Hello Fort Lauderdale

So this post might be somewhat boring to readers but my blog started out as a journal for us. So bear with me as I create memories of our latest trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We like taking a direct flight on Jet Blue to Fort Lauderdale and always opt for the extra room option. We were only gone for a week but it seemed like weeks and weeks on end since we missed home.

When we travel it is all about shopping for things we cannot find in Ecuador or at least at a reasonable cost. Also, it is about the food we yearn for but interesting the longer we stay in Ecuador our food taste begins to change.

We always stay at the Premiere Hotel which irony the owners are folks from Argentina and welcome us like family.  The hotel’s location directly across the beach and only a mile or so from the Galleria Mall  I highly recommend you check it out the Premiere Hotel f you are visiting Fort Lauderdale.

So here are a few of the must go to places, of course, Costco and a trip to a grocery store to stock up on items we think we need. Dining at Capital Grille for steak and calamari and the Charro Brother’s, Fort Myers Beach for the best Tex Mex Food ever and that is coming from Texans! During this trip, we made a few new discoveries. Friends took us to Twin Peaks which I never thought I would step foot in but wow the coldest beer ever and yummy chicken wings. Watch out Hooters for competition! They pride themselves in displaying the temperature of the beer on a screen so at 26 degrees the beer called a dirty blond was delicious kind of like a Blue Moon but I thought even better.  A friend also recommended beachside dining at the Aruba Beach Cafe which we enjoyed and the location is in the middle of quaint little shops and restaurants.  Oh my, I had shrimp and grits a southern tradition at Seasons 52  and Billy Boy had a huge hamburger.

The best way I can describe the experience is a step back in time…hmm we feel like time travelers. Every morning, while I walk on the beach which is right across from our hotel and Bill, takes the easier route on the sidewalk we head to Pittsburgh chain  Primanti Brother’s  Dinner for our fix of a to die for the breakfast sandwich.  Would you believe we went there for breakfast every day? So the staff gets to know us.  We could prepare this at home but somehow I do not think it would taste the same. I love walking on the beach just as the sun begins to greet a new day there is just something about the ocean and the ever-changing beauty.

Another recommendation for Italian is ll Mulino which we enjoyed so much we went twice. Watch out for the garlic rolls they will overwhelm you with garlic. They also have a great pizza!

This trip was not only for pleasure but Bill combined it with some business that he is investigating starting in the US. One is concerning organic fertilizer and pesticide that he has used for years and the other is working with a company that can track property using a state of the art system. More on that later in a future blog.