FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
People (friendliness) 2
Things to do 5 Best
thing to their name: The climate, duh!
Things to see 5 Shopping
3
Grace's overall rating: 4
SPRING BREAK '98
3/21/98
Our first day in Ft. Lauderdale.
Our flight was 9:40 AM, Wendy drove us to TF Green. We flew
Southwest. I slept almost the whole 1st flight--3hrs-- except when they gave us
cheese and crackers. Then a 1 hour stopover at Tampa where it was 60o.
Then a 1 hour flight to Ft. Lauderdale. More peanuts. This landing took
forever, it was rough. Then it was 80o and sunny and beautiful!
Took cab to hotel. It felt like a dream. Palm trees, everyone in shorts, lotsa
jeeps and convertibles.
We changed into tank tops then walked to the beachside blvd. Felt
like 90210. Everyone was tan and buff, girls were all in bikinis, I'd forgotten
shorts so I bought a pareo and shorts, M. bought a Tshirt. Then went to Coconuts for
dinner and sat outside and it was windy and cold. Food not that good. Then we
explored hotel more, saw pools and exercise room and the concierge recommended a club to
us. (He'd also recommended the restaurant, maybe that should've tipped us off.)
It was OK, pretty good music. We got
beers then danced, then these 2 guys not good or bad looking, just normal, danced w/us for
a while but we sort of ignored them (I didn't care, I thought at least they're not
scuzzy-looking and they're clean cut and we looked dumb just dancing alone) but every time
I turned to dance w/him M. would yell at me not to "leave her alone." So,
they got bored w/us and left. Then it got crowded and smelly and we left ~midnite to
check out other clubs, but walking back these guys sitting yelled at us in fake Chinese
accents, I wanted to give them the finger or say something back but had to hold it in for
fear they would get nasty. That's when I really wished Lew and the guys were with
us. Then it all went downhill, the cars driving by kept yelling things, sometimes
just catcalls but sometimes racist stuff.
I felt so humiliated but M. seemed OK so I held
it in. At night I tried Lew but they were still out. M. fell asleep but I
couldn't, I was wide awake wondering what Lew was doing and wishing he'd call back, and I
was still so upset about the racist bastards I started crying.
I slept badly.
3/22
Today was better. We went to work out in
the exercise room then laid out on our private beach. It was a little cloudy but we
both still burned a little. We went to Subway for lunch, M. ate a 12" in the
same time it took me to eat a 6".
We came back and showered and watched the
URI-Stanford game. Quite exciting. URI was way up then lost it w/~20 seconds
to go. I hope Stanford gets their asses wiped over the floor in the Final 4.
After the game I waited for M. as she popped a
zit. She ran into the bathroom so I wouldn't watch. I said she shouldn't pop
it and she said "I can't help it!" Then her whole chin was red so she iced
it. Quite exciting.
We went to walk to Los Olas shopping plaza.
It looked so close to us on the map, but we walked and walked, over a highway
bridge that vibrated and made a scary noise when we crossed so M. screamed and almost tore
my arm off. But all we found was a row of small shops.."Yacht Interior
Designs", antiques, a convenience store, and a poshposh Italian restaurant.
That was it. We turned back and I bought a 6pack of Honey Brown for the guys (my bf
and his roomie were staying at a friend's house in Miami, and were driving up to visit
us).
Back at the hotel we went to see the
"free" buffet the concierge told us about but it was Buy a cocktail first, then
you get the buffet, and it was a very tiny table. Figures. We sat on a lounge
couch for a while staring at the people silently, like 2 old ladies.
I napped in the room while M. watched more
bball then rring! They were here. They tried to fool me: "Lew couldn't
come, he's sick," then he popped out. We went to Oasis Cafe where you can rock
your outdoor table back and forth with your feet. We ordered a "Pusser
PainKiller," really just a Pina Colada. I was so happy to see Lew. After
dinner we walked on the beach and along the blvd of shops and clubs that M. and I already
saw...We stood around awhile like idiots because M. and I wanted to go to a club but Alex
didn't, and they kept hemming and hawwing...M. was a sport and said we should just hang
out and the hotel and Alex was all for that.
We just watched TV and had beers. Before
they left Lew gave me his Tshirt to sleep with, Albert thought we were being silly.
I had fun because of Lew, but I feel bad M. probably thinks it was a wasted night.
Anyway that's it and I won't see him again til Saturday. Wahhh.
3/23
We got up 8:30 again and went to work out.
I did stairmaster again and lat pulls and situps. It was pretty nice and
sunny and this time we chose beach chairs near the water...I fell asleep and woke up
because it turned really cold and windy and for a sec I was afraid my top blew off.
I was thinking M. would tell me if it slipped, but knowing how oblivious she is...it would
end up blowing out to sea and she'd just laugh. Went to Subway again, this time I
got a footlong and the server was impressed.
We took the water taxi to Los Olas blvd where
there were posh shops, antiques, bridal, knickknacks, some were neat, all were pricey.
I could barely walk after a while I had to take a dump so bad. We turned
back, went to Mangoes, weren't too hungry so we thought we'd just get salads and an app,
the waiter rattled off all the specials and descriptions before we said we were just
getting salads. Then took a water taxi back home to watch Oscars. Around 12
Lew called and we talked about our day. Alex's gf is gone so it's just a big
"sausage party" now at Alex's home. Lew said Albert was giving himself a
wedgie to show off his butt. They were supposed to study all day but played foosball
and pingpong instead. They didn't even go to the beach all day and were going to
sleep now. I called them old. But, I'm glad they're not out partying and
meeting girls.
3/24
Our last day. I didn't wake up til 10:30,
to M. yelling at me to hurry up. I said she could go ahead w/o me but she whined
Noooo so I said Then don't yell.
We went to the pool this time to avoid the
ripoff charges and sand and wind and crowds. It was a good idea. No one's
here. I worked out on the treadmill first (I found out I weigh 112 lbs now empty
stomach). Then went swimming. I can swim better now because the fat helps me
float. M. came in too and I made fun because she wore her shades and kept her head
up to keep her hair dry like a priss.
I think we may be starting to try each others'
nerves so it's good we are leaving tomorrow. Things that annoy:
1. Oblivious! I went to change
swimsuits and left my bag next to her chair. When I returned she'd moved to another
chair way across and left my stuff behind.
2. A baby! I was getting out of the
pool but she was just going in and whined for me to stay in too.
3. Lets me look the idiot! At the
club she wanted to order some food "I'm sooo hungry!" and just sat there; I kept
telling her to wave down a waiter. I tried to wave one down and was ignored and she
just laughed at me. She never ordered.
4. Never takes pictures then takes all my
doubles!
5. Always complains there's not enough
sun/too much wind.
6. Abuses Schmoo (my Gund).
Things I am glad for:
1. Lets me have the bed closer to
bathroom.
2. Waits for me when I take longer to get
ready.
3. Eats a lot.
4. Sleeps quietly.
5. Doesn't want us to spend a lot of $.
6. Is at least as vain as me (probably
more)
She got hungry so we went to Hooters to try
their famous wings and weren't impressed. We got 20 w/"3 Mile Island"
sauce and it was so mild I thought when I said "3 Mile" the waitress heard
"Mild", but we asked her and it was right and she said "Guess it's not
doing anything for you guys." She was quite pretty and had a nice bod but some
of the others didn't. She even leaned forward to show us cleavage.
Back at the hotel we showered for the dinner
cruise. We boarded Jungle Queen and were like the youngest ones there except for
families' children. It looked like a ClubMed or church senior citizen's outing.
The commentator showed us all the mansions and yachts of famous and rich people.
The cheaper yachts were $15-20K....per foot. We saw people and kids inside
waving. Hard to believe real people live there. I think it was called Bahia
Mar Canal...then there was a cheesy vaudeville show. The emcee looked and talked
just like Flanders from Simpsons: "Alrightie now, everybody put yer hands
together and sing along!" Then there was a magician, singer, and comedian, who
were OK. Anything to shut up the emcee. Going back the brochure said there
would be a singalong but thankfully they didn't make us. I guess they realized what
a dead crowd we were.
We got back ~11 and asked the bellman about Baha passes and he gave us some free VIP ones
and a cab and we rushed there and the bouncer made us go to the end of the line
"Everyone has those silly passes" and the cashier said $8 each. I tried to
argue w/her and said "Oh so you hand out all these passes and what they say isn't
even true" and she said the passes were outdated or something lame. So we
didn't have enough for both cover and cab back so I tried to explain to the bouncer and I
said "Frank the bellman told us" and he said "Then he told you
wrong." Then some guy in line asked "How much do you need?" and M.
said $8 so he gave her $8. Then, she is so dumb, she gave her $8 to the guy and he
went in. I'm about to head in when the cashier goes "He only paid for one of
you." I'm like What happened? and M. was explaining to me and the bouncer
was like "You can't keep standing around here," and I'm trying to BS saying
"some guy paid for one of us and my friend paid for the other" and he said
"Then you're both paid for, go in" like he was tired of arguing. Again,
I'm about to head in when M. she is so dumb, she mumbles "but still only one
of us is paid for" and he stops us and makes one of us go in and find the guy for the
money. So I go in and find the guy and plead that my friend's in trouble and can't
get in and he smiles and gives me $10. I go to the cashier and as we head in the
bouncer says "You gonna be nice now?" I go "Yeah, I am gonna tell all
my friends how awesome this place is...advertise for you and
everything." and he just walked away.
So we go in and M. was in a bad mood and looked like she was gonna cry so we stood around
for a while and some white guy came up and started talking to me and she said I should go
ahead and dance. He was friendly but flirty, kept saying I was beautiful and awesome
and "I think Asian women are just so beautiful" and every time I told him I
wanted to make sure M. was OK he said I was dissing him. I sat down w/her and she
kept telling me to go have fun and wanted to be alone. I didn't want to leave her
but then we'd gone thru so much shit to get in and were stuck here for a while, no point
in wasting it. Finally some Asian guy asked me to dance, I said Sure. He
looked a little like my freshman bf Eugene and his name was even Gene. From CalTech,
a junior, surfer, and swimmer and had a nice smile. He wore a shirt w/a surfing Taz
and a safari hat that he let me wear and said I looked good w/it. He introduced me
to all his friends, from Stanford, Brown (soph I didn't know), UCI. He said to get
M. So I went and told her they were all nice guys, from good schools. She had to
drink 2 drafts first. Then Gene bought us each a beer and we sat and talked more,
while the club had a wet Tshirt contest. It looked so skeevy and crass. I
decided I didn't like clubbing anymore. Gene is the 1st nice guy I've ever met @ a
club, it seemed. He bought us a round of cherry bomb shots too. @ 2 I said we
should go, and we said goodbye. I guess we didn't talk long enough to exchange
addresses and we were leaving tomorrow and he knew I had a bf and we were on opposite
coasts. Oh well, he was the only thing that made that night alright.
Cabbed it back, packed and crashed.
