Fort Lauderdale: the beach and los olas

Matt's birthday is in two months, and I'm reminiscing on his past birthday trips to help plan the next. We've been to St. Maarten, San Juan, Mazatlán, a cruise to Ensenada, MX and countless other coastal destinations where we've celebrated my summer birthday boy. 2020's celebration ended up as take out dinner at home (thank you Covid-19) so we really need to make up for lost time this year. Let me know if you have suggestions on where to travel, but for now, here's a peek at his birthday celebration in 2019, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

We stayed at the Westin, right on the beach on Barrier Island. The hotel had scenic ocean views, an elevated pool and beach bar, as well as access to the beach via a covered overpass. Since Southern Florida is known for it's once daily torrential downpours, it was the perfect spot for beach lounging and then high tailing it back to the bar to drink under covered umbrellas. The drinks were fruity and fun and there were plenty of local beers on tap.

Fort Lauderdale is one of Matt's favorite USA cities and he picked all the meals based on his tried and true favorites. Night one, we had to consume tacos and margaritas at Rocco's Tacos. The atmosphere was lively & fun and the food really hit the spot. Matt was already in his element. This kid is made to be near the water!

On the sunny mornings, before the rain, we loved to wander the beach and the seaside shops & restaurants. I forgot a sun hat this trip so purchased a fun Panama hat and one of the local gift shops. We ate breakfast at the mom & pop diners, grabbed coffee to go, and walked in the sand, learning the history of the location and stopping to photograph ourselves at all the tourist traps.

For Matt's special birthday dinner, we moseyed over the W Hotel next door and dined at STEAK954. The restaurant had a giant fish tank filled with jelly fish and was mesmerizing to watch as we waited for our table. Because we were in celebration mode, we ordered all Matt's favorite dishes and left the restaurant completely stuffed. We started with the seafood platter for two and a wedge salad, added a fillet mignon, gratin potatoes and the restaurants famous popovers. We ended the night with the most beautiful and delicious dessert. Not a bad way to turn 36!

Fort Lauderdale is way more than just the beach, and the neighborhood surrounding Las Olas Blvd is an ideal place to spend an afternoon. We explored the famous canals, the colorful wall murals, and all the cutest shops and restaurants. Some favorites included Lilly Pulitzer, Louie Bossi's Ristorante, Flowers & Found Objects, & Ann's Florist & Coffee Bar. And don't forget to check out all the local breweries on the Fort Lauderdale Ale Trail.

One of the highlights of the trip, was the Water Taxi ride through the Fort Lauderdale canals. We boarded the taxi at one of the numerous hop on/hop off locations and were guided through the labyrinth of canals (Fort Lauderdale is known as the "Venice of America"). The houses along the canals were pretty incredible. It was hard to believe that many of these mega-mansions were people's second, third, or fourth homes! Tickets were $28 for adults and the tour took about 3 hours since we did not hop off along the way. We enjoyed the beautiful sites and learned about the history of the area. Once we hit Boatyard restaurant, we decided to hop off for lunch and were treated to the most delicious and relaxing meal on the water. Their moto was, Eat Local, Be Coastal and that was exactly what we were in the mood for after our cruise along the waterways.

Our next door neighbor, the W Fort Lauderdale, was not just for Steak954! We spent a few happy hours at the intoxicating Mexican restaurant, El Vez. The walls of the restaurant swung open and the patio area and bar/restaurant all mixed into one giant space for hours of entertainment. I loved the beer can wall mural, the graphic Day of the Dead sculls, and the Frida Kahlo décor. Everything was mouthwatering, but we were partial to the nachos, which I hate to admit, we ate 3 times on our 4 day trip. We're ecstatic that there is an El Vez in NYC so we can relive these birthday memories back at home! Happy Birthday Matt!