Free Day in Ft. Lauderdale

Sunday is my free day in Ft. Lauderdale as I am not scheduled to work until Monday morning at the Convention Center. I would ideally like to rent a bike and then rent a kayak to explore some of the waterways in this area. I don't have a car on this trip so my first objective is to find a way a the beach area where I am guessing there are rental places.

I start by heading down 17th Street towards the water and discover the Water Taxi. This is an easy way to get around and they service 11 stops around the "Venice of America". The attendants on board are helpful and let me know the best stop to find the rentals I am looking for. It cost $12 for an all day pass and by the end of today I used it twice. The attendants are also part time tour directors and point out some of the more popular sights as we are wandering through the waterways.

Immediately as we were pulling away from my boarding stop, the attendant tells us that the beautiful sail boat I was admiring belongs to Tommy Lee Jones. I had walked by it earlier while I was waiting for the Water Taxi, checking out the two Yamaha Jet Skis on board attached to lifts that drop them into the water when needed. Also pointed out along the way were various mansions and yachts owned by actors and owners of large companies. It is really unbelievable how much wealth is in this area. Another mansion that stood out in my mind was the home of Michael Mann who directed Miami Vice back in the 80s. They used this home to film a few of the episodes in that series. There is an indoor swimming pool where you swim under a glass divider and then you are outside.

After a few minutes of touring the area, I reach my stop and head to the beach to find some rentals.