Great House !!! Swimming pool, on the water, fishing off the porch, boatdock, beautiful landscape…read moregrounds, Rolls-Royce in the carport

Built in 1971, the Moreth House is not a business, it's a private residence and neither it nor its…read moregrounds are open to the public. What it is, is an amazing point of visual design architecture as well as a matter of local flavor. Located next to the extreme northwest corner of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park it actually extends out over the Intracoastal Waterway. Being so unusual and unique, it abounds with all sorts of rumor and gossip. Any young local child will tell you it is the home of the legendary Captain Nemo while some tour guides claim it to have been the "playhouse" of Burt Reynolds while others say it was that of Hugh Heffner; all of which I believe to be hogwash. Some claim it as being a Bill Bigamy design in which every other floorboard is glass to watch the water underneath. The same architect that built 17th street bridge But I think the most credible statement is that of Dan Duckham, the architect who said: "The client was a bachelor and a general contractor who owned a unique lot on a very wide section of the Intracoastal Waterway. The unique part was that a portion of the lot was actually under water as indicated on the legal survey. The design proceeded with the bold assumption that we could actually do it, and amazingly it was approved by the Corp of Engineers. Part of the structure is on dry land but overhangs the seawall and the main living/dining/kitchen is suspended over the water, supported on two large pile caps. Columns and long span concrete beams were formed and poured on the site and lifted in place by crane. The landside part contains the owner's office, Master Bedroom and Guest Bedroom, and is connected by the Foyer. Miraculously, it's still there." But no matter, it's a site of local flavor and architecture not to be missed.

In 1913, Arthur Galt, a Chicago lawyer, bought the property that is now named in his honor along…read morewith 8,000 acres west of the Intracoastal. Galt was the son of the law partner of Hugh Taylor Birch, who once owned most of what is today's Fort Lauderdale Beach. During Florida's Land Boom years in the 1920's, the the Countess of Lauderdale, Gwendolyn Maitland, decided to create a resort to rival Palm Beach in Fort Lauderdale. Her partners in the project included two Lords, a Viscount, an ex-King of Greece fellow aristocratic Palm Beachers, including society's ruling Grande dame, Mrs. E.T Stotesbury.The new resort town, incorporated on November 25, 1925, was called Floranada, a combination "Florida" and "Canada." The cornerstone was laid for Florinada Inn, a golf course was built and a narrow-gauge railroad was ordered. Hurricanes and the Great Depression caused the end of Florida's land boom. The company had sold only a few lots and the money on these was refunded and the land reverted to Galt with no other buyers. In 1927 the last remaining oceanfront public beaches in the city of Fort Lauderdale were declared off limits to blacks, so they used the Ocean Mile, which became known as the black beach. Galt held on and refused to sell his land to just anyone and he turned down an offer for a trailer park. In 1953, Coral Ridge Properties, Inc. formed by James S. Hunt and Stephen Calder purchased a tract of land from Arthur Galt from what is now Fort Lauderdale north from Sunrise Boulevard, between U.S. 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway north to Floranada Road plus the ocean frontage north of Oakland Park Boulevard. The sale was $19.4 million, the largest real estate development deal ever recorded in Florida at the time. Coral Ridge Properties subdivided the land and as sections were developed, they were annexed by the City of Ft. Lauderdale. Soon after hotels and other buildings began popping up. The first building was The Beach Club located where part of the L' Hermitage Condos now stand. The first oceanfront hotel, the four million, 257 room Galt Ocean Mile Hotel opened in 1957. Coral Ridge Properties then built the Ocean Manor, the first high-rise hotel with beach frontage. The Mile developed rapidly as a local and tourist hot spot and sales began to boom with The Fountainhead and The Ocean Summit followed by the Commodore in 1965. Galt Ocean Mile became the premier spot for affluent retirees from the Northeast, the Midwest and Canada who wanted to escape harsh winters and bathe in the sun. Today, the Galt Ocean Mile is lined with high-rise condominiums and luxury dwellings worth millions of dollars. It is prized for its restaurants on the Intracostal Waterway, marinas, and proximity to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The community is considered to have the largest strip of high-rise condominiums in Fort Lauderdale and even has its own road, Galt Ocean Drive, which veers off State Road A1A at Oakland Park Boulevard. Through the years the once elderly population is shifting younger as it becomes attractive for up-and-coming professionals around the country. I like to visit Galt Ocean Mile for the restaurants like Smoke BBQ, shopping, and beach parks.

Stretching for about a mile along the beach is Galt Ocean Mile, a collection of the ugliest high…read morerise building structures ever created. They're mostly creations of the 70's and totally lacking in architectural design. They block any view of the beach and do their best to prevent public access to the beach, which though illegal, they get away with it anyway.

So, creepy creepy... I love it. Great place to think about…read morelife and feel amazing energy from nature and yachts.

The Li'l Blader is a sculpture by Ft. Lauderdale artist Nilda Maria Comas. Comas graduated from the…read moreNew York Academy of Art and did her post graduate studies at Aacademia de Belle Arti di Carra in Italy. While In Italy she studied marble carving at the Studio Franco Cervietti. Comas has said that she has used sculpting to explore " the human emotions and feelings that have been constant throughout the history of humankind, including passion, joy, love, melancholy, and victory." The Florida Council on Arts selected Comas to create a new sculpture for the U.S. Capital' Building National Statuary Hall to replace the statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith. Other sculptures Comas has done locally include Seminole Girl along Ft. Lauderdale's Riverwalk and actress Kaye Stevens in Kaye Stevens Park in Margate. She also created a 10 foot sculpture in Carrara Marble at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Doral, Florida. Li'l Blader was installed in Cole Hammock Park in 2001. The 200 pound sculpture features a four foot high young girl rollerblading. It was donated to the city by the Howard Stillman Bates Foundation who was inspired to give the statue after seeing children enjoy the park. I love the way Comas caught the little girls sassiness in her expression. As she stands perched on her skates, she is a reminder of the innocence of childhood.

While searching on Yelp for vintage shops in Oakland Park, this Art Park popped up and almost…read morepassed by the small cement sign on the corner of Andrews Ave next to the Roselli Park Plaza. It was strange, since there was only one art exhibit in the grass visible only from the side roadway. A tower of multi colored hand painted squares depicting red ribbons and alot of awkward unexplainable designs. At the bottom of the exhibit was a placard advising the art was dedicated by the World Aids Museum and Educational Center called Project H.O.P.E. Not something I would recommend driving out of your way to experience.

I stumbled on this interesting little park on the way home from picking up my Yelp awards and it…read moreturns out it has quite a bit of history. The entire block that this park sits on was once owned by Lucius Kinsey. He became one of the first settlers to the area when he moved to what would become Oakland Park in 1914 with his wife Nora. Oakland park became a city in 1929 and Mr. Kinsey served on the first city council. Mr. Kinsey eventually gave the part of his property that is Art Park to Leroy and Iris Kinsey Chadwick. They built a home where they lived for the next 50 years. Leroy, or Roy as he was known was also a city councilman and he owned a construction company that built many of the homes in Oakland Park. The couples daughter Darleen was born at home on January 6, 1926 and was listed as the first baby born in the town of Floranada, the first name of Oakland Park. When Darlene grew up she became the City Clerk for 25 years. Art Park opened in November of 2013. It is open from dawn to dusk. The park is ADA accessible with sidewalks, a seating wall, open space for events, and sculptures. There are large red abstract sculptures surrounding an open space, an art wall, and a piece dedicated to the AIDS epidemic. There is free street parking. The park is small but I love history and art so I was delighted to find it. Well done Oakland Park for marking your history and bringing culture to the community.

The Pompano Pier resembles the Lauderdale by the Sea Pier. It's a beautiful day to fish, wander &…read moresun. This 1963 Pompano Beach Fisher Family Pier was completely rebuilt, transformed into a modern, 900-foot landmark featuring a distinctive fish-head design. The original storm-damaged pier suffered years of weathering from hurricanes Wilma & Sandy before closing permanently & being torn down. The replacement structure cost over $11 million and features an elevated walkway built to handle rising sea levels and a double-wide path.

We had such an amazing day. After my morning run, I was able to catch up on a great book while…read morecollecting Vitamin D3 (MD orders, literally). Later we enjoyed the concert and the locals. Met awesome people. Later we enjoyed the fireworks from my awesome balcony. By far best view ever. We watched while enjoying celebration of life with some gin & cranberry.. if you're in the area then it's a must visit. Thank you for being there for me tonight. You are appreciated. ;)))

I found out about El Galeón Andalucía visiting Fort Lauderdale from the Sun-Sentinel. It is a…read morereplica of 16th century treasure ships, similar to those used to explorers like Ponce de Leon. It looked impressive in the article, and seemed like a fun and different activity, so I decided to check it out on my day off. Given that it was a Wednesday, I wasn't entirely surprised that I was pretty much the only person on board the ship. I got to explore at my leisure, and they have signs at various parts telling you what it is you're looking at and how it was used. The very front was roped off, so you couldn't go past a certain point, and the same for the back. It's too bad I couldn't get a photo while holding the ship wheel (yep, it was behind the rope), because that would've been a pretty sweet photo op. Once you've explored the deck, you can head down below where the cannons are, and read all of the information about these kinds of ships and how they were used. They even have iPads with information on various explorers and shipwrecks near Florida, as well as a game for kids on them. Then you can head down one deck lower and watch a movie on how the ship was built. I originally thought the $16 price tag was a bit high to visit this ship, but after seeing how incredibly detail-oriented they were in crafting it and everything in it (even the furniture was hand-crafted), I gained a new appreciation for just how complex a task it was to make such a fantastic replica. The movie doesn't have any narration, just music, but it's well worth watching. El Galeón Andalucía is only in town until December 14th, and is well worth the visit. Parking at the Las Olas Marina is super easy and cheap ($1 an hour), and you only need about an hour to see everything on the ship and take pictures, maybe longer if it is crowded.

El Galeon Andalucia is as exact a replica as possible of one of Spain's 16th-17th century galleon…read moreships and the only galleon class sailing ship in the world. Its sparred length is 171 feet, 495 tons. 7 sail square rigged, with a freeboard of 11'9", a daft on 9'9", 33'3" beam, a 10,010 square foot sail area, working crew of twenty based out of Spain that travels the world but attempts to schedule a docking a Las Olas Marina to coincided with the Fort Lauderdale Boat Parade. Boarding her offers a fascinating 500 year step back in time to the days of Spain's West Indies Trade, arrival of Juan Ponce de León, and the time of pirates, explorers, gold and treasurers of the New World. Thanks to a first review tip off by Yelper Cherine A. I was able to board El Galeon Andlaucia, look her over and visit with her Spanish crew. I've been aboard many a replica ship, in fact my primary Yelp profile picture has me standing in Barcelona in front of a replica of Columbus's ship, but of all the historic replica ships I've been aboard, this one is the best as well as the most outstanding of them all. It's a fully functional ship, has traveled around the world, and has its officer and crew quarters, cannon and most everything else as historically accurate as possible. If you have any interest in the early sailing ships when Spain ruled the West Indies Trade as well as our home state of Florida, the El Galeon Andalucia is a must see.

I have been eagerly awaiting the installation of this public art piece and it is finally here. This…read morelarge, 8,000 pound bronze sea turtle statue was created for Dania Beach by environmental artist and conservationist Robert Wyland who was born in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan. He is most well known for his large outdoor murals, a series of 100 Whaling Walls throughout the country and world to spotlight the fragile ocean ecosystem. J. Milton and Associates as part of the City of Dania Beach's public art program, commissioned Wyland to create a sculpture of a Florida green sea turtle and the colorful reef fish and coral that are part of Florida's living reef. The sculpture was built over eight months and then shipped to Dania Beach. This turtle sculpture is part of Wyland's global public art project, which focuses on representations of marine life. Other Wyland pieces from this project are in Beijing, China and Hoonah, Alaska. This green turtle is swimming in front of Sea View Luxury Rentals. The pictures do not do this beautiful piece justice. I have been a long time Wyland fan and have visited several of the Whaling Walls. I love how this sculpture brings awareness to green sea turtles. They are the largest of the hard shelled turtles and are unique because they are herbivores with a diet consisting of sea grass and algae. Green turtles are found around the world but their numbers have declined as they have been used for their meat and eggs. They have also lost nesting habitat due to coastal development. They are listed as an endangered species.

I couldn't help but see the large scale Mariposas on a recent trip to Sunny Isles. Mariposas, which…read moreis the Spanish word for butterflies is a stainless steel 18 foot high head crowned with butterflies. It was purchased for 1.6 million dollars by J. Milton & Associates, a Miami real estate development company since 1963. Mariposas stands in front of the Milton Tower, a 14-story office building near NE 163rd Street and Collins Avenue. This artwork is part of Sunny Isles Beach's Cultural Master Plan, which was created in 2017 to bring more art to the city. Developers who apply for building permits of any size in Sunny Isles Beach are required to contribute an art piece valued at least $500,000. Mariposas was created by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés known for his style that combines art with history. Valdés has been featured in many museums and galleries. His pieces are displayed in Valencia, Spain; Place Vendome, Paris; Berkeley Square, London; Taipei, Taiwan and Dubai and now in Sunny Isles Beaches. Valdés is an internationally known artist and his work is supposed to represent multiculturalism in the city. I was really drawn the playfulness of this piece. It is very eye catching and fun to photograph at different angles.