Drum circles are about connection, not separation. That is why you ask for permission to enter: the ego stays outside. Within the circle, you forget yourself by being yourself so intensely that you surrender to oneness. Drum circles nurture love and respect, summoning even strangers to its center with the intense gravitational pull of unconditional love.<br />
<br />
<h3>Baptism Under the Stars</h3><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoYOGWlhqx6mO02r2gnKBIxxkC7EP9bSPR8zwp2YN1YWH3csFu-MMuE5MgfavADyp0UKeQ01zJODyUPqrIssXUvk1z_n0cBXot6HEkHRHGq5ogFWMlASbhT_HLQFDUhB1VVvk/s1600/high-noon-pool-lauderdale.jpg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoYOGWlhqx6mO02r2gnKBIxxkC7EP9bSPR8zwp2YN1YWH3csFu-MMuE5MgfavADyp0UKeQ01zJODyUPqrIssXUvk1z_n0cBXot6HEkHRHGq5ogFWMlASbhT_HLQFDUhB1VVvk/s640/high-noon-pool-lauderdale.jpg.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: High Noon Resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Later that night, I took a dip in High Noon’s freshwater pool. Immersing my body in the warm, salty water gave me immense pleasure, and is it any wonder? I had spent the day listening to mother ocean sing her song, which reminded me of the first few months of my life in the womb. And then I entered another sacred space, the drum circle, where I celebrated life in the form of rhythm, my own heart beat soothed by a sense of connectedness to others. It was perfect.<br />
<br />
I dunked my head in the warm, silky water once more knowing my beau would arrive soon. I floated gently, looking up at the stars. “This is more of a high midnight than a high noon,” I thought. “This water is bringing me back to life.”<br />
<br />
I was awash with bliss. My heart beat softly. I vowed silently to take that feeling home with me as a souvenir from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. I promised myself to always honor the sacred space of my heart.<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-4145-by-sea.html">4145 By the Sea</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sea-spray-inn.html">Sea Spray Inn</a><br />
<br />
<em>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</em><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-44282726579617448472016-06-12T03:30:00.000-04:002016-06-14T13:08:10.767-04:00Romance Row: Sea Watch and 4145 By the Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WoHqSijfF1SM2Jl7naw41jD7WsdfCH_l1t72sp7EXD0XyPIT1AZlwp5eVPdUlTZwBNdTf_o3VdZ5tflV117NXP_ig1xrQc_VMi-OrkDS-DHQNU7aNXfmA2tsQmYHmQC9ptcV/s1600/seawatch-restaurant-lauderdale-interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sea-watch--lauderdale" border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WoHqSijfF1SM2Jl7naw41jD7WsdfCH_l1t72sp7EXD0XyPIT1AZlwp5eVPdUlTZwBNdTf_o3VdZ5tflV117NXP_ig1xrQc_VMi-OrkDS-DHQNU7aNXfmA2tsQmYHmQC9ptcV/s640/seawatch-restaurant-lauderdale-interior.JPG" title="sea-watch--lauderdale" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<em>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the </em><a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html"><em>story map</em></a><em> to navigate this travel memoir.</em><br />
<br />
Sunday, April 24, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>Sea Watch on the Ocean</h3><br />
<a href="http://www.4145bythesea.com/" target="_blank">4145 By the Sea</a> is just off of Romance Row on El Mar Drive. My room was located at the back of the property on the second floor and featured a private deck for al fresco dining. I didn’t mind that it was a couple of blocks from the beach; in fact, the promise of quiet seclusion felt just right.<br />
<br />
But before I’d enjoy my time at 4145, the beau and I headed out to explore further afield. We discovered <a href="http://seawatchontheocean.com/" target="_blank">Sea Watch</a>, a nautical-themed restaurant located in the Sea Ranch neighborhood just one mile north of 4145.<br />
<br />
Sea Watch sits on a bluff facing tall dunes on which sea grasses flourish. Our table was surrounded by glass panes that let us gaze upon the intense blue of the sky and the rich green of the vegetation. Coconut palms and sea grapes drew our eyes away from each other toward the Atlantic. Inside, oak beams, rope and brass echoed the interior of a grand Windjammer.<br />
<br />
Sea Watch definitely romances the sea.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6cSwGd1TPihL0rjS3YYjVQWtT5gN0dVnUl3HMSVDQb_DoCCcCXVNWrwGLse657R4QmczH3QSHVZ5Xb4YDg_gnBkhO3e5tScf5XrofSLIUs-8q2NWCTaB0Sp6HAID2CMxdABO/s1600/seawatch-restaurant-grouper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sea-watch-lauderdale-grouper" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6cSwGd1TPihL0rjS3YYjVQWtT5gN0dVnUl3HMSVDQb_DoCCcCXVNWrwGLse657R4QmczH3QSHVZ5Xb4YDg_gnBkhO3e5tScf5XrofSLIUs-8q2NWCTaB0Sp6HAID2CMxdABO/s640/seawatch-restaurant-grouper.JPG" title="sea-watch-lauderdale-grouper" width="500" /></a></div><br />
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man who eats pasta at a seafood restaurant must not be in want of wife who will persuade him to try the day’s catch. But I didn’t take it personally. We’ve only been together for little more than a year. Marriage is still a distant prospect. To be fair, he always relishes whatever I cook.<br />
<br />
I wanted to eat local so about twenty minutes after my glass of Chardonnay was set on the table, a tender, lightly seasoned, freshly-caught filet of grouper appeared on my plate along with grilled asparagus and a side of dill butter -- all served with that signature Lauderdale-by-the-Sea hospitality smile I’d already come to recognize.<br />
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After our meal, we walked through the dunes. Tall shrubs flanked a tight path to the wide open beach where the Atlantic meets the shore.<br />
<br />
He stole a kiss. Well, actually, he thought he stole it; I gave it freely. It is also a truth universally acknowledged that in order to keep romance alive, a woman must always keep her man guessing.<br />
<br />
There was no guessing about what would happen later that Sunday afternoon. Monday was calling and he begrudgingly returned to Miami. I settled into my comfortable apartment at 4145 By the Sea, missing my beloved but happy to call this little corner of paradise all my own.<br />
<br />
<h3>Sleeping Beauty</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqshiWbLXj2v3Hqpf-oSxKMy7hgZ0WHfMKGwqekC5xwEiIJegd_PvvZZxMx-d7CuhQEXAe9S40hmT7_0-5hAv4mXLAxYilrIIxWaxsJfsDe9Rk2OSNQ4AKgbX87ylekiWJJ3v_/s1600/4145-by-the-sea-lauderdale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="4145-by-the-sea-lauderdale-bed" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqshiWbLXj2v3Hqpf-oSxKMy7hgZ0WHfMKGwqekC5xwEiIJegd_PvvZZxMx-d7CuhQEXAe9S40hmT7_0-5hAv4mXLAxYilrIIxWaxsJfsDe9Rk2OSNQ4AKgbX87ylekiWJJ3v_/s640/4145-by-the-sea-lauderdale.png" title="4145-by-the-sea-lauderdale-bed" width="500" /></a></div><br />
I’m not quite sure what happened once I plunked my body down on the couch of that cozy modern maritime living room, but I entered what seemed like another dimension, some primeval space of deep rest. A place I hadn't visited in a long time. A place that was foreign yet strangely familiar. <br />
<br />
I could feel my mind drifting off into this place of profound relaxation. I was surrendering to ease, distant from the dis-ease of Miami.<br />
<br />
I can only describe this memory of bliss as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s proprietary brand of chill pill, which is free of cost if you’re willing to accept that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing nothing while on vacation. In fact, it’s always just what the doctor ordered. Busy vacations aren’t healthy. If your vacation is more stressful than your daily grind, you’re doing it wrong. You don’t return home well rested and then you need a vacation to recover from your vacation.<br />
<br />
Pack sunscreen, not stress.<br />
<br />
I gave myself permission to be a shameless couch potato in my woman cave at 4145 by the Sea.<br />
<br />
My journey’s mantra paid me a visit. “Can you hold a grain of sand or a drop of water in your hand?”<br />
<br />
“No, you can’t,” I replied. “It’s not practical.”<br />
<br />
But who cares? Today wasn’t a day for inquiry. Today was a peaceful day made possible by the glaring absence of worry. Busy wasn’t invited. Lazy wasn’t on the guest list, either. I did, however, fling the door open for healing. There is a world of difference between laziness and the healing properties of meditative rest.<br />
<br />
I remembered a day on the beach long ago when one of my yoga mentors, Gaia Budhai, quoted Rumi: “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the ocean in a drop.”<br />
<br />
I had to sleep on that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzCh0RMfJ77H97DyfMCwBtq_VCD5sX7cQzO7BW1a9UbmYvV9yfTcGPc3ruDDuMQqqlv7sm3ASLqshFojngqpvGedQu2UdwBd8tw93et11MaPW5ffKLGoQCBGyYcFXyFFJ_63r/s1600/apples-mango-jam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="apple-mango-jam" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzCh0RMfJ77H97DyfMCwBtq_VCD5sX7cQzO7BW1a9UbmYvV9yfTcGPc3ruDDuMQqqlv7sm3ASLqshFojngqpvGedQu2UdwBd8tw93et11MaPW5ffKLGoQCBGyYcFXyFFJ_63r/s640/apples-mango-jam.JPG" title="apple-mango-jam" width="500" /></a></div><br />
After a nap, I took a dip in that ocean full of drops. By dusk, I had already settled in for the evening. I ate a light snack of apple slices and mango jam from the Breakaway Inn, jotted down some words in my journal and thought about being an ocean within a drop of water.<br />
<br />
“Enough with writing,” I told myself. “Go to sleep.” I turned off the laptop, the phone and the lights. I tucked myself into that big wide bed that felt like a cloud.<br />
<br />
The ocean within soothed me to sleep that night; she lulled me into a slumber so sweet, that I missed a knock on the door in the early morning. In the quiet of night, I dreamt of sea turtles gliding on the currents of the sea.<br />
<br />
I woke awash with serenity and couldn’t recognize my face in the mirror. Since I arrived in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, I’d been thinking about how freeing it would be to live out of just one suitcase. I’d been taking stock of all the emotional baggage I’ve been carrying around my whole life. <br />
<br />
And on this morning, the bags under my eyes were gone.<br />
<br />
Was this beauty sleep another gift from the sea? In order to receive this gift, I had to unlearn Miami habits. And I knew then that I would always yearn for regular doses of the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea chill pill. Just what the doctor always orders.<br />
<br />
I heard a rap on the door. The taxi driver had returned to fetch me. I wondered about this drop of water that’s rather impossible to hold in your hand and that perhaps it’s just as well to carry something so elusive. Had I traveled lighter on this trip, I could’ve just walked to the next hotel. So much for baggage. I laughed and gave the driver a generous tip.<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sunny-shores.html">Sunny Shores</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-high-noon.html">High Noon Beach Resort</a><br />
<br />
<em>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</em><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-70784517960239302882016-06-12T03:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T11:43:42.034-04:00Romance Row: Sunny Shores<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoi7AQJ4NhXUlaVUkNob53592wkH79OA0TVA9_UERoXFK_nG1nk-HoTnztj6Jg32SS1OQxpoWNe-767GoBxQAPnVuVTRNvJ521sPlF7QkEaporSZQG54pb0QnDwgriS2CeaLw/s1600/sunny-shore-hotel-lauderdale-interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="sunny-shores-lauderdale" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoi7AQJ4NhXUlaVUkNob53592wkH79OA0TVA9_UERoXFK_nG1nk-HoTnztj6Jg32SS1OQxpoWNe-767GoBxQAPnVuVTRNvJ521sPlF7QkEaporSZQG54pb0QnDwgriS2CeaLw/s640/sunny-shore-hotel-lauderdale-interior.JPG" title="sunny-shores-lauderdale" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phots credit: Sunny Shores</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Monday, April 25, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>
Maps of the Heart</h3>
<br />
<a href="http://www.sunnyshores.net/" target="_blank">Sunny Shores</a> would be my next-to-last stop in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Located on El Mar Drive, the small property welcomed me after my night of heavenly sleep. I entered my apartment through an intimate and inviting courtyard shaded by palm trees. A pair of cardinals visited a bird bath fountain during my stay. The two lovebirds were surely tending to a nest on Romance Row.<br />
<br />
Like many of the properties I explored, Sunny Shores featured coastal décor in shades reminiscent of sky, sand and surf. A full-sized kitchen with a breakfast nook would make any home cook happy. I made a mental note of what delicious meals I’d prepare here if I were to stay more than a day.<br />
<br />
A replica of a vintage Florida map -- the first of its kind I’d seen here -- hung on the living room wall -- and gave my room true old Florida feel. This delighted me to no end since maps have always sparked my imagination.<br />
<br />
After settling in, I strolled over to the beach and just floated in the water. “This is my second-to-last day,” I thought. “I already miss this place.”<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0F5UEh_j0iLyuA_ZRZsJPnWDBE0DvMoc26fn4nSC5_IGFU040FJDA27vPHiwL4Dpks1IRA2Zg80aL27gm3IwsUxleYDJRYVNZpcYCdUsrcgcTrVrH7gRu19RXkrLHOzj_9N/s1600/sunny-shores-beach-interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sunny-shores-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0F5UEh_j0iLyuA_ZRZsJPnWDBE0DvMoc26fn4nSC5_IGFU040FJDA27vPHiwL4Dpks1IRA2Zg80aL27gm3IwsUxleYDJRYVNZpcYCdUsrcgcTrVrH7gRu19RXkrLHOzj_9N/s640/sunny-shores-beach-interior.JPG" title="sunny-shores-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Inspired by the map in my room, I looked out at the horizon and thought about Florida’s maritime history. The Gulf Stream, an underwater river that flows along the east coast of the peninsula, became the I-95 of the New World after Columbus staked a claim in the Bahamas in 1492. Many galleons laden with treasure sailed on this warm current that propelled them to European ports of call. Tales of voyages to and from the Caribbean abound. Pirates were often first on the scene to salvage shipwrecks along the coast from Key West to St. Augustine. Long before there were paths cut through the wilderness, the only way to experience Florida was to embark on a sea-faring adventure.<br />
<br />
I marvel at the exploits of sailors before the age of modern technology. Imagine journeying into the unknown, with only celestial navigation, astrolabes, sextants and rudimentary magnetic compasses to guide you. And of course, let’s not forget, a rolled-up chart, meticulously drawn on hide by a cartographer who dreamt of uncharted territories, of seas where mystical leviathans loomed ready to swallow ships whole and of sirens waiting patiently to lure wary sailors into their dens. These brave souls romanced the sea without electricity, GPS, satellite phones, depth finders, radars, wind gauges and weather forecasts.<br />
<br />
I asked mother ocean about my own compass. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I’d be returning to in Miami. I needed a map of my own to chart my course.<br />
<br />
She’s a goddess of few words: “If you listen to your heart,” she whispered. “You’ll never be lost at sea.”<br />
<br />
<h3>
Found Treasure</h3>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRv9Vnel5mrzJjplKnX8wQJ0FN1nIewvOCFAAPS03BFcBlvvjlL540lHAtm0yl4xnollTuDHnSbfyDHqerhWXJgHvvw1dykNRCdHg88zrnOxdNCMnam56pbmREkzPGwx2yreVf/s1600/pearl-necklace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="613" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRv9Vnel5mrzJjplKnX8wQJ0FN1nIewvOCFAAPS03BFcBlvvjlL540lHAtm0yl4xnollTuDHnSbfyDHqerhWXJgHvvw1dykNRCdHg88zrnOxdNCMnam56pbmREkzPGwx2yreVf/s640/pearl-necklace.JPG" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
My mother had passed nearly two years before this moment that found me floating in the ocean, wondering if I had lost my direction.<br />
<br />
Throughout her life, she hoarded her Sunday best for ends-of-the-week that never came. Actually, Sundays did come; she just didn’t show up for them. Like a pirate, she kept her treasures hidden in a chest, buried under the sand. She never fully and truly enjoyed the things she loved.<br />
<br />
As I cleared out my mother’s things from her home, I took stock of my own inventory and decided that every day of the week would be fitting for Sunday best, that my earthly treasures would see the light of day, get dirty and live -- live life to the fullest. Sometimes, I do chores in one of my expensive silk dresses. Why not? I’m not saving my best for a day that may never come. And I show up, believe me, I show up; the best of me must never be buried under the sand. I don’t save my best china for company. I am my own best friend. I treat her royally as I would any guest who walks through my door.<br />
<br />
There's a lesson here about hospitality: treat others like you would treat yourself and treat yourself like you would treat others. Whenever there's a disconnect, you see the true colors of a destination. No wonder I liked Lauderdale-by-the-Sea; there was always a seamless connection.<br />
<br />
So here at Sunny Shores, I reveled, like a little girl playing dress-up, in wearing a necklace that I had won at a charity auction four years prior in Boca Grande, another beach in Florida that is dear to my heart. I had never worn it; what was I waiting for? The stunning piece of jewelry, which was crafted by a local artist, caught my eye because it told a story of the sea: pearls strung together held together by two pewter fish swallowing each other’s tails, resembling the sea creatures inked on to the vellum of ancient maps.<br />
<br />
The symbol of a snake or dragon swallowing its own tail, the ourobouros, is an ancient one and embodies the romance of self: every woman is an island, ever-evolving: every beginning an end and every end a beginning.<br />
<br />
I poured myself a glass of wine and contemplated the map on the wall. I noticed an inlet. My galleon was anchored, rocking gently side to side as gentle waves caressed its hull. In the galley, I studied a navigational map and thought about charting a new course in my life, regenerating, recreating and reviving my spirit, which had become jaded, its brightness dulled by the dead-end hustle of my life in Miami.<br />
<br />
I walked over to my laptop, which was on the desk, open and plugged into the outlet, waiting for me to write. I closed its cover, shut it down and told it to rest. “You need a vacation, too, you know.”<br />
<br />
My notebook and pen came back with to the couch.<br />
<br />
<i>Can you hold a grain of sand or drop of water in your hand? As impossible as that sounds, as impractical as it may seem, defying the laws of physics even: yes, yes absolutely yes I can, because then I can truly enjoy my Sunday best every day and relish the simple little gifts that bring beauty and joy into my life. What I have doesn’t define me. Who I am, naked and raw, is what sets me free.<br />
<br />
Hoarding possessions is dangerous. Consumerism, greed, selfish vanity, the burden of being owned by things -- all this swallows us whole. Those are the real sea creatures to fear in the perilous crossings of our lives and we sink, weighed down, without direction.<br />
We can choose to look at ourselves swallowing our own tail in two ways: a cycle of renewal, the promise of dawn, the sun always rising, the sea always coming in waves -- traveling light. Or we can also let ourselves drown, weighed down by the things that don’t matter, consumed by our drive to possess that which doesn’t even belong to us, neglecting the very heart that beats and keeps us alive -- traveling with a load too big to bear.</i><br />
<br />
“That’s a beautiful necklace,” he said. He kissed me on the cheek and we walked hand-in-hand along the shore at sunset.<br />
<br />
Later that night, while he slept soundly, I put on my silk robe -- another daily extravagance that I’m not saving for that elusive Sunday, those many Sundays that my mother never enjoyed, because she wouldn’t renew herself each day. I opened my notebook once more.<br />
<br />
<i>And speaking of romance: how quick I’ve been sometimes to let the drama of my ancient relationships, etched deeply now into my heart with scary dragons and sea serpents, map out what I thought this relationship should be. How easily I’ve let the past swallow us whole. Am I going to mess this one up, too? How many shipwrecks does it take to finally sail with the wind, not against it? Am I going to steer clear of obstacles or let the storms blow me into a reef ?<br />
<br />
How about I just let this relationship be whatever it needs to be, let it chart its own course, guided, like old sailors, by the stars and simple things that fill our days with love, like quiet walks along the shore. Let every moment be a Sunday for us, even when we’re naked together, heart to heart, sailing in uncharted seas with nothing but ourselves to carry on the journey. You are my Sunday best, my love, my treasure in plain sight.</i><br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 1</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-4145-by-sea.html">4145 by the Sea</a><br />
<br />
<em>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</em><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-90333217776879842882016-06-12T02:30:00.000-04:002016-06-14T13:11:26.427-04:00Romance Row: Windjammer, Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAChf8ota6zvBFrEnQAbdF_MZF5N11fTaajouRVo5hWqijfluv3ipbo1TWu_P2Kz5kcE-tSjvIn0wry36MCr5-RP5FxUjLIuGlSQLzPMETV-DRCigt8t-RMseKFuDs-n3Lgx5/s1600/lounge-chair-windjammer-resort-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-windjammer-resort" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAChf8ota6zvBFrEnQAbdF_MZF5N11fTaajouRVo5hWqijfluv3ipbo1TWu_P2Kz5kcE-tSjvIn0wry36MCr5-RP5FxUjLIuGlSQLzPMETV-DRCigt8t-RMseKFuDs-n3Lgx5/s640/lounge-chair-windjammer-resort-lauderdale.JPG" title="lauderdale-windjammer-resort" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Tuesday, April 26, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>Miracle By the Sea</h3><br />
John Boutin, the owner of the <a href="http://windjammerresort.com/" target="_blank">Windjammer Beach Club and Resort</a>, sat with me on the walkway overlooking the ocean. “I always wanted a room with view,” I told him. “A room with a view like this, so I could just listen to the ocean and be inspired to write.”<br />
<br />
John had no way of knowing that only just yesterday I had been staring at a map, contemplating -- or perhaps dreading -- charting a course back to Miami.<br />
<br />
I carried on. “Virginia Woolf once wrote about every woman needing a room of her own to write, to reconnect with her heart.”<br />
<br />
“I can tell you’re an inspired writer already,” he said. “Why don’t you say four extra days and do just that?”<br />
<br />
A room of my own. Four extra days. An unexpected gift.<br />
<br />
I breathed a sigh of relief.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
And what a room it was. The entrance to this oceanfront studio apartment is through a walkway that turns into a wide terrace on the second and top floor. Two comfortable lounge chairs flank the entrance. One sliding glass door and three wide windows open to sweeping views of the ocean. Imagine if you could sleep in the crow’s nest of a an actual windjammer -- it’s impossible, of course -- but take your mind to a comfortable berth perched high atop the sails, offering a glorious view of the sea, with nothing but the fronds of a few tall palm trees to bring perspective to the eye. I might as well have been sailing on the high seas or at the very least, docked at port on my own private island.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTkQtdTMoUfZ6HU8U5ddiqRgridf4WPfDdIB_jKKgubhJ41lOpSPtJQQ7HA0MQ4XvzhO7EBuQ5a50_TYLo-gSzYQhyQDTPfSWZLglMBmBFW9a2k-c6bwBt27XgJ-Rr9DnIVCv/s1600/seashells-windjammer-resort-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="windjammer-resort-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTkQtdTMoUfZ6HU8U5ddiqRgridf4WPfDdIB_jKKgubhJ41lOpSPtJQQ7HA0MQ4XvzhO7EBuQ5a50_TYLo-gSzYQhyQDTPfSWZLglMBmBFW9a2k-c6bwBt27XgJ-Rr9DnIVCv/s640/seashells-windjammer-resort-lauderdale.JPG" title="windjammer-resort-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
The room was everything my soul had been craving: closeness to mother ocean, a queen-sized bed that beckoned with linens in soft white, blue, green and yellow and a driftwood sign above the pillows spelling SEASHELLS. A sitting area facing the sliding glass door separated the sleeping nook from a modestly-sized kitchen, properly equipped to please the galley wench in me.<br />
<br />
This. This was all I needed. It was enough. More than enough. Four more days of this.<br />
<br />
<h3>It's Always Sunny Side Up Here</h3><br />
Earlier that morning, the beau and I settled in and walked just down the street to <a href="http://countryhamneggs.com/" target="_blank">Country Ham N’ Eggs</a> for breakfast. Like many establishments in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, this restaurant is family owned and operated and has been serving homestyle American food in Broward at various locations since 1968. There’s something to be said about a restaurant that’s about as old as you are -- and just as good.<br />
<br />
The current owner's father, sporting that now proven ubiquitous Lauderdale-by-the-Sea smile, worked the register. Unfortunately, they’re closing this location in November later this year but keeping their Fort Lauderdale location open.<br />
<br />
If you’re near Lauderdale-by-the-Sea before its closing date, stop by for some eggs benedict and spend a day in town. Country Ham N’ Eggs didn’t know I was covering the destination and happily obliged my picky desire to have my veggie benedicts with breaded shrimp from another item in the menu. I could have licked the hollandaise off the plate -- it was that good -- had I not been surrounded by polite locals and visitors with good table manners. Families enjoyed breakfast alongside us as well as a full table of local firemen and police officers.<br />
<br />
“The whole town is here,” my sweetheart noted.<br />
<br />
‘I know! It feels like Mayberry,” I replied.<br />
<br />
After breakfast, we strolled on the beach for a few precious moments before the workday would summon him back to Miami. Off he went and I was alone, with a room of my own, by the sea, not knowing that later in the afternoon, an angel named John Boutin would graciously and very generously reward me with four more days of everything I could possibly ever want at that moment: a room of my own to renew my spirits, a little woman cave where I could chat with the goddess of the sea.<br />
<br />
I shouldn’t have been surprised. A hospitality basket on my table included a tote bag and a sign that read “ban the bag.” The residents of this Mayberry are so respectful of that goddess, that they encourage everyone to take re-usable fabric bags to the store for provisioning.<br />
<br />
It was just a simple tote bag. The message behind it, the intention of it -- was profound.<br />
<br />
A gift from the sea, indeed.<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-beach.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 2</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sunny-shores.html">Sunny Shores</a><br />
<br />
Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.<br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-15273936753590101612016-06-12T02:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T13:12:14.189-04:00Romance Row: Windjammer, Day 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGWahbzjCxoO-uz1Tco5l9yOVn7WsykIbZ2teOl1CHYKY5kfdAR116AOCtEazTmvWIZ9AsI1uKWWKNJk6zujwwSxpDQbm-8DSUFEd-m2p6HJZO4BIQbcbU50pm6AxFi5Pg7U3/s1600/windjammer-resort-lauderdale-terrace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="windjammer-resort-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGWahbzjCxoO-uz1Tco5l9yOVn7WsykIbZ2teOl1CHYKY5kfdAR116AOCtEazTmvWIZ9AsI1uKWWKNJk6zujwwSxpDQbm-8DSUFEd-m2p6HJZO4BIQbcbU50pm6AxFi5Pg7U3/s640/windjammer-resort-lauderdale-terrace.JPG" title="windjammer-resort-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Wednesday, April 27, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>Undertow</h3><br />
The unexpected surplus of days at the <a href="http://windjammerresort.com/" target="_blank">Windjammer</a> filled me with a sense of wonder and awe. One simple gesture delivered so much abundance that if oxygen could be called gratitude, I’d change its name. It was coursing through my blood and into every cell of my body.<br />
<br />
Every morning, I smiled with my heart when I woke up, said “thank you,” watched the sun rise from my lounge chair and made friends with my long-neglected notebook. Pen to paper came to life. I gifted all my electronic devices -- the slaves to my communication -- a much deserved rest, although they insisted it wasn’t necessary.<br />
<br />
Hours free of pings and beeps and rings. In Miami, I’d been lost in the sea of that incessant disruption to serenity, that dangerous riptide that dragged me under because I was struggling against the current instead of surrendering to its flow.<br />
<br />
Now I could disconnect to reconnect; find myself again. Am I not enough? Every writer needs a room of her own, to dwell in the chambers of her heart, where the source of her words reside. It’s there she comes home.<br />
<br />
Earlier on during my trip, I had seen a sign at the Driftwood Beach Club about respecting turtle nests on these shores. Today, I thought about these intrepid wanderers. A sea turtle hatches from underneath the sand and embarks on a journey of a thousand miles, trusting her inner guide. I wondered if she would even feel the undertow of a riptide. And thinking of her, I wondered why I was ever worried about my own course in life when I too, had always had an inner guide whom I simply ignored. Miraculously, the turtle returns to the sand, to the same spot where she first saw the moonlight, to lay her eggs. She comes home, too. She always come home.<br />
<br />
Even though I sat yards away from shore, I could feel the powerful pull of the ocean. These are the stories she told me.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<h3>Goddess of the Sea</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDY5-9qkq6tDdo-2OE5uNZi25Zk6weJ9hAigMNI0Ol-EaV0jPcYjQgvKr1O9jFnsK0f5D1IyDaeaZy1Bc1pdC-cpsd5sQUjRCdHTq-UmX7w9CXR_yZXu3Iw6gXZjKpUicmq-x/s1600/virgen_caridad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDY5-9qkq6tDdo-2OE5uNZi25Zk6weJ9hAigMNI0Ol-EaV0jPcYjQgvKr1O9jFnsK0f5D1IyDaeaZy1Bc1pdC-cpsd5sQUjRCdHTq-UmX7w9CXR_yZXu3Iw6gXZjKpUicmq-x/s640/virgen_caridad.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
The goddess of the sea enjoys many different and delightful cultural manifestations. She has many names and sometimes flows in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, rainfall -- all bodies of water being one. Some archetypes portray her in the form of a man, or rather a man who commands her waves, like Greek Poseidon or his Roman counterpart, Neptune. Gender is fluid; gods and goddesses embody the feminine and masculine energies of all that flows in the form of water.<br />
<br />
In the Celtic Iberian culture of my earthly ancestral origins, she is the rather obscure goddess of water known as Nabia in Northern Spain.<br />
<br />
For the Taíno Indians who lived in the Caribbean before colonization, Yucahú ruled the sea, but his mother, Atabey, commanded rivers, marine tides and fertility. Like you, like me, even he had to come from somewhere.<br />
<br />
In African Yoruba mythology, which transplanted its roots to the Caribbean in the age of slavery and evolved alongside Catholicism to create a pantheon of hybrid deities, she is Yemaya, a supreme orisha, the mother of all things, a queen who is worshipped wherever water flows -- even a puddle. Her name means “Mother whose children are like fish” and her Catholic manifestation is the Virgin Mary, “our lady of navigators.”<br />
<br />
My namesake, Maria, the mother of Jesus in Christianity, is also Stella Maris, “star of the sea.” In celestial navigation, she twinkles as Ursa Minor in the sky, guiding sailors to safe harbor.<br />
<br />
The Virgen de la Caridad, Virgin of Charity, is the patron saint of Cuba. According to a legend that dates back to the 1600s, she appeared above a dingy when two brothers and slave struggled at sea during a storm. The violent waves subsided and a dark-skinned Stella Maris, her golden halo beaming brighter than the sun, graced their eyes. She held the infant Jesus in her arms and guided them back to port.<br />
<br />
It’s not surprising that my writer’s soul identifies so strongly with this lodestar after which my mother named me. Years before she gave birth to me, she told my father, while looking out at the ocean in Varadero Beach, that she would have a daughter named Maria de los Angeles.<br />
<br />
So for me, the energy of the sea must always be a woman: forgiving yet forbidding, gentle yet powerful, nurturing yet tough, all-encompassing yet fancifully peculiar in all her human guises. She is a vessel for words, word made flesh, word made out of nothing.<br />
<br />
As a writer, I give birth to words. I embody them on the blank page. I channel the goddess of the sea, creating something out of nothing -- that ocean in a drop of water.<br />
<br />
<h3>Mother Ocean</h3><br />
But the most important water goddess of all is the one who dreamt of me years before I chose her body to give me form. I spent the first nine months of my life inside her, trusting the ship that cradled me in its watery berth. Everything was taken care of for me. And then I was born. Slapped violently into babyhood, forced to take that first painful gulp of air, screaming that first rebel yell, crying before I could open my eyes, separated from the bliss of the womb, my mother’s body.<br />
<br />
Maybe that’s why we go on vacation. So that everything can be taken care of for us. Maybe that’s why we long to retreat close to the water, because it reminds us of a time when a liquid, saline universe was all we knew, all that nurtured us and gave us everything we needed. When we rest by the sea, we come home.<br />
<br />
<h3>My Mother, the Sea Goddess</h3><br />
One week after my return from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to my home by the bay, I released my mother’s ashes to mother ocean. I had been holding on to them for nearly two years, tensely gripping on to the all the weight of a life that never belonged to me, to anyone, not even her. My mother, who had been afraid of many things, always told me, however, to never be afraid of life.<br />
<br />
Easier said than done. The one thing I feared most -- that one, singular looming thing -- to accept the inevitability of her death, turned out to be not so scary. After all, she had summoned me to life years before I was even born and did so bravely, like the wise turtle, trusting her inner guide.<br />
<br />
The least I could do was confront my fear head on, guided by my own beloved Stella Maris, who once held me in her arms.<br />
<br />
On this Mother’s Day, I waded in the clear, cool water and let her go. As her ashes dispersed from my hands into mother ocean, I gave her the gift of freedom and it was boundless, fathomless, deeper than any trench, from here to the moon and beyond. I was bathed in the deepest love I could never have possibly imagined until this moment. My fears disappeared along with the current and my entire being received a plenitude greater than the sum of all infinity. I was awash with light.<br />
<br />
“Welcome back home, mama,” I whispered. The breeze carried my words. ‘Thank you, mama,” I said. “Even in death, you give me the greatest gift.”<br />
<br />
On the next day, I knew the purpose of my stay in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea had come to life, too. I was born again, this time a much gentler birth, with no slaps or screams, knowing that everything is taken care of for me. The words you are reading now poured out of me, from the wellspring of my heart, free from the weight of fear.<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-resort.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 3</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 1</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-68729484581025358342016-06-12T01:30:00.000-04:002016-06-14T11:41:47.403-04:00Romance Row: Windjammer, Day 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKiLZqtPN24fvSOR_D6vuYKgeUPyrfFm11dmZ0i5GVrKh8SpwpTi2gADFE8pZ-1cssPnXl9gU1ZrLTyQSmIYtvm7IeSm69t6nbwXWb3HAJSMfrRKAFEazMJXSHfmccHSDoQ6S/s1600/mud-pie-shorts-beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mud-pie-shorts-beach-wear" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKiLZqtPN24fvSOR_D6vuYKgeUPyrfFm11dmZ0i5GVrKh8SpwpTi2gADFE8pZ-1cssPnXl9gU1ZrLTyQSmIYtvm7IeSm69t6nbwXWb3HAJSMfrRKAFEazMJXSHfmccHSDoQ6S/s640/mud-pie-shorts-beach.JPG" title="mud-pie-shorts-beach-wear" width="505" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Thursday, April 28, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>
Time Stood Still</h3>
<br />
“I can’t remember when I last spent a day at the beach,” she said.<br />
<br />
“Come on over! Play hooky over here in the goddess cave or on the shore,” I insisted. “The sun is out, the breeze is blowing. Oh, come on! It’s a perfect day.”<br />
<br />
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”<br />
<br />
Click.<br />
<br />
Soon enough, my friend Kayla knocked on the sliding glass door at the <a href="http://windjammerresort.com/" target="_blank">Windjammer</a> with white wine, oranges, grapes, chocolate, cheese and crackers in tow. Her long, curly blond hair blew wildly in the wind.<br />
<br />
“That’s my girl,” I said. “You read my mind!”<br />
<br />
The kitchen in my suite -- or as I liked to think of it, my galley -- was perfect for preparing light meals and assembling snacks for a delightful picnic of delicious goodies. It was going to be, no, it already was, the perfect girl’s day out on the beach.<br />
<br />
“Kayla,” I said. “I’ve been meditating and getting inspired by the ocean, but today I just want to shoot the shit and relax. Tell me to shut up if I start into deep thoughts.”<br />
<br />
We high-fived and laughed.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
It was easy to get into the groove for a girl’s day. Just out the door, lay out towels, plunk down. Sip.<br />
<br />
I was worried, though, about getting a sunburn. ‘To hell with it,” I said. “I don’t care if I look ridiculous. I’m just going to wear this towel over my head.”<br />
<br />
And so we whiled away the time. I’m not even sure for how long. That was the whole point: to do nothing and catch-up, without being yoked back into the fiction of time we create to define our lives.<br />
<br />
I thought about how no one has any time to see friends anymore, because life gets busy and in the way. But no, we get in the way of our own happiness.<br />
<br />
Was there ever a time, then, some mystic, fabled time of yore, when our ancestors, whom we consider more primitive and less evolved -- oh, how arrogant of us to think we are so civilized! -- was there ever a time, long before the days of big pharma curing depression and anxiety with pills -- when people just gathered, mindful of themselves instead of time?<br />
<br />
There we were, two sea-loving goddesses, one with flowing hair -- had she been standing on a shell, I’d say she was Botticelli’s inspiration for The Birth of Venus -- and the other a pale flower, hiding from the sun under a towel. What a quirky pair of misfits.<br />
<br />
But why fit in, anyway? That’s so boring and conventional.<br />
<br />
Here in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, there was a glaring and most refreshing absence of what turns otherwise natural beaches into sick places. We couldn’t find cigarette butts in the sand and were hard pressed to witness a single air of pretension from anyone else around us enjoying the beach. This beach was free of bullshit attitude.<br />
<br />
I shared an anecdote with my friend. A few years ago, I had worked as a community manager for an online travel and tourism forum dedicated to Miami Beach. One concerned visitor had crowdsourced the answer to a question about what kind of bikini bottom cut was deemed acceptable by the fashion police. The answers, offered up by other members, became a fascinating study on the absurd vanity of first world problems: each section of the beach was designated to a particular cut of swimwear: classic bikini, string bikini, thong bikini, microkini, monokini -- heck, there were cuts I hadn’t even heard of!<br />
<br />
“For pete’s sake,” I said. “Kayla, I’m so glad we can lay out in the sun like a pair of old salts not worried about how much or how little fabric covers our tooshies!”<br />
<br />
Kayla laughed. “That’s what I like about this beach. I didn’t even think twice about feeling self-conscious.”<br />
<br />
We rambled on about how wonderful it was to be over 40, comfortable in your own skin and fully present in self-acceptance.<br />
<br />
I settled back into thoughts about this Mayberry of my mind. Here at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, we had a day to make time for everything, including the most precious commodity: nothing. Here, we could respect mother ocean and not care about what other people think what we look like in a bikini. Nobody cared. Or rather, they cared only about the things that really matter. It was about honoring ourselves exactly the way we were at that moment.<br />
<br />
I played with the sand, letting it slip through my fingers, and shared my mantra with Kayla. “Can you hold a drop of water or a grain of sand in your hand?”<br />
<br />
“You’re getting deep again,” she said. “Shut up.”<br />
<br />
I laughed.<br />
<br />
“OK, I will,” I said. “But you know, it’s great we can just sit here. Damn, I’d rather hold on to moments like these than all the bullshit we carry in our lives.”<br />
<br />
My friend was dealing with some crushing problems in her life. I could see it in her eyes, despite her jovial disposition. I was so glad she took time for herself today. She needed to care for herself.<br />
<br />
She texted me when she got home. “I look like a lobster! Had a blast. Thank you.”<br />
<br />
<h3>
Not Just a Room, The Whole Day</h3>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qsS7qBMZawPY7_8zf2pFT2Im5n8duOoEUAs8V04mV8AXkAFDm740CnkGiKH4TeRi0TcS1eHokbbuC-YV92gohLW_X-cEs6B8UmxSQHzTMt0dFduMry7YXCAxgg2YwQzQfqRs/s1600/windjammer-resort-view-atlantic-panorama-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="windjammer-resort-lauderdale-view" border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qsS7qBMZawPY7_8zf2pFT2Im5n8duOoEUAs8V04mV8AXkAFDm740CnkGiKH4TeRi0TcS1eHokbbuC-YV92gohLW_X-cEs6B8UmxSQHzTMt0dFduMry7YXCAxgg2YwQzQfqRs/s640/windjammer-resort-view-atlantic-panorama-lauderdale.JPG" title="windjammer-resort-lauderdale-view" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
Later that evening, lying in my cozy bed in the goddess cave, surrounded by quiet, I took out my notebook and brought pen to paper once again.<br />
<br />
I mused about this room of my own, the simplicity of it bounded by enormous meaning.<br />
<br />
For a woman who is always giving to others, a room isn’t enough. She needs a whole day to herself -- no, more like a series of days -- where moments aren’t measured by loads of laundry, school lunches and diaper changes.<br />
<br />
As a caregiver, my days had consisted of hours defined by medical protocols: loads of laundry, soft mechanical diets and yes, even diaper changes. I got so caught up in the routine, I couldn’t be fully present for my myself, let alone my parents. I became a drone and I paid dearly for it with my health.<br />
<br />
A girl’s day out with nothing to measure or define is just what the doctor should order. If we could only capture that in a bottle: a day at the beach, cell phones turned off, talking about nothing and everything under the sun, sipping some wine, savoring some chocolate, wearing whatever the heck we please, showing off our beautiful tooshies, cellulite and all, covered by anything from a line of floss to a hide of bison. Who cares? We were just two friends alive and laughing. And that was enough.<br />
<br />
Like that drop of water or grain of sand, a girl’s day is light enough to carry. I’ll take it.<br />
<br />
Ah, the freedom of all this. Another gift from the sea.<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-club.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 4</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-beach.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 2</a><br />
<br />
<em>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</em><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-72682530512762957352016-06-12T01:00:00.001-04:002016-06-14T13:14:11.997-04:00Romance Row: Windjammer, Day 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3dyLHzH4CJuPRwhaQHkyQmZPUTYFj5BhRXTKmVQyGnmlRQl_-TA-VtvS3hSXKqTeD6T_RU6ssGSBjq0VWKYHeiH4RQrpKN_Vo7giSaQcSC46SflxkSRckfV-TQslQYsRQyi5/s1600/driftwood-beach-lauderdale-windy-day.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3dyLHzH4CJuPRwhaQHkyQmZPUTYFj5BhRXTKmVQyGnmlRQl_-TA-VtvS3hSXKqTeD6T_RU6ssGSBjq0VWKYHeiH4RQrpKN_Vo7giSaQcSC46SflxkSRckfV-TQslQYsRQyi5/s640/driftwood-beach-lauderdale-windy-day.JPG" title="lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Friday, April 29, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>Morning Person</h3><br />
<i>Merely to name them is the prose<br />
Of diarists, to make you a name<br />
For readers who like travellers praise<br />
Their beds and beaches as the same;<br />
But islands can only exist<br />
If we have loved in them.</i><br />
<br />
"Islands" -- Derek Walcott (Nobel Poet Laureate 1992, Saint Lucia)<br />
<br />
The weekend had finally arrived and after some time to myself, I craved the company of my man. The goddess cave was ready to receive him.<br />
<br />
It was my last full day at the <a href="http://windjammerresort.com/" target="_blank">Windjammer</a> in Lauderdale-by-the Sea. He would arrive later, after rush hour. Instead of walking by the water, I deliberately strolled over to Anglin’s Pier in the morning through the town’s streets. I love the fresh energy of dawn, birds chirping and people starting their day, the clings and clanks of city noises. Here, the energy was peaceful, proclaiming an already relaxing day. It’s a shame that first light spells misery for so many. No one should ever have to feel a knot in the pit of their stomach to start the day. What a waste of life, to wake up and breathe in a conditioned state of perpetual unhappiness.<br />
<br />
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was waking up gracefully. Maybe for someone working a breakfast shift, the alarm clock sounded the daily grind. I found that doubtful, however, considering the cheerful hospitality of this town. No poker face here.<br />
<br />
On my last full day in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, I would enjoy my respite to the fullest.<br />
<br />
I had always thought that if I had a daughter, I’d name her Alba, which means “morning song” in Spanish. I love mornings; they’re about beginnings. Imagine that: a chance to start over radically, wiping the slate of yesterday’s drama clean, waking up to lightness, holding nothing but that drop of water or grain of sand in your hand.<br />
<br />
What better way to receive my lover? I was ready.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3>Romancing Me</h3><br />
I sat for a while at the pier, sipping a big glass of orange juice. “Gosh, it’s the last day,” I thought. “I was supposed to write about romance. What the hell?”<br />
<br />
At this point, I was so overwhelmed with the sense of wholeness this experience afforded me that I hadn’t paid much mind to that crazy little thing called love. For me, this two-week sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea wasn’t about conventional romantic notions or about the rather corny and stale activities associated with romantic travel. There are only so many rooms, umbrella cocktails and glorious sunsets you can describe as romantic before your own prose becomes trite and redundant.<br />
<br />
When two people dig each other, romance can happen anywhere, even in the craziest, most unexpected and sometimes even harrowing of circumstances. All else is icing on the proverbial cake.<br />
<br />
As mother ocean’s fierce waves coursed under the pier, I asked myself: “who’s romancing who here?”<br />
<br />
The destination seduced me with its simple charms. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea romanced me; won me over without so much glitz and glamour. It touched my heart, it let me be me, it gave me a secluded sea goddess cave so I could fall in love with myself again. Yet, as far as I was concerned, every single bed was welcoming and posh, affording me the luxury of rest.<br />
<br />
In all the quietness, I found plenitude and learned that I could probably live out of a suitcase, that all I needed was just enough.<br />
<br />
And when a woman loves herself enough to be so happy with whatever her mama gave her, she lays claim to her heart and becomes wildly irresistible to a man.<br />
<br />
<h3>Sacred Sex</h3><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVpluuLmumCHxvT4WOwggyuTeNfh4rse89YC2JskNMIkkUleG2M_PwbvVZcopLRWoajNJuCgRp6tPHeghIMTOX_02-kS8d-MN1YU8EXfmuR82Sp2UrXnyUux8GaXwfEw6-Bdn/s1600/Friom+Here+to+eternity+burt_lancaster_and_deborah_kerr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVpluuLmumCHxvT4WOwggyuTeNfh4rse89YC2JskNMIkkUleG2M_PwbvVZcopLRWoajNJuCgRp6tPHeghIMTOX_02-kS8d-MN1YU8EXfmuR82Sp2UrXnyUux8GaXwfEw6-Bdn/s640/Friom+Here+to+eternity+burt_lancaster_and_deborah_kerr.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This beach kiss caused quite a stir in the 1953 film classic, <em>From Here to Eternity</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
On my way back to the hotel, I let my feet get wet in the water. Over the course of two weeks, I had seen many fellow travelers enjoying the water. Today, some surfers were taking advantage of gusty winds blowing from the east.<br />
<br />
Surfing is a lot like sex. You ride the waves, taming the power of mother ocean. But she’s got a dangerous undertow that can pull you down and deep beneath the surface.<br />
<br />
Like surfing, sex is exhilarating but it too has a dangerous undertow that can drag us into dark, subterranean lairs.<br />
<br />
I had been summoned by her to write about a series of boutique hotels that I could fancy as romantic, but first I had to ask myself: what does romance truly mean? It’s more than just a courtship ritual that brings two sexual organs together to share DNA. Or is it? Well, that’s what I think about when pornography comes to mind. Wham-bam-thank-you-m’am. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out. Walk of shame.<br />
<br />
I saw no one taking a walk of shame in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. In South Beach? Let’s just say it’s not unusual to call mornings on Ocean Drive “Dawn of the Dead.” Not that there’s anything wrong with a good romp. But rarely does anyone walk out that hotel room with their head held high.<br />
<br />
If romance is a prelude to sex, I’d say that the best sex is non-sex or rather the sex that is performed so mindfully and with such precious care, without rushing, that the very act of love-making is everything, all the time. Everything that leads up to sex, everything that happens during sex and everything that comes after sex. Happy couples make love all the time, even when they aren’t bumping uglies in the sack.<br />
<br />
Great sex is about dunking your water in the sea, trusting your lover with every single cell of your body, every single pore of your skin opening up to his flesh and touching the space of his body in a sacred embrace. Sex should be a vacation from the ordinary, a respite from the grind that spills over abundantly into the rest of life.<br />
<br />
And with this in mind, yes, every single hotel on Romance Row can be as romantic as you want it to be, because it offers the kind of peaceful seclusion that lets you focus on falling in love and staying in love.<br />
<br />
What a blessing, to be able to do this every day, even in the simplest form of a gaze that says “I love you” or in all those little things that aren’t so little: him schlepping all my damn luggage up the stairs or me not wanting to cook, so I order some of our favorite pho soup from Basilica, a local Vietnamese restaurant, to warm up on the little stove at the Windjammer, or him wanting to follow an MMA fight and me saying “fine, go to your man cave,” or me waking up before he does but eagerly waiting for him to rise and shine so we can talk about something funny I read on Facebook and then the two of us carrying on for an hour while showering and walking around naked in the room -- curtains drawn, of course -- discussing a million topics that diverged from that original conversation.<br />
<br />
<h3>Where do you love?</h3><br />
Derek Walcott once wrote: “islands can only exist, if we have loved in them.” What he was referring to resonated with me on this trip, because “merely to name them is the prose of diarists” -- that’s me the travel writer - “to make you a name for readers who like travellers praise, their beds and beaches as the same” -- that’s me again telling you, dear reader, about this destination Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and its boutique lodgings on Romance Row.<br />
<br />
But Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, like many beaches after my heart, is more than just a destination. It’s not a final arrival point; it’s the beginning of a journey within. You haven’t lived, or haven’t loved, if you come here just for the hotel room, its amenities and creature comforts -- these precious things are wonderful to enjoy. But come here also for love. Come here to fall in love again with yourself, your beloved and all your loved ones. You are more than just “beds and beaches as the same” and so is this quaint, seaside village.<br />
<br />
I can only tell you how it romanced me. Now experience it yourself, in your own way. And treat your life this way, too. Have a little vacation in your heart everyday. That’s the one souvenir I took home with me, the memory of this love that is light enough to carry and brings so much satisfaction and joy.<br />
<br />
Yes, I’ll hold you, drop of water and grain of sand, I’ll hold you in my hand, even though you’re tiny and I can barely see you. There’s whole universes in you. That’s the real love.<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sweet-farewell.html">A Sweet Farewell to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-resort.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 3</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts <br />
<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-8016926468754948032016-06-12T00:30:00.001-04:002016-06-14T13:19:04.347-04:00Romance Row: A Sweet Farewell to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J0QfX-d6xrYTwl3jP9u3d2ks2suNA6E2kYlfdEnf2tBgb_1kVjGCXpUQU0FyjroXQMYQggDrnklvMs3pFvB7ND35VVbpuVIMPVi2CUE91MrE3oB-zImDqqHfl1dqQPvatePb/s1600/sunrise-windjammer-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sunrise-windjammer-hotel-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J0QfX-d6xrYTwl3jP9u3d2ks2suNA6E2kYlfdEnf2tBgb_1kVjGCXpUQU0FyjroXQMYQggDrnklvMs3pFvB7ND35VVbpuVIMPVi2CUE91MrE3oB-zImDqqHfl1dqQPvatePb/s640/sunrise-windjammer-lauderdale-by-the-sea.JPG" title="sunrise-windjammer-hotel-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></i></div><br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, a quaint, seaside village located on Florida’s southeast coast. The sea shored up her bounty of gifts for me. In turn, I gift you my stories. Visit the <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">story map</a> to navigate this travel memoir.</i><br />
<br />
Saturday, April 30, 2016<br />
<br />
<h3>Sensual Sunrise</h3><br />
I woke up, as usual, before dawn on our last day at the <a href="http://windjammerresort.com/" target="_blank">Windjammer</a> in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. I opened the sliding glass door, took one big, deep breathe and said “thank you.“ Mother ocean gave me a parting gift of a magnificent sunrise with vibrant orange and yellow hues. Too her, it’s old hat. But for me, it was special. After all, it could have been raining and overcast. Well, even if it had been, it still would’ve been OK.<br />
<br />
I heard a voice from inside the room. “The sun also rises,” he said. “Yes, of course it does,” I replied. “It always does, my love.”<br />
<br />
He wrapped a towel around himself and embraced me as we looked out at the sea. We just held each other quietly, rekindling our little flame.<br />
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I didn’t already miss my goddess cave by the sea too much. I knew, in my heart, that the first time here wouldn’t be my last.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3>I Wanna Love Ya</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1MURTIf01JpYKU_7EM5li4O3btiIY4cEGIc0lWFFFiI6_n8sc_vJ55blM6am74ZfV9M1ik1CJhqrMocv0tXhtBHvVDRJCwJIByN-RD7ZcPECY-TP6xB9j0CyUyvF65AMlndn/s1600/anglins-beach-cafe-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sunrise-windjammer-hotel-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1MURTIf01JpYKU_7EM5li4O3btiIY4cEGIc0lWFFFiI6_n8sc_vJ55blM6am74ZfV9M1ik1CJhqrMocv0tXhtBHvVDRJCwJIByN-RD7ZcPECY-TP6xB9j0CyUyvF65AMlndn/s640/anglins-beach-cafe-lauderdale.JPG" title="anglins-beach-cafe-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
As we packed our stuff into the car, I vowed to myself that I’d travel a little lighter in my heart. After all, I had been cradled by the winds and the ocean for a few days on this majestic tall ship, the Windjammer -- so aptly named. From now on, I’d sail the high seas of life and love with ease and grace, completely refreshed and ready to weather any storms.<br />
<br />
We headed over to <a href="http://www.anglinsbeachcafe.com/" target="_blank">Anglin’s Beach Café</a> that morning for breakfast. This seaside, open-air rustic restaurant was already buzzing with hungry locals and tourists. When our eggs benedict arrived and I sliced through that delicious, perfectly poached egg yolk, a live band covered Bob Marley’s I Wanna Love Ya. How perfectly appropriate.<br />
<br />
<em>I want to love you, and treat you right,</em><br />
<em>I want to love you, every day and every night,</em><br />
<em>We'll be together, with a roof right over our heads,</em><br />
<em>We'll share the shelter, of my single bed,</em><br />
<em>We'll share the same room, yeah! For Jah provide the bread.</em><br />
<em>Is this love, is this love, is this love,</em><br />
<em>Is this love that I'm feelin. . . .</em><br />
<br />
After breakfast, we walked to the end of pier and bid this magical place farewell.<br />
<br />
<h3>Two Kids at a Candy Store</h3><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_p8Jy8u3AMk66mf8qRSKS93rcDKe3DFGw0CDbyX2ADkjG8LWzT0-khwyIQpTWqAegjuDF3Tp4-GEHtaYxDaaByjvVGg4HB1jFZVYtiJvT49CuxtQfrbLtnfRF7nmooIzGAh8P/s1600/sloans-ice-cream-lauderdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sloans-ice-cream-lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_p8Jy8u3AMk66mf8qRSKS93rcDKe3DFGw0CDbyX2ADkjG8LWzT0-khwyIQpTWqAegjuDF3Tp4-GEHtaYxDaaByjvVGg4HB1jFZVYtiJvT49CuxtQfrbLtnfRF7nmooIzGAh8P/s640/sloans-ice-cream-lauderdale.JPG" title="sloans-ice-cream-lauderdale-by-the-sea" width="500" /></a></div><br />
“Wait! Wait!” I said. “Let’s stop in here!”<br />
<br />
I dragged the beau into <a href="http://www.sloansicecream.com/" target="_blank">Sloan’s Ice Cream</a> by the hand. This little shop dazzled me with it’s pink ceiling, where a modern Michelangelo had painted cherubs holding wooden spoons. Sparkly, rainbow-colored chandeliers lit the way into this palace of cute overload.<br />
<br />
I looked at him. “Oh come on,” I pleaded. “Screw this no sugar diet thing!”<br />
<br />
We shared a big cup of our favorites: vanilla, pistachio and strawberry, bursting with flavor and ever-so-creamy.<br />
<br />
A gentle embrace at sunrise, a delicious breakfast with Bob Marley, a walk over the sea on a pier painted in shades of blue and a sweet treat with my sweetheart: as we drove back to Miami west on Commercial Boulevard, I reached over and held his hand. “It doesn’t get more romantic than this,” I thought. “It just doesn’t.”<br />
<br />
Next story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">Story Map</a><br />
Previous Story: <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-club.html">Windjammer Resort and Beach Club, Day 4</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.<br />
</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-71065596062969927262016-06-12T00:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T11:37:51.760-04:00Romance Row: Story Map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgAPdh3kVAG7ie8zhAjuPD1E-AwUb0IhowihtWytpm4OEFNM1_3uqkoZF_A5VAfhRv1nicFmfQ0qM91WYAIr0yoyhRCehdRxKPYQGsHHIlFhMHTcYmb4-291OjaJcZwV2ba8K/s1600/lauderdale-by-the-sea-property.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgAPdh3kVAG7ie8zhAjuPD1E-AwUb0IhowihtWytpm4OEFNM1_3uqkoZF_A5VAfhRv1nicFmfQ0qM91WYAIr0yoyhRCehdRxKPYQGsHHIlFhMHTcYmb4-291OjaJcZwV2ba8K/s400/lauderdale-by-the-sea-property.jpeg" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>This year in springtime, I enjoyed a two-week writer’s sojourn in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. During my stay, I laid my head on the pillows of ten different boutique lodgings that are adjacent to each other, a.k.a. Romance Row. I also took time to relax and reflect on my life’s passion – writing – and how the sea has always been my muse. It was romantic in the traditional sense, to be sure, as my beau also enjoyed part of this stay with me. But I also romanced the destination. Or perhaps more appropriately, the destination romanced me. I left a little of my heart in this seaside town. Here are my stories.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lbtsevents.com/" target="_blank">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a><br />
<a href="http://www.lauderdalebytheseatoptenhotels.com/" target="_blank">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Silver Starfish Preferred Hotels</a><br />
<br />
Sunday, April 17 - Saturday, April 30, 2016<br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/04/romance-row-gift-from-sea.html">Preview: A Gift from the Sea</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-sea.html">Introduction: Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-driftwood-beach-club.html">Driftwood Beach Club</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-yacht-southern-seas.html">My Yacht Experience and Southern Seas</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-breakaway-inn.html">Breakway Inn</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-tides-inn.html">The Tides Inn</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-tropic-seas.html">Tropic Seas</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-sea-food-tour.html">Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Food Tour</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sea-spray-inn.html">Sea Spray Inn</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-high-noon.html">High Noon Beach Resort</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-4145-by-sea.html">Sea Watch and 4145 By the Sea</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sunny-shores.html">Sunny Shores</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer.html">Windjammer Beach Club and Resort, Day 1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-beach.html">Windjammer Beach Club and Resort, Day 2</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-resort.html">Windjammer Beach Club and Resort, Day 3</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-windjammer-club.html">Windjammer Beach Club and Resort, Day 4</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-sweet-farewell.html">Farewell to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a><br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: this travel experience was supported by The Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts<br />
<br />
All photos in this series by author unless otherwise noted.<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-18803720867356955212016-04-16T08:42:00.000-04:002016-06-14T12:43:18.172-04:00Romance Row: A Gift from the Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vBt-vHTiZFAATwOW0G6Vhj58ql4IwzURNacxA6QV4cajVIc0V0le3rYj8SdGdRQ0o0icRKvK8O1vDWvRTcHVhPFEqR5r0-dPYUYj5norEfNReDJwzh6oiDVESluR7SK3yedC/s1600/F7AD61029E47943FB61148F8E03A38B8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="lauderdale-by-the-sea" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vBt-vHTiZFAATwOW0G6Vhj58ql4IwzURNacxA6QV4cajVIc0V0le3rYj8SdGdRQ0o0icRKvK8O1vDWvRTcHVhPFEqR5r0-dPYUYj5norEfNReDJwzh6oiDVESluR7SK3yedC/s640/F7AD61029E47943FB61148F8E03A38B8.jpg" title="lauderdale by the sea" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>The blog that brought you <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2011/01/trail-of-pirates-florida-east-coast.html" target="_blank">Trail of the Pirates</a> now brings you <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-the-sea-story-map.html">Romance Row: Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a>.</i><br />
<br />
Update: To read the full series, visit <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2016/06/romance-row-lauderdale-by-sea.html">Romance Row: Lauderdale-by-the-Sea</a>.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow I'm embarking on a long-awaited press trip designed just for me and <i>Sex and the Beach </i>by the magical and very savvy craft of Emily Taffel of Mugsy PR.<br />
<br />
I will experience Lauderdale-by-the-Sea for ten days, exploring boutique hotels along the city's main street. This comes at a perfect time for me to retreat and regain my strength as a writer. The title of my journey is supposed to be "Romance Row," but I think I already know in my heart that this trip will involve romancing quite more than the obvious, wink wink and isn't he a lucky guy?<br />
<br />
How about love of the sea, sense of belonging somewhere or what that even means, a sense of place and most of all, a sense of <i>love</i>.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Perhaps I'll follow my heart along the shores of this quaint seaside town.<br />
<br />
This brings me back to my roots in travel writing and love of all stories related to oceans, which I remember fondly from years ago, sitting in St. Lucia, looking out at the Caribbean sea and saying "This is it. This is enough." I get to do that again, right here, right in my own backyard.<br />
<br />
No thoughts about sea level rise. Maybe that is <i>the</i> gift from the sea, to humble everyone into taking better care of mother earth. The title of this post is inspired by Anne Morrow Lindbergh's inspirational book <i>Gift from the Sea</i>, which reflects on how the sea can teach us so much.<br />
<br />
I am so grateful for this gift.<br />
<br />
Follow social stories over at hashtag #LOVElbts on <a href="http://twitter.com/vicequeenmaria" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/vicequeenmaria" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. <br />
<br />
<i>Disclosure: This travel experience is supported by The Small Lodging Association of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All opinions my own.</i><br />
<br />
#lovefl #lovelbts<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-30804457249587315652016-03-30T15:15:00.001-04:002016-06-10T23:21:19.908-04:00Look in the Mirror, Miami<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>I don't always write about politics or paradigm shifts or parasites or Miami traffic or human trafficking in Miami, but when I do, I go deep. </i></div>
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<br />
<h3>
STATE OF THE NON-UNION</h3>
<br />
As I sat on the bus last night, way past pumpkin time on my way back from the event I hosted, I thought long and hard about the faces I didn’t see. And I thought long and hard too, about the faces before me. A wizened black man looked exhausted. I offered him my seat. He politely refused.<br />
<br />
There was very little turnout at my event last night. I’m not really bothered by that. In fact, I’m grateful. Many of you who planned to attend contacted me and apologized because of last-minute issues that held you back. I know you were there in spirit. And for those of you who did show up, I am glad we could share some great conversation.<br />
<br />
But this isn’t really about my event. In fact, even the turn out at the restaurant was slow. It’s really about the state of the union, which isn’t a union by definition.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The glaring absence of people who were NOT interested in addressing the issue of transit in Miami in person just confirmed what I already knew in my heart. It’s really easy to complain and not be the change you want to be, isn’t it? It’s really easy to talk about these things without looking each other in the eye, simply embracing the reality that we have to do the best with what we have, which is precisely what best practices are all about – instead of playing victim, you play victor – the victorious, industrious, ingenuous, non-entitled leader of your own destiny.<br />
<br />
And thank God we live in a country where we can still do that. My parents fled Communist Cuba where that shit didn’t fly. <br />
<br />
Success Social Miami isn’t about wasting your energy on listening to the Republican debate or watching the basketball playoffs because at the end of the day, the only one who is going to give a shit about what happens in your life is you.<br />
<br />
(Click on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/successsocialmiami/" target="_blank">Success Social Miami </a>to learn more about the event.)<br />
<br />
<h3>
BALLS TO THE WALL</h3>
<br />
Do you know what I think every time I see an angry post about politics? Do you know what I think about the parasites that are attempting to lead us as a collective called the United States – ‘cause there aint nothin’ united about us, folks – is that we are letting these people posing as leaders leech us inside and out when we ourselves could be the change we want to see.<br />
<br />
Why does the word partisan even exist? Because politics seeks to divide and conquer, um, I mean control. The world is run by “testosterone-fueled animosity and aggression,” as one friend put it in conversation this morning. Yeah, I know, it’s obvious. So what are you doing in your daily life to deal with that?<br />
<br />
The world as we know it – not the interior and infinite space of my interior, expansive, infinite being -- is run by everything that is not nurturing in favor of love and compassion. ISIS dudes raping women. Malala being shot because she just wants to go to school. African girls still getting cliterectomies. Historically, Mary Magdalene being called a whore. Orthodox Jewish women wearing wigs. Syrians being driven out of their homeland to survive. Muslim Afghan women being stoned to death. Oh, whatever! All humanity is just one “I’m better than you so I have to kill you and especially if you have a vagina” story. It’s the Hero of A Thousand Faces story.<br />
<br />
On and on and on, where do I stop? Because it’s all about sex and power in the end. He who fucks an empty hole like a grunting, mindless animal rules. <br />
<br />
Why do you think the porn industry is so successful and why women like Kim Kardashian laugh all the way to the bank playing off of the collective need for every guy to jerk off? Is this the real sexual power of womankind?<br />
<br />
Nah. God if girlfriend only put her fake boobs and ass to good use but she’s fodder instead.<br />
The sacred feminine nurturing spirit has been violated for centuries. What’s news?<br />
<br />
Imagine if every woman in the world pulled a Lysistrata and decided to withhold sexual privilege until men stopped making war. You want pussy? Fighting each other aint the way to get it.<br />
Think about it.<br />
<br />
<h3>
THE TRUMP WITHIN</h3>
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<br />
<br />
Your body is also full of parasites, pathogens and microbial organisms that shouldn’t be in your body. There are literally real living things inside of you and here you are worried about the “ghosts” of your past, your Xanax-fueled anxieties and Prozac fantasies of wellness.<br />
<br />
But chew on this, my darlings: Donald Trump, in the form of a worm, lives inside of YOU. Every time you even think of the Dumpster, he invades your consciousness. He represents the “mind dump” of America. You give him power. You feed on the culture of fear and lack.<br />
<br />
This is what nourishes your soul? This is what you’re feeding yourself, believing in, taking it all in like a whore who’s being paid to give a deep throat blow job even though you know you’re just in it for the money?<br />
<br />
Want to lose weight and look fabulous like I do? You need to cleanse yourself of the victim mentality, stop putting all your hopes and dreams on men (this includes Hillary with the symbolic phallus) who don’t really give a shit about your wellness or happiness. Politics is driven by ego. And you’re wasting your energy on that? We are literally being sucked dry.<br />
<br />
In the end, the worms win and you will never look hot in Lulemon yoga pants because your gut is host to these critters AND your anger, frustration and hopelessness on which “they” feed -- voraciously. You’re an airbnb to everyone else’s drama – including the critters within – and the eons of DNA involved in these relationships. This is why my number one rule of weight loss is getting rid of toxic relationships in your life. It has nothing to do with the scale, or yoga pants, or wheatgrass juice cleansing regimens.<br />
<br />
So, my friends, what toxic relationship do you have with politics and conversely, what little changes can you make in your life, day by day, to be the change you want to be? This was and always be the point of Success Social Miami.<br />
<br />
I started Success Social Miami because I wanted to share this off-the-wall notion that you might find happiness even in the shittiest of circumstances. At the end of the day, you are at the helm of your own ship. You know, the pirate in me has to say that. Hoist the Jolly Roger when the going gets tough.<br />
<br />
<h3>
FUCK EVERTHING AND BE A PIRATE</h3>
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<br /></div>
Some dear friends told me that what I endured in the last years of caregiving could have driven others to suicide. Not me, folks. How could I worry about death when life was gifted to me? For better or worse, I chose this. Who the fuck am I to think money, mortgages, the “conventional life plan” and the diseases they foment are to define who I am? Was this the definition of me when the sperm met egg and I came to life?<br />
<br />
Think about that. Who are you? What is your best practice being you?<br />
<br />
Folks, all I could think of when I saw my mother dying of old age and Alzheimer’s in a hospice bed was not only the loss of her human body form in my life – the love we shared was never lost -- but also what illusions of fear were driving her reality. My reality.<br />
<br />
What is at the helm of your heart, pirate? Who’s driving your ship?<br />
<br />
You know what drives me? Me, the professional schlepper? The mantra from Course in Miracles. “Only love is real. Fear is an illusion.”<br />
<br />
We – all of us – live in fear. Constantly. Even surrounded by material wealth, we are unhappy because we constantly “fear” the lack of things we think make us happy. Nothing makes you happy. You are already happiness manifest.<br />
<br />
<h3>
THE REAL TRAFFIC PROBLEM IN MIAMI</h3>
<br />
So yeah, as I sat on that South Dade Busway last night – which so many of you on #100greatideas complained “didn’t work” yet the bus was completely full and completely, seamlessly working past midnight, thank God, were you on that bus with me last night? – I thought about what someone told me that left me wrecked to the core.<br />
My compassionate core.<br />
<br />
Instead of talking about traffic, we talked about human trafficking. Did you know – don’t quote me on this as I need to fact check – there are over a dozen beds in Camillus House devoted to girls who are trafficked for sexual exploitation in Miami-Dade? That’s just the shelter, not the all-encompassing reality. <br />
<br />
So, I’m going to talk about some shit no one wants to hear.<br />
<br />
Yes, while you watched basketball and listened to the political parasites of the Republican party or whatever attempting to lead us as a collective, there were allegedly at least over a dozen young women in fear of their lives somehow breathing and getting by another day in hell in our own backyard.<br />
<br />
Oh my, game changer. Traffic versus human trafficking. How’s that for an open mic roundtable night #100greatideas in Miami? Makes you feel like a dumb ass, doesn’t it? I certainly did.<br />
<br />
Seriously. Miami-Dade government can’t even figure out how to handle toilet paper in the Metrorail stations and then there are women being whored, abused and tossed about like worthless garbage within miles of me. We are barbarians.<br />
<br />
Oh, and we just celebrated International Women’s Day! What hypocrites we are to laude ourselves for our own vapid achievements (they seem vapid to me, sorry, I think you get my drift) – a point I brought up in my radio show with Tonya the other day – when somewhere already there is a baby girl born every minute in some Central American country who’s vagina is going to be the recipient of some man’s sperm even before her boobs perk up in puberty, spinning her into the cycle of unwanted, unplanned for pregnancy and poverty to produce yet another mouth to feed who’s going to end up repeating the same vicious cycle, only to risk her life in an epic schlep to America, and then only to be told by some political jackass that she’s a worthless piece of shit.<br />
<br />
Nice job, humanity!<br />
<br />
There are women in our own city living in terror and you are complaining about driving on the Palmetto? You are wasting your energy listening to politicians? Putting your faith in people who don’t even remotely resemble anything called a best practice?<br />
<br />
Why are you voting for others when you can vote for yourself?<br />
<br />
You can’t control what’s outside of you. But you can at least try to do something about what’s in you. Who you are in spite of everything. I had to type this out when I was talking to a friend this morning: “If everyone was more self-aware, the world would be a better place. Politics is a violation of you. When women are suppressed, society suffers. All the candidates are feeding off your fears.”<br />
<br />
Shit is real. I tell it like it is. I always have.<br />
<br />
No apologies.<br />
<br />
Now for coffee and another schlep.<br />
<br />
Believe.<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-62182675942924916952016-03-28T23:05:00.000-04:002016-06-10T23:22:30.892-04:00Miami Backyard Traveler: Biscayne Bay to the Everglades<i>My beau and I spent a lazy Easter Sunday driving around South Miami-Dade County while enjoying the area's natural attractions and agricultural bounty. We covered Thalatta Estate in Palmetto Bay, Biscayne National Park, Card Sound Road, Florida City, the Redland and Chekika at Everglades National Park.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhezMw0-JZNiWYaAveH_0GB9wIIuXwgrm2OMbazXvXr_lWPwPr8YVJs7jCTTdw82mxeQ7iFZEYa30QYzEL6uT3baiavWrLWzq2wPVD6bOKT3OwKPIEUCC4k6zv9j9m95qAeo3Tq/s1600/robert-is-here-milkshake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="robert-is-here-milkshake" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhezMw0-JZNiWYaAveH_0GB9wIIuXwgrm2OMbazXvXr_lWPwPr8YVJs7jCTTdw82mxeQ7iFZEYa30QYzEL6uT3baiavWrLWzq2wPVD6bOKT3OwKPIEUCC4k6zv9j9m95qAeo3Tq/s400/robert-is-here-milkshake.jpg" title="robert-is-here-milkshake" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
A HEAVENLY MILKSHAKE</h3>
<br />
Is it worth traveling an hour for a milkshake? For <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vicequeenkitchen" target="_blank">#vicequeenkitchen</a>, it certainly is.<br />
<br />
A highlight of any excursion to South Miami-Dade is a stop at <a href="http://www.robertishere.com/">Robert is Here</a>, a fruit stand the now famous Robert began when he was just six years old in 1959 to sell his father's cucumber crop. The place is a cook's dream, filled with fresh produce, local handcrafted jams, dressings and more for the pantry. I stocked up on banana bread after the beau and I slurped on a luscious, creamy strawberry milkshake and munched on spicy boiled peanuts.<a name='more'></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqtVAqnG0VUp9gV8qzYys0KhQP92NZcpADiq6xayfzul-UTn4OMjNP6uScL5yIasvCPTkOpGesTnlXAv0lGCRrXchAH9tU8GeRULERBq3nw7OPNavBii1_o2M3Em4VtLsRO-t/s1600/vicequeenkitchen_robert_is_here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="robert-is-here-fruitshake" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqtVAqnG0VUp9gV8qzYys0KhQP92NZcpADiq6xayfzul-UTn4OMjNP6uScL5yIasvCPTkOpGesTnlXAv0lGCRrXchAH9tU8GeRULERBq3nw7OPNavBii1_o2M3Em4VtLsRO-t/s400/vicequeenkitchen_robert_is_here.jpg" title="robert-is-here-fruitshake" /></a></div>
<br />
I asked Robert for a smile as he was slicing mangoes for customers to sample. "Better yet, come behind the counter and have him take a photo of you with me," he said.<br />
<br />
I hadn't been here in ages. There was a line 50 people deep this Easter Sunday waiting for his world renown milkshakes. I remenber stopping here in the 90s on the way back from day-long fishing trips in the Everglades. The lines were shorter then. Way shorter.<br />
<br />
"Did you ever think it'd get like this?" I asked. He smiled again. "The computer exploded. I'm just a guy working."<br />
<br />
Humble. Maybe that's why that damn shake is so good.<br />
<br />
And worth the wait.<br />
<br />
Love hyperlocal Miami stories and Florida travel? Got questions? Follow me on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/vicequeenmaria" target="_blank">@vicequeenmaria</a>.<br />
<br />
Here are some #lovefl tweets from our South Dade excursion.<br />
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<br />
<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/vicequeenmaria/southdadetravel/embed?header=false&border=false&template=grid" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/vicequeenmaria/southdadetravel.js?header=false&border=false&template=grid"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/vicequeenmaria/southdadetravel" target="_blank">View the story "Miami Backyard Traveler: Biscayne Bay to the Everglades" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-30999516059276924902016-03-17T12:06:00.002-04:002016-06-10T23:22:59.785-04:00Miamians Fleeing to Homestead for Sexy, Sophisticated Entertainment<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu64DQnmKr3K1-jt9eBL0vNQb5KgZGbg56TsKvyiMNJP_H9ZRclGkYO2iU8XORV6xZyMgaNlBO-a9AvJkk2gg5jDm2afbVBfnbAuczXC5Cuxx0KqB__dtL8vj8-_S5M0SvZEMM/s1600/nicole-henry-bikini-beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="nicole-henry-at-this-moment" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu64DQnmKr3K1-jt9eBL0vNQb5KgZGbg56TsKvyiMNJP_H9ZRclGkYO2iU8XORV6xZyMgaNlBO-a9AvJkk2gg5jDm2afbVBfnbAuczXC5Cuxx0KqB__dtL8vj8-_S5M0SvZEMM/s400/nicole-henry-bikini-beach.jpg" title="nicole-henry-at-this-moment" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole Henry heating up the sand with her sultry vocals. A still from the video <i>At This Moment</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Ah, spring time in Miami. Our days are longer and slightly hotter. Boob sweat becomes more noticeable, portending the rainy season. Hordes of filthy barbarians (a.k.a. spring breakers) trash our beaches. Ravers flock to Downtown to suck on mollies and have sex with trees at Ultra Electronic Dance Music Festival.<br />
<br />
Yet somewhere not so far away, stands a little theater bringing world-class entertainment to Miami-Dade County. In about the same amount of time it takes you to cross the Brickell Bridge from 8th street to Bayside during rush hour, you can escape to Homestead's newly restored Seminole Theater, a gem in the district known more of its agriculture, authentic Mexican restaurants and other culinary delights like the key lime shakes at Robert Is Here and the cinnamon rolls at Knauss Berry Farm.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
While all that madness takes place on the eastern corridor, University of Miami alumna Nicole Henry will offer frazzled locals a respite from the crowds. In 2013, she earned a <i>Soul Train Award</i> for "Best Traditional Jazz Performance." Her career highlights also has three Top 10 U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan jazz albums.<br />
<br />
Nicole Henry will serenade audiences with her sweet and sultry jazz vocals on Friday, March 18 at 8 PM. Visit the <a href="http://seminoletheatre.org/161-nicole-henry" target="_blank">Seminole Theater</a> for ticket information.<br />
<br />
<h3>
THE SEMINOLE THEATER</h3>
<br />
The Seminole Theater dates back to the 1920s. It closed in 1979 and in 1992, Hurricane Andrew nearly wrecked the building. The theater re-opened, fully restored, in 2015, preserving some of South Florida's art deco theater history. Its doors are now open -- a welcome respite for Miamians looking to get away from it all without leaving the 305.<br />
<br />
Tempted? Let this video of Nicole Henry seduce you further in her interpretation of Billy Vera's <i>At This Moment: </i>a soulful love song, featuring two very sexy lovers on the beach.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HlbovbDwqeg" width="400"></iframe><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-6153808625302078412016-03-13T20:30:00.003-04:002016-06-10T23:23:17.210-04:00FoodSpark Miami Breathes New Life into Hialeah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/25674240811/in/album-72157665307831560/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="FoodSpark Miami - Hialeah Edition"><img alt="FoodSpark Miami - Hialeah Edition" height="300" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1576/25674240811_14a46270ff.jpg" title="foodspark-miami-hialeah" width="400" /></a></div>
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For any of you who’ve ever told me that Miami is full of fake posers who don’t give a shit about the city, kindly look past the bling and to grassroots movements that aren’t afraid of that road less traveled.<br />
<br />
On March 12, 2016, FoodSpark Miami took over the abandoned Hialeah Tri-Rail Market train station, which to me seemed filled with ghosts of a world that never really existed. A would-be bustling center of transit and commerce lies lonely by the tracks, almost forlorn, sighing in anticipation of a better world that’s surrounded by a dynamic community of people instead of rickety warehouses.<a name='more'></a><br />
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Yesterday, the parcel of land came alive with fresh new energy as we gathered to talk about Hialeah over <i>pastelitos</i> and other local fare. Topics included stigmas about Hialeah, as well as recreation, arts and culture, transit, environment and more.<br />
<br />
Some might say you had to see it to believe it: there are people who actually care about Miami in Miami, heck some are even born and raised in Miami. I was there because I’m one of them. Witness it yourself:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2c4yPXBsbNc" width="400"></iframe><br />
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More photos on <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHskvyWjVN">Flickr</a>.<br />
<br />
Kudos to Naomi Lauren Ross, the volunteers and participants who made it all happen. We're squashing that stereotype of Miami being a superficial fluffy town one event, one action and one smile at a time.<br />
<br />
What is FoodSpark Miami?<br />
<br />
FoodSpark Miami is an initiative of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CelebrateDiversityMiami/" target="_blank">Celebrate Diversity Miami</a>, a large-scale community engagement initiative founded in October 2014 that aims to promote a deepened sense of connectivity between the culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods of greater Miami. It’s made possible in part by the K880 Emerging City Champions fellowship, a program of 8 80 Cities with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as well as the 2015 Public Space Challenge, a program of The Miami Foundation with support from Baptist Health South Florida.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-14413748264629669162016-02-19T23:52:00.000-05:002016-02-25T21:01:06.203-05:00Irish Eyes Are Smiling in St. Augustine<i>Memories of last year's Celtic Music and Heritage Festival in my beloved St. Augustine make me yearn for a return visit. This year's festival takes place March 11-13 and celebrates Celtic culture in the nation's oldest city.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24503371604/in/album-72157664677117822/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 065"><img alt="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 065" height="400" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1649/24503371604_913b8f230e.jpg" title="st-augustine-celtic-festival" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to get my Celtic on with some pirate garb. Later, I got me a kilt.</td></tr>
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<h3>
ST. AUGUSTINE'S CELTIC ROOTS</h3>
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Celtic culture is dear to my heart and it's in my blood; my ancestors hailed from Northern Spain, one of seven Celtic nations. The Spanish Celts share many traditions with Scottish and Irish Celts, the most common being music, costume and dance, as evidenced in the <i>gaita </i>(bagpipe)<i>, falda escosesa</i> (kilt) and <i>jota </i>(jig)<i>.</i><br />
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St. Augustine's Spanish roots are intertwined with Celtic connections and some historical ties began early on: Florida's first Spanish Colonial Governor Don Pedro Menendez and his 800 colonists were from Northern Spain. In 1784, 460 Irish soldiers were stationed in St. Augustine with the Hibernia Regiment. Father Miguel O'Reilly arrived in St. Augustine in 1777 to minister to the colony's Menorcan residents. He later became the Hibernian Regiment's chaplain and vicar of the entire colony.<br />
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St. Augustine, so rich in history, comes alive with Celtic culture during the festival. I attended last year with my friend <a href="http://michellemarcos.com/" target="_blank">Michelle Marcos</a>, a Miami-based historical romance novelist whose trilogy <i>Highland Knaves</i> is set in Scotland. Her beautifully written novels serve up sexy romance, to be sure, with even more to love -- historically accurate storylines draw the reader into page-turning adventures.<br />
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It was only natural to talk about about sexy Celts and history all weekend long!<br />
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<h3>
BRINGING OUT YOUR INNER CELT</h3>
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Throughout the weekend, we also enjoyed observing men in kilts ... oh pardon me, I meant men playing Highland games in kilts. There was still occasion to blush a little; the athletes mustered up quite a bit of strength and dexterity to impress the ladies, for sure, especially in the caber toss.<br />
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For musical pleasure, we heard many acts, but none so rousing for me as the bagpipes and drums of <a href="http://www.albannachmusic.com/" target="_blank">Albannach</a> and the sound of bagpipes in the morning as I sipped coffee on the balcony of the St. George Inn facing St. Augustine's old city gates. We had the best view of the parade and the vibration from the instruments stirred the cool, crisp air that morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24838428900/in/album-72157664677117822/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 100"><img alt="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 100" height="400" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1720/24838428900_de9c4c2d65.jpg" title="st-augustine-celtic-festival-bagpipes" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bagpipes everywhere! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24503370544/in/album-72157664677117822/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 057"><img alt="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 057" height="400" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1478/24503370544_b944367d0b.jpg" title="st-augustine-celtic-festival-bagpipes" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best view of the parade is from the balcony at The St. George Inn.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24838420510/in/album-72157664677117822/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 076"><img alt="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 076" height="400" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1606/24838420510_3fa0fec41f.jpg" title="st-augustine-celtic-festival-albannach" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the friendly musicians from Albannach.</td></tr>
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Many clans were present to represent their lineages proudly. They paraded with bagpipes and drums throughout the day.<br />
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I stepped out in my pirate garb with makeshift Celtic variations. If fashion is your thing, the festival's vendors offer beautiful merchandise.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24766369979/in/album-72157664677117822/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 096"><img alt="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 096" height="400" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1480/24766369979_7a88564021.jpg" title="st-augustine-celtic-festival-clan-maclaren" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several clans were representing at the festival.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/25040795941/in/album-72157664677117822/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 087"><img alt="Celtic Festival - St. Augustine 2015 - 087" height="400" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1554/25040795941_c9d34ddfc0.jpg" title="st-augustine-celtic-festival-beer-wench" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because beer wenches.</td></tr>
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I asked Michelle, who traveled to Scotland to research her novels, to join me on this trip because I knew she'd enjoy traveling back to another century in St. Augustine. That's my usual modus operandi for heading up north: "I'd like to spend some time in the 18th century this weekend, how about you?"<br />
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That's how beautifully St. Augustine captures its rich history and even more so during the spring time when the Celts invade the city. My eyes may not be exactly Irish, but the Spanish Celtic heart in me shines when I think about this memorable trip.<br />
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The St. Augustine Celtic Music and Heritage Festival takes place March 11-13, 2016 and features a whiskey tasting, Celtic performers, Highland games, Celtic clans, food, merchandise and children's entertainment. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.celticstaugustine.com/" target="_blank">Celtic St. Augustine</a>.<br />
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More photos on <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHskuBcKH1" target="_blank">Flickr</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AGyxgewITck" width="400"></iframe><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: this historical travel experience was supported in part by <a href="http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/" target="_blank">Florida's Historic Coast</a>, <a href="http://www.stgeorge-inn.com/" target="_blank">The St. George Inn</a> and <a href="http://drivingthesoutheast.gmblogs.cmgrp.com/tag/facebook/" target="_blank">GM Southeast</a>. All opinions my own.</span></i><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-13699200764030309482016-02-15T20:20:00.001-05:002016-02-16T10:53:55.712-05:00Traveling in Florida with Red Coach USA<i>Red Coach USA is a comfortable and convenient bus service for tourists, commuters and locals who want to staycation in the Sunshine State. </i><i>I love traveling in Florida and finally found a nice alternative to driving or flying. </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24759908180/in/album-72157616594815386/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="redcoachusa"><img alt="red-coach-usa" height="400" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1652/24759908180_16ae210cb4.jpg" title="red-coach-usa" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yours truly traveling on Red Coach USA.</td></tr>
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<h3>
THE BIG RED BUS MAKES MAKES SCHLEPPING EASY</h3>
Remember my <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-miami-part-3-greyhound-bus.html%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8" target="_blank">Greyhound adventure</a> from 2009 during which I flew to Atlanta only to wend my way back to Miami on buses and trains? That was the beginning of my journey as a professional schlepper, which in my book of life, is someone who manages to get everywhere and do just about everything without a car. A few years later, I would master the skill of <a href="https://thenewtropic.com/learning-the-miami-schlep/" target="_blank">schlepping in Miami</a> as <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23miamischlep&src=typd&lang=en" target="_blank">#miamischlep</a>. Today, I can confidently add <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23floridaschlep&src=typd&lang=en" target="_blank">#floridaschlep</a> to my list of schlepping accomplishments.<br />
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“Where have you been all my schlepping life?” is the only question I can ask of Red Coach USA, a transportation service connecting major Florida cities. If I had known about Red Coach USA sooner, I would've taken advantage of it to hit some of my favorite Florida destination hubs like Naples, Jacksonville and Tallahassee -- easy departure points from which to find adventure: fishing on the gulf coast, enjoying St. Augustine's historical charm and exploring north Florida's nature trails, to name a few.<br />
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Heck, with the right fare, I’d even consider Red Coach as an alternative to Uber or Tri-Rail for tri-county schlepping from Miami to Broward or Palm Beach and would recommend it to travelers considering transportation options between airports.<br />
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<h3>
#FLORIDASCHLEP</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24687874719/in/album-72157616594815386/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="redcoach-usa-tallahassee"><img alt="redcoach-usa-tallahassee" height="300" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1667/24687874719_df1f303cbe_c.jpg" title="red-coach-usa" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Coach USA stop in Tallahassee.</td></tr>
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On the afternoon I started writing this post, I had been sitting on a <a href="http://www.redcoachusa.com/" target="_blank">Red Coach USA</a> bus since 7:30 A.M. It was a tremendously productive work day for this writer; so much so that I wondered why I didn't use Red Coach more often as a mobile office just to get work done, see friends who live in other cities and fulfill my insatiable Florida wanderlust.<br />
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"I don't care how long it takes to get from Kendall to Brickell," my friend <a href="http://bohemianbabushka.bbabushka.com/" target="_blank">Bohemian Babushka</a> said. "Get your ass on the bus and meet me in Tallahassee for happy hour." Babushka, who schleps often between Tallahassee and Miami, was serious.<br />
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“It’s an upgrade from Greyhound,” she told me. "You'll love it."<br />
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I was incredulous and the schlepper in me was curious, so I gave Red Coach USA a try.<br />
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First, sped off to the Naples area (about two and half hours) where I spent a week writing while visiting some of those friends I rarely see because of distance; soon after the gulf coast sojourn, I headed to Tallahassee (about eight hours) where I spent a few days covering a cultural event, tooling around Wakulla County and enjoying the aforementioned happy hour with my friend.<br />
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Red Coach’s parent company Grupo Plaza began as a service in South America 57 years ago and came to Florida’s roads in 2010. In South America, it’s quite common to <i>schlepear</i> using coach services to travel long distances between countries or to destinations where flights are either cost-prohibitive or simply unavailable.<br />
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Until I heard about Red Coach, I had only considered Greyhound, which gets a bad rap as a po' folks travel option. But not everyone who uses it lives in a slum or just got out of prison. Never mind the irony that flying these days <i>feels</i> like prison.<br />
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Call me crazy, but unless you're flying baller style in a private jet, bus travel is, in many ways, more zen than traveling in the airline passenger cattle call. There's schlepping to the airport and then there's schlepping to the gate from check-in to boarding time. Let's call a schlep a schlep. Flying, while faster, is still a schlep.<br />
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Red Coach USA is more like a shared ride service; you schlep to the bus, then chill until you arrive at your destination in about the same amount of time it’d take to drive.<br />
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And then there's the comfort. Both business class and first class feature leagues of leg room, leg rests and wide, leather seats that recline 140 degrees. While business class seats 38, first class transports 28 passengers with wider seats and detachable seat trays. Wi-fi, electric outlets and a clean toilet make the ride practical.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24428645763/in/album-72157616594815386/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="redcoachusa-electric"><img alt="redcoachusa-electric" height="300" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1625/24428645763_9a8c15c71f_c.jpg" title="red-coach-usa" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wired-in while traveling on Red Coach USA.</td></tr>
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While a little pricier than economical Greyhound, it's definitely worth a few more clams to travel in a swankier bus.<br />
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The company claims to be a luxury bus service, but Paris Hilton types will miss the champagne and cashmere blankets. For the rest of us budget-conscious folks with good taste, Red Coach is just fine. They say health is wealth. Here's something <i>luxurious</i> to me: I didn't feel like a frazzled mess by the time I arrived at any of my destinations.<br />
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My rides were so comfortable, I even slept on the way to Naples. For me, sleeping while schlepping <i>never </i>happens. And on my way back from Tallahassee, I scratched a few writing assignments off my to-do list.<br />
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The wi-fi was spotty at times in the more remote areas of my Florida routes. Ask the driver to reset the router if logging in becomes an issue.<br />
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The only drawback to Red Coach, if we can call it that, is that it doesn’t have its own central terminals, save for Orlando. In Orlando, however, you can arrange for a shuttle to local drop-off points. <br />
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<h3>
COMMUTING WITH RED COACH</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/25055506825/in/album-72157616594815386/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="redcoachusa-leather-seat"><img alt="redcoachusa-leather-seat" height="300" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1641/25055506825_ff56d2e3dc_c.jpg" title="red-coach-usa" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lady, a snowbird and part-time Florida resident from Maine, traveled from Palm Beach to Orlando to meet other friends vacationing in Florida.</td></tr>
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On one of the Tallahassee legs of my trip, I met two folks who actually use Red Coach USA to commute between the state capitol and other cities in South Florida -- not on a daily basis, but on a week-on, weekend-off rotation. They both told me that the amount of money they save on gas is worth the investment, not to mention the enormous advantage of being able to sleep during the ride in a reclinable seat. <br />
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Another passenger told me she was visiting her grandchildren in the Naples area and that the service was ideal for her to relax without having to worry about driving at night. <br />
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<h3>
THE MIAMI PUBLIC TRANSPORATION CONNECTION</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/25055682855/in/album-72157616594815386/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="miami intermodal center"><img alt="miami intermodal center" height="300" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1549/25055682855_e074057fe0_c.jpg" title="miami-intermodal-center" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miami Intermodal Center connects Miami-Dade buses, Metrorail, Tri-Rail and Miami International Airport.</td></tr>
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In Miami, Red Coach can also pick up at area hotels but all buses make their final departure from the airport. So yes, you still have to schlep to the airport. Here's how I did it avoiding all manner of Miami traffic using Miami-Dade buses and Metrorail.<br />
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For my Tallahassee trip, I took the dedicated South Dade busway from Palmetto Bay to Dadeland South station and then hopped on the orange line Metrorail to the Miami Intermodal Center, where an electric rail delivers passengers to the airport terminals. A walk to the H gate at the departure level was all I needed to find the Red Coach bus.<br />
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For my Naples trip, I took the Metrorail from Palmetto station to Earlington Heights station, where I switched to the orange line train. Both rides were seamless, fast and enjoyable. Total time for each schlep: a little less than an hour. Cost: $4.50. Stress: zero.<br />
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<h3>
TRAVEL TIPS</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/24937417272/in/album-72157616594815386/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="boiled-peanuts"><img alt="boiled-peanuts" height="300" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1619/24937417272_aeb4c532ce_c.jpg" title="boiled-peanuts-florida" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find this North Florida delicacy at the gas station by the Orlando stop. </td></tr>
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If you try Red Coach USA, make sure to check their web fares, which are lower. (On the day I traveled to Naples, a one-way ticket was priced at an unbelievable $16.) Regular users of the service can join a free membership program for incentive points.<br />
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To make your experience even more comfortable, bring a neck pillow, a blanket, hand wipes, snacks or light fare. Food is not available on the bus and if there are any pauses at rest stops, they are very brief. The Orlando stop usually lasts 15 to 30 minutes but there's only a snack machine in the terminal and one food truck parked in the lot. A gas station within walking distance offers snacks and light fare (including the North Florida's ubiquitous boiled peanuts).<br />
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<h4>
Naples</h4>
The Naples arrival point is at a McDonald’s at a major <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Red+Coach/@26.155351,-81.688185,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x939ddfdbdbf2122f?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNpKP02frKAhUEpx4KHYaCDC4Q_BIIaDAK" target="_blank">crossroads off I-75</a> and Collier Boulevard. There’s a Dunkin Donuts next door where I waited for my friend to fetch me. Several chain hotels surround the stop, including the closest, a La Quinta Inn. To get to the city of Naples proper, you have several options.<br />
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Call ahead to rent a car, place a taxi pick-up request or use Uber. <a href="https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Enterprise Rent-A-Car</a> offers pick-up and drop-off service for travelers who make advanced reservations at 239-643-3332. <a href="http://www.arkwaytaxi.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arkway Taxi</a> offers a flat rate $25 trip to downtown Naples. Call 239-777-0777.<br />
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For more information about the Naples area, visit <a href="http://www.paradisecoast.com/tourist_develoment_council" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paradise Coast</a>.<br />
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<h4>
Tallahassee</h4>
The drop-off and pick-up point for my trip to Tallahassee was a <a href="http://www.comfortsuitestallahassee.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Comfort Suites</a> surrounded by many conveniences and restaurants. Comfort Suites is true to its namesake and was the ideal place to stay before my 7:30 A.M. departure. The hotel offers 15% off to Red Coach USA customers who book a room. Even if you don't stay at the hotel, you can sit in the comfortable lobby as you wait for a ride. The front desk is happy to help you call a local taxi service. Passengers who arrive during the day can call local car rental companies to arrange a pickup. <a href="https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Enterprise Rent-A-Car</a> is a nearby option at 850-877-8929.<br />
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For more information about this destination, see <a href="http://www.visittallahassee.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visit Tallahassee</a>.<br />
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To reserve a trip, visit <a href="http://www.redcoachusa.com/" target="_blank">Red Coach USA</a>.<br />
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<i>Disclosure: Red Coach USA provided me with complimentary fare in support of my travel writing projects. All opinions about the service are my own.</i><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26349423.post-9535846673085263792016-02-06T19:14:00.001-05:002016-02-06T19:33:47.626-05:00Celebrate Valentine's Day in Miami For Under $50<i>Seven tips from local expert Manola Blablablanik for celebrating Valentine’s Day in Miami without breaking the bank.</i><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetmanola/502819966/in/photolist-6f3g3m-Lr5RL-pLzdG-2KFirL-8VYLeL-6rMVab-6iowhZ-6h2VFq-6h2VrJ-6h387S-5bNpwM-4NhkLs-4L8Nqy-4L847W-4L84Y9-4dgPt9-X9FDj-y6C83-oewoS-2XmDgQ" title="Kisses on the Beach"><img alt="Kisses on the Beach" height="400" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/215/502819966_6e547cd040_o.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Filled with love but not with cash? No worries, you’re good. Love’s the important thing that money can’t buy. Love should be celebrated every day, even if your ass is broke.<br />
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Remember: you’re just broke, not broken-hearted.<br />
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LOW BROW ROMP<br />
Even if you can afford rent in Miami, get off your Downton Abbey high horse and have sex like the rest of working-class Miami, bro. Take your sex life down a notch in class but not in fun and experience the glory of Miami’s world-renown motel rows, where the elite meet to cheat! Whether it’s Okeechobee Road or Calle Ocho, Miami’s skankalicious motels range from church-mouse modest ($25) to ultra tacky luxe ($50 +) with everything you need to bump uglies for two hours. You haven’t screwed like a proper porn star until you’ve done the deed surrounded by mirrored ceilings, disco lights and cheap porn in your sacred, Lysol-scented sex cave.<br />
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BEST MAKE-OUT SPOTS<br />
Miami boasts beautiful outdoor spaces that are especially enjoyable in the cooler month of February. Yet playboy ballers spend a big wad for a room with an ocean view when the average <i>parejita</i> can see the same shit and swap spit for free in the city's loveliest playgrounds. Do the world a favor, if you've got those Benjamins, donate them to charity and smooch at these cheap not-so-secret spots instead: South Pointe Park, Matheson Hammock Park, Thalatta Estate Park or anywhere along the entire freakin’ east coast of Florida with a beach. <i>Vete pa la playa y ya!</i><br />
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Access to Matheson Hammock and Thalatta Estate is through gorgeous, lush and dreamy Old Cutler Drive, where you’ll never find Miami’s iconic billboards advertising butt implants. If gawking at a gigantic <i>culo</i> is your idea of romantic, stick to the Palmetto Expressway and thank the board of plastic surgeons for providing every Miami <i>come pinga</i> with cheap thrills during rush hour.<br />
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HUNGRY AND HEARTFELT<br />
Ever wonder why restaurants raise their prices on Valentine’s Day? Because fools rush in … not just to love, but to the same damn eats at higher prices. How about a picnic at one of the smooch-friendly parks or on the beach instead? Skip Sedano’s or El Presidente for stocking up the picnic basket. I’ll bet you a set of <a href="http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/bargain-shopping" target="_blank">5 thongs for $5 from Valsan</a> that you’ll walk out of <a href="http://thefreshmarket.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Fresh Market</a> with delicious food and a bottle of wine to make your heart sing for under $50. You can call it a “bespoke gourmet experience” but don’t say that within earshot of your Hialeah cousins because they’ll call you a <i>come mierda</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdyRqTb2qpqubMgCCBM5E2Ep4XnXcm6OK0uiRG0Pl3GiLYk2xD0AttAPOGh5CBIn6uTfUmHc7RPDtUvpCQ_uAjVtPE_moAtI9HxkgOR_BAwOLhn0BmBHnnEeUO79YscyIhQPH/s1600/-world_cup-football_fans-football_widows-soccer_fans-world-gckn271_low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="football-widow-funny-cartoon" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdyRqTb2qpqubMgCCBM5E2Ep4XnXcm6OK0uiRG0Pl3GiLYk2xD0AttAPOGh5CBIn6uTfUmHc7RPDtUvpCQ_uAjVtPE_moAtI9HxkgOR_BAwOLhn0BmBHnnEeUO79YscyIhQPH/s400/-world_cup-football_fans-football_widows-soccer_fans-world-gckn271_low.jpg" title="football-widow-funny-cartoon" width="335" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/directory/f/football_mad.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cartoonstock</a></td></tr>
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STAYCATION IN YOUR OWN CASA<br />
Why spend hundreds of dollars on a luxury hotel room when you can give your home a <i>despojo</i> from football season and turn your bedroom into a love nest? Yes <i>mujeres</i>, there’s a reason why Valentine’s Day happens after the Superbowl. Now is the time to redeem your football widow points and exchange your <i>viuda</i> black dress for some lingerie. Throw out the sports paraphernalia and bring some real Miami heat into the bedroom with scented candles, soft sheets and sexy lingerie – all of which you can find at <a href="https://youtu.be/qvQ_XlxVW_k" target="_blank">ño que barato</a> for under $50.<br />
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Roses are beautiful but priced-gouged to bleed your pocket book on Valentine’s Day. Buy some cheaper flowers and spray the room with <i>Agua de Rosas</i>, the kind you’d buy for <i>abuelita</i>. Smells lovely, like Chanel minus the L. If you want to <i>fengshueisar</i> your bedroom, make sure the man cave is in a different part of the house. <i>Ponte las pilas</i> and be creative!<br />
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NETFLIX AND CHILL<br />
When was the last time the two of you actually relaxed at home? There’s nothing wrong with Netflix and chill between couples. It’s when a cheap ass <i>tacaño</i> douchebag thinks of it as a first date that you know <i>ese huevo no se merece ni la sal</i>.<br />
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On Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to find chocolate-covered strawberries and a decent bubbly for under $50 – even at a gas station. Or maybe you prefer to indulge in something that isn’t a Valentine’s Day cliché, so pick up a jar of chocolate dipping sauce and buy a fresh bag of <i>churros</i> from the guy on the street corner in Hialeah. Whatever it is, do it with love. Maybe even turn your bathroom into a spa. Take a <a href="http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/2006/09/is-sperm-vegan.html" target="_blank">chocolate bath</a> … but be careful, because la <a href="https://youtu.be/XksRLHrnZN0" target="_blank">malanga resbala</a>!<br />
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MORE FREE AND CHEAP IDEAS<br />
Our buddies at <a href="http://miamionthecheap.com/free-events-for-valentines-day-weekend/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Miami on the Cheap</a> have their own list of Miami Valentine’s Day activities for the budget-conscious.<br />
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LOVE IS FREE<br />
And remember … the important thing is to love, respect and honor each other every day. Your life doesn’t have to look like a Hallmark greeting card to feel like one. The best gift you can offer is your heart. Get your love on every day.<div class="blogger-post-footer">You won't see me on the side of the bus! I AM THE BUS! A single woman's guide to chronic living on South Beach.</div>Maria de los Angeleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12827363023111783564noreply@blogger.com0