"Elbo Room Jams: Fort Lauderdale " a Fort Lauderdale Travel Page by richiecdisc

Fort Lauderdale is many things to many people. I have seen it in many different incarnations. Though before my time, it was the playground of the rich and famous in the 50’s, playing host to many celebrities who found charm in its picture perfect beaches and great nightlife. Then spring break took over in the 60’s and America’s college youth first discovered and finally took over the beach resort by the 80’s. It was during the 80’s that I first discovered this fun town. Spring break was in it’s heyday with throngs of bikini clad coeds and endless beer. It was chaotic but good-natured though in the end, it just got too big for such a small area. Enter the Fort Lauderdale’s planning commission and it was time to squash the breakers out of town with laws to squelch all the fun and mounted police to carry out the deed. And indeed, it was done within three seasons; with each progressing wave looking like a mere ripple in comparison to years gone by. What followed was a deteriorated state that no on could quite see coming with property values plummeting, the lower classes moving into the beach area, and petty crime increasing with the addition of crack houses and less than desirable inhabitants. It would appear that the once glamorous town would slide into the abyss, never to return to its former glory. I found myself living in the beach area at that time, bartending, and enjoying the still nice beaches at now rock bottom prices. But a beach refurbishment was underway that would in ten years transform the beach into a mini South Beach ala Miami and the final push occurred with a similar development in the downtown area, with the addition of a performing arts center, an Imax, and numerous cafes, bars, and clubs, culminating in a river front shopping complex just recently completed. Again, Fort Lauderdale is looking like a great destination and with very good prices compared to neighboring towns. Come on down, you might be surprised at what you find.