This continues from Part 1 of the Caribbean http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,29855.0.html

 

This is decidedly more urban but hopefully no less warming to all of you who are sensitive to the cold and snow of winter. So sift through these images and hopefully they will cheer you up. Spring isn't too far away...

 

So we disembarked from the Caribbean Princess cruise ship at Port Everglades and got a ride from BuckeyeB[/member] and his lady friend Nan who came cross-state to spend the day in Fort Lauderdale. Count the modes of transportation visible here:

 

First, we went to breakfast at Cafe La Bonne Crepe on Las Olas Boulevard:

 

Las Olas runs east-west between downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Tarpon River out to A1A on the coast. This section has lots of "older" shops, hotels, restaurants and nightspots:

 

 

Tarpon River and its many watercraft:

 

 

 

 

Lots of high-rise residential buildings along the Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk:

 

 

 

 

 

Group photo time! My sister Bette, BuckeyeB[/member] and me:

 

Gotcha!

 

Need a lift, bridge?

 

 

 

 

About to turn north into the central business district:

 

Not much mixed-use in downtown. Mostly offices. But the intersections sure are colorful:

 

Public art. This chair is f*cked!  :-o

 

Back in the car and now heading north up A1A, which is a lot livelier than Ft. Lauderdale's CBD (hopefully All Aboard Florida and the streetcar can help change that):

 

Can't say that South Florida doesn't have density, albeit without a lot of mixed use:

 

And some interesting modern architecture here and there:

 

This puppy's brand-new. Still got the factory sticker on it:

 

Florida East Coast Railroad, with the main track laid with concrete ties. That should help All Aboard Florida's passenger trains hit 110 mph although they will probably stay at 79 through populated areas like this. Now that they got their $1.75 billion in bonds approved, construction on more track, stations, etc. has already started. Hourly train service from Miami to Orlando is planned. This is a random crossing, probably in the Pompano Beach area:

 

The FEC's Spanish-style station at Boca Raton has some historic railroad passenger cars. South Florida was first developed by Henry Flagler and his FEC railroad 100 years ago:

 

There is frequent Tri-Rail passenger rail service on the parallel line owned by the State of Florida, a few miles inland. This is Tri-Rail's Boca Raton station next to I-95 at Yamato Road:

 

Running in the push-mode northbound to West Palm Beach:

 

Most of Tri-Rail's stations are substantial. Amtrak intercity passenger and CSX freight trains also use this line, once owned by CSX and single tracked until the 1990s. I took pictures along it in 1984 when it was a dink railroad line:

 

And yes, this is owned and funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (take that, car-only ODOT!):

 

Back in Fort Lauderdale and back along Florida East Coast RR tracks next to the downtown transit center (and northern terminus of the Phase 1 streetcar), this is the site All Aboard Florida has chosen for its station and supportive development (hotel, offices, retail, etc) that will help finance the joint transportation-real estate project -- taking a cue from founder Henry Flagler. The lift bridge for the Tarpon River is up, so no freight trains for a while -- and no passenger trains for a couple of years. But this Fort Lauderdale station site will look very different by then:

 

And this view from the same spot but looking in the opposite direction (north) will probably also look very different in a few years:

 

Downtown Fort Lauderdale transit center on the other side of the trees. A good spot for the AAF train station:

 

How's this for mass transit? This is a mobile dessert bar that makes the rounds on and near Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Had to get one last crazy photo before I leave Florida:

 

That was the end of a fun trip and, in particular, a good day. Thanks to Bill and Nan for coming to visit us and drive us around. We took off from Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 30 to return to Cleveland for a couple more months of cold and snow. But spring will come soon:

 

Thanks for traveling with me!

Nice pics, really like Ft. Lauderdale. Have gone there multiple times in recent years. FLL airport is also located close to the beach area and the port.

Allegiant has cheap flights out of CVG heading down there. 2 restaurants I like there,

 

Casablanca Cafe

 

 

Thanks! I also like FLL, certainly much better than MIA! We flew United from CLE to FLL because we could redeem miles for free travel, but United is axing the CLE-FLL route. Fortunately, Allegiant has moved in to fill in the gap.

 

For early dinner we ate at the Big City Tavern, also on Las Olas Boulevard. It was decent (the burgers are HUGE), but not worthy of a photograph! ;) It was good to dine alfresco -- as much as one can "dine" on burgers.

 

 

 

FLL December 2012. Perfect Winter Warm Up. Las Olas is very nice. I remember stubbornly taking the city bus from the airport to the beach, I think I had to transfer and everything.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pnjwxgh9uzhlcbw/2012-12-11%2010.40.59.jpg?dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qwkrkznuiuw6h4k/2012-12-13%2008.25.29.jpg?dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ns5ua0pskykqfw5/2012-12-11%2010.26.20.jpg?dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pvd5rqu8k44b2lh/2012-12-11%2011.19.33.jpg?dl=0

Las Olas (in theory) is nice. In reality, it's a lot of overpriced and unsatisfying restaurants. The density of shops and restaurants is great. KyleCincy[/member] Casablanca is very good. South Florida is dense by necessity, but there are a lot of buildings empty most of the year. My condo building fills up this time of year but is only about 50% full the rest of the year.

Las Olas (in theory) is nice. In reality, it's a lot of overpriced and unsatisfying restaurants. The density of shops and restaurants is great. KyleCincy[/member] Casablanca is very good. South Florida is dense by necessity, but there are a lot of buildings empty most of the year. My condo building fills up this time of year but is only about 50% full the rest of the year.

 

You live there? Me jealous lol. What ever happened with the Trump condo building it was vacant for years? BTW I am skipping USA for vacation this year.

Going to Santo Domingo DR.

we have a family friend who is from lauderdale and another friend who lives along the tarpon river and we sail around there on his boat now and then. i had a flashback of almost running the sail into one of those bridges one time. anyway, good timing with this thread, it sure would be nice to get away somewhere warm right now that is for sure!

Las Olas (in theory) is nice. In reality, it's a lot of overpriced and unsatisfying restaurants. The density of shops and restaurants is great. KyleCincy[/member] Casablanca is very good. South Florida is dense by necessity, but there are a lot of buildings empty most of the year. My condo building fills up this time of year but is only about 50% full the rest of the year.

 

You live there? Me jealous lol. What ever happened with the Trump condo building it was vacant for years? BTW I am skipping USA for vacation this year.

Going to Santo Domingo DR.

Aside from the weather right now, you're not missing anything. The Trump condos were a mess lol. The building finally sold and is currently being redone as hotel/condos. Supposed to be ready this summer.

Las Olas (in theory) is nice. In reality, it's a lot of overpriced and unsatisfying restaurants. The density of shops and restaurants is great. KyleCincy[/member] Casablanca is very good. South Florida is dense by necessity, but there are a lot of buildings empty most of the year. My condo building fills up this time of year but is only about 50% full the rest of the year.

 

So are you a condo owner? We use to rent condos for holidays, but since we like South Florida so much, me and my wife are considering buying our own condo(if we do so, it would be a newly built building, most likely the Sabbia Beach). We would stay there for the winter months and we like to rent it out the rest of the year. So i have some questions you might answer. first, can you figure how many weeks of the year a condo is rented. If it doesnt fill, it would be a bad investment, but i think that won't be the problem with an oceanview condo. Just want to make sure.

The 2nd one is the Tax situation. Do i have to pay taxes for the extra income in Florida, or in Ohio, where we will be living the rest of the year?

would really appreciate the help

I just rented a condo while I was down there and moved to Miami for a bit but am back in beautiful Ohio now! If you buy in the right area you should have no issue renting your unit, especially if it's oceanfront. I don't know much about the tax side of things but I did find this...hope it helps.

 

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc415.html